2019: Healthcare IT gains new ground

There have been many frustrations with how the federal EHR incentive program was implemented this past decade, but those big government subsidies have enabled headway that might not have happened otherwise.

The department has innovated and expanded its uses of telehealth, advanced data centers to improve its healthcare offerings for veterans.

The consulting giant issued a forward-looking report in January 2019. Healthcare IT News went back to see what the report’s key issues look like at year’s end.

Whether enabling patients to understand costs, helping them manage billing or reminding them to get to the doctor, healthcare organizations are harnessing technology to more effectively engage patients.

Most healthcare provider organizations have yet to dip their toes into artificial intelligence. But some are using AI to reap rewards in everything from checking symptoms to diagnosing lung nodules.

The EHR vendor’s founder also discusses the state of interoperability, cloud computing and today’s sticking points in health IT.

The famed digital health pioneer talks about his new book, Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again. The potential is immense, he says, but the U.S. needs a plan.

"And it is coming quickly to a care setting near you," said Cris Ross at Health 2.0 on Tuesday, touting "small AI and big AI" tools that can help revamp IT systems to improve the experience of clinicians and patients alike.

The National Coordinator talks 21st Century Cures, information blocking, Apple, consumerism, FHIR, open APIs and new business models he sees emerging amid the "overarching theme of human choice and freedom and dignity."

Despite one senator's hope to move deliberately with rulemakings and not repeat some errors of meaningful use, National Coordinator Donald Rucker said delays only lengthen the time that consumers are "not in control of their care."

"Voice user interfaces are an essential step to humanizing the EHR," says Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Dr. Yaa Kumah-Crystal, who will be speaking at HIMSS19.

The new technology connects on the first attempt 96% of the time, compared with 73% for the previous telemedicine carts; with enhanced monitoring and support, tele-neonatology availability is 99%.