I have been amazed lately at the speed with which change is happening all around us – be it in healthcare IT, on Wall Street, or on the world stage. People are realizing their voices can be heard, and that solidarity can make a difference – whether that be rising up against despotic governments or clamoring for change to proposed ACO regulations in Washington.

 

In announcing the final ACO regulations, Donald M. Berwick, MD, administrator of CMS, said, “We listened very carefully to the more than 1,300 comments we received on the proposed rule released this spring, and this final rule includes a number of improvements suggested by those comments that will strengthen the program.”

 

That just goes to show you that your voice can be heard as long as you have the gumption to open up your mouth (or your email) and voice your opinion.

 

Change was certainly the main theme at the recent GAHIMSS Trade Faire and Regional Conference held in downtown Atlanta. Denise Hines, president of the society, noted in her morning welcome that changes to technology, processes, funding, models of care and the healthcare workforce are here to stay. It seems that change has become almost static in its frequency.

 

Sessions I attended that focused on providers’ Meaningful Use journeys certainly used the word more than once. They all emphasized that a cultural change – from the top down – was, is and will be necessary to truly change the way care is delivered at their facilities. A team mentality on the part of the provider and vendor must be established for new healthcare IT systems to be utilized to their fullest potential. It seems the key to success – improved patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, and incentive dollars – is getting everyone on board the change train and keeping them there for the duration of the ride, however long that might be.

 

Of those that I attended, my favorite session was “The role of hospital leadership in achieving Meaningful Use,” a panel discussion featuring consultants and providers from Georgia and beyond.

 

In his role as panelist, consultant and GAHIMSS Board member Dan Stewart emphasized that leadership buy-in is vital to Meaningful Use. He makes sure his clients’ executive leadership teams are in from the very beginning. He also mentioned that those that view Meaningful Use as simply an IT project are doomed to fail.

 

And as we’ve seen on the nightly news recently, those that don’t embrace change don’t last long.

 

It’s always interesting to hear of how change is being implemented on the front lines of healthcare. Begrudgingly or enthusiastically, everyone has a story to tell about how they are dealing with it.