FRAMINGHAM, MA – New reiumbursement models driven by healthcare reform tops the list of the top 10 healthcare provider predictions from IDC Health Insight analysts Judy Hanover and Lynn Dunbrack.

IDC Health Insights' top 10 healthcare provider predictions identify major trends that will impact the U.S. provider IT landscape in 2011.

Most include technology that will be transformational for stakeholders, but others simply characterize the evolution of technology currently being implemented and used by healthcare stakeholders.

Key themes across the healthcare predictions include the disruptive impact of healthcare reform, cloud computing, and storage solutions. The predictions focus on the 2011 time frame, but include continuing and evolving trends as well as those with a longer implementation time frame than a single year, but which will enjoy significant attention and investment from provider organizations in 2011.

The 2011 provider predictions are:

1. Health reform providers will explore new care and reimbursement models.
2. EMRs will shift from purchase to adoption phase for hospitals in 2011.
3. EMR-as-a-service options will take off among ambulatory providers.
4. CPOE will get real-world experience.
5. Clinical decision support will be integrated into care.
6. Meaningful use and healthcare reform technology purchasing will continue.
7. Clinical mobility will drive meaningful use.
8. Business and clinical intelligence will become actionable.
9. Client virtualization will become the rule for point-of-care applications.
10. Healthcare storage will transform to support electronic records and images.

[Here's another list of top 10 healthcare trends – this one from The Camden Group: Top 10 trends for 2011 include IT, new care models.]

"As we enter 2011, U.S. providers and payers will be challenged to make transformative changes to care delivery and business models to respond to ARRA and PPACA," note the report's authors. Clinical applications, cloud-based delivery technologies, and innovative approaches to reducing the costs associated with IT infrastructure will be essential for providing efficient, patient-centered, outcomes-focused healthcare, they say.

"Healthcare information technology is expected to play a major role in meeting the demand for care, quality, and safety, while bridging the gap to affordability," Hanover and Dunbrack write. "In 2011, the need for implementing information technology to achieve cost savings and efficiency goals continues to grow, and with government incentives under ARRA available beginning in 2011, we expect the accelerated pace of investment in technology established in 2010 to continue through 2011."