My Thoughts on the HIT Industry after the HIMSS24 Global Conference & Exhibition

Let’s be proactive, not reactive - in leadership, technology, and healthcare.

1. Technology moves faster than governance (this was evident with health information exchange over a decade ago).

The experience with health information exchanges a decade or more ago exemplified the reality that technology often outpaces governance, highlighting the need for proactive and adaptive approaches to policymaking and regulation in rapidly evolving technological landscapes.

Challenges:

• Speed of innovation: Technology, especially in areas like AI, data sharing, interoperability, and health IT, evolves at a much faster rate than the legislative and regulatory processes that govern their use and implementation. The lag can lead to utilizing new technologies before formalizing appropriate governance frameworks.
• Complexity and nuances: The intricacies and nuances of emerging technologies can be complicated for policymakers and regulators to fully grasp, making it challenging to develop effective and comprehensive governance structures that account for all potential implications and use cases.
• Privacy and security concerns: Utilizing sensitive health information raises privacy and security concerns, requiring strong governance to protect patient data.
• Stakeholder alignment: This involves multiple stakeholders, including healthcare providers, technology vendors, patients, and regulatory bodies. Aligning the interests and perspectives of these diverse stakeholders can be a complex process, further slowing down the development of governance frameworks.

Opportunities:

• Adopting a proactive and collaborative approach to address these challenges is crucial. Regulators and policymakers should engage with technology experts, healthcare providers, and patient advocates early in development to anticipate potential issues and develop adaptive governance frameworks.
• Existing regulations must be tweaked and updated to ensure they remain relevant and effective in the face of rapidly evolving technologies. While it may be challenging to keep pace with technological advancements, strong governance measures are crucial for ensuring the responsible and ethical use of technologies, mainly when dealing with sensitive health information and protecting patient privacy and data security.

2. Technology, including AI, is not a replacement but a complement.

People and processes are still instrumental for successful change management and increased user adoption. New technologies have immense potential to improve efficiency, productivity, and decision-making, but their successful adoption requires careful consideration of the human elements involved.

• Change management: Introducing new technology into an organization requires significant changes in its culture and practices. To ensure successful adoption, effective change management processes that address concerns, provide training, and facilitate smooth transitions are important.
• Human expertise: AI can undoubtedly help improve productivity, but human knowledge, judgment, and creativity are still essential in many situations. People bring domain knowledge and problem-solving skills that complement AI capabilities. AI should be used to handle routine, repetitive tasks, freeing up humans to focus on more creative, strategic, and interpersonal aspects of work.
• Stakeholder engagement: Involving end-users and subject matter experts throughout the implementation process helps ensure solutions align with their needs, increasing buy-in and adoption.
• Ethical considerations: Robust processes and governance frameworks are essential for addressing moral issues like bias, privacy, and accountability that arise with the increasing prevalence of AI. It’s imperative to have human oversight.
• Continuous improvement: Organizations need processes for ongoing training, updates, and refinements to ensure implemented solutions remain practical and relevant as technology evolves.

While AI offers great potential, its successful adoption depends heavily on the people and processes surrounding it. Recognizing the complementary roles of technology and human intelligence allows organizations to leverage their strengths to drive innovation and positive change.

3. We're all in it TOGETHER. Transforming healthcare requires a collaborative effort involving all stakeholders.

This includes industry partners, academic institutions, vendors, and community-based organizations. Interoperability, care coordination, and teamwork are vital to achieving meaningful change and addressing the complex challenges in healthcare.

• Industry partners: Health systems, providers, payers, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and other industry players are crucial in driving innovation, developing new therapies and technologies, and ensuring access to quality care.
• Academia: Research institutions, medical schools, and universities are essential for advancing medical knowledge, training future healthcare professionals, and conducting cutting-edge research that informs evidence-based practices.
• Vendors: Technology companies, electronic health record (EHR) vendors, and healthcare IT providers are vital for developing interoperable systems, enabling data exchange, and facilitating care coordination across different healthcare settings.
• Community-based organizations (CBOs): These organizations deeply understand the social determinants of health and the unique challenges different communities face. Their involvement is crucial for addressing health disparities, promoting preventive care, and providing support services complementing clinical care.

Some of these stakeholders (i.e., home health, specialists), especially in rural areas, are stuck back in 2008; many are still on paper, and several were left out of incentive programs. First, we need to get them digitized. I’ve advocated for more boots-on-the-ground assistance, such as the regional extension centers (RECs) with the Meaningful Use (MU) Incentive Program. Rural healthcare, in general, needs this assistance as many have limited staff, time, and resources to effectively be proactive with ANY health IT initiatives (cybersecurity, interoperability, informatics). Secondly, data exchange is not true interoperability, and we still have a lot of work to do even with digitized stakeholders (LTPAC, CAHs, RHCs, FQHCs, PCPs). Comprehensive patient information must be accessible by all stakeholders, regardless of where care was received, to enable better-informed decisions and coordinated care plans. True interoperability is crucial for seamless data sharing and communication.

This collaborative approach ensures that patients receive comprehensive care that addresses their medical needs and considers the social, emotional, and environmental factors that impact their health. By building solid partnerships, ensuring all stakeholders are digitized, embracing true interoperability, and promoting care coordination and teamwork, the healthcare ecosystem can collectively drive transformation. This can lead to improved patient outcomes, enhancing the overall quality and accessibility of care.

4. Embracing and educating patients is essential for enabling them to advocate for their health effectively.

A well-informed and engaged patient can have a significant positive impact on their health outcomes. Patient education and empowerment are important for several reasons:

• Understanding their condition: Patients can make informed decisions about their care when provided with clear explanations about their medical condition, treatment options, and self-care strategies.
• Adherence to treatment plans: Educated patients are more likely to adhere to prescribed treatments, medications, and lifestyle changes, leading to improved treatment effectiveness and reduced complications.
• Early recognition of issues: When patients understand the potential symptoms and warning signs associated with their condition, they can promptly report concerns to their healthcare providers, allowing for timely interventions.
• Shared decision-making: An informed patient can effectively communicate their preferences, values, and goals, fostering a collaborative relationship with healthcare professionals and ensuring treatment plans align with their needs.
• Self-management: Equipping patients with knowledge and technology empowers them to manage their condition, monitor their health, and seek help when needed, such as through telehealth and remote patient monitoring.

Effective patient education can take many forms, such as clear communication from healthcare providers, access to trustworthy educational resources, support groups, and patient advocacy organizations. Ultimately, a well-informed and engaged patient can better navigate the healthcare system, work with their care team, and achieve better health outcomes.

5. Cyber threats are inevitable. Security awareness, education, and training are instrumental for businesses and consumers to safeguard confidential information.

Addressing cyber threats through robust security measures, raising awareness, and providing education and training is instrumental for businesses and consumers in safeguarding confidential information. A proactive and comprehensive approach to cybersecurity is essential in today's digital age, where cyberattacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and frequent. Here are a few key reasons why security awareness, education, and training are crucial:

• Business security: Companies hold vast amounts of sensitive data, including financial records, intellectual property, and customer information. Implementing strong cybersecurity measures, such as encryption, MFA, firewalls, and access controls, is crucial to protecting this valuable data from breaches, which can result in significant financial losses, reputational damage, and legal consequences.
• Consumer protection: Patients entrust businesses with their personal and financial information, which cybercriminals can exploit for identity theft, fraud, or extortion. Companies are responsible for safeguarding this data and ensuring their customers' privacy and financial well-being are not compromised.
• Awareness, education, and training: Many cyber threats, such as phishing attacks or social engineering tactics, exploit human vulnerabilities. Raising awareness about these threats and educating employees and consumers on best practices, such as recognizing suspicious emails or websites, using strong passwords, and avoiding oversharing personal information online, can significantly reduce the risk of successful attacks.
• Incident response and recovery: Cybersecurity breaches are almost inevitable, even with proper preventive measures in place. However, having a well-defined incident response plan that includes transparent communication, trained personnel, and robust backup and recovery strategies can help to minimize the impact of a breach and guarantee business continuity for all parties involved.

Healthcare organizations can create a security culture and build trust with their stakeholders by prioritizing cybersecurity, launching awareness campaigns, and providing ongoing education to employees and customers. This collaborative effort between businesses and consumers is crucial in combating the constantly changing cyber threats and safeguarding electronic protected health information (ePHI).

6. Ensuring a solid and capable healthcare workforce for the future is crucial, and actively recruiting the best talent into the healthcare industry should be a top priority.

Here are a few key reasons why continued recruitment efforts are vital:

• Meeting healthcare demands: With an aging population and increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, the demand for healthcare services is rising. Attracting top talent into the field ensures enough skilled professionals to meet these growing healthcare needs.
• Driving innovation: The healthcare industry constantly evolves, with new technologies, treatments, and delivery models emerging. Recruiting bright minds and innovative thinkers into the field can drive further advancements and improve patient outcomes.
• Addressing workforce shortages: Many areas of healthcare face workforce shortages, particularly in nursing, primary care, and certain medical specialties. Robust recruitment efforts can help address these shortages and ensure adequate staffing levels. We must also leverage technology and incorporate it into workflows effectively to increase efficiency.
• Fostering diversity and inclusivity: A diverse and inclusive healthcare workforce can better understand and cater to the needs of diverse patient populations. Recruiting from diverse backgrounds and experiences can enhance cultural competency and improve access to care.
• Developing future leaders: The healthcare industry requires strong leadership to navigate complex challenges and drive positive change. Recruiting and nurturing emerging healthcare leaders early in their careers can help develop a pipeline of talented individuals prepared to take on leadership roles. (I have some ideas for this – stay tuned!)

To attract the best talent, the healthcare industry must actively promote rewarding and meaningful career opportunities, offer competitive compensation and benefits, and provide avenues for professional growth and development. Fostering partnerships with educational institutions, providing internships and mentorship programs, and showcasing the industry's cutting-edge technologies and research can also help capture the interest of top students and early-career professionals. Investing in recruitment efforts and creating a positive work environment that values and supports healthcare professionals is essential to building a strong and sustainable workforce. This, in turn, will ensure that the healthcare industry can continue to deliver high-quality care and drive advancements that improve patient outcomes and overall population health.

Conclusion

Overall, I had a wonderful time interacting with enthusiastic students and engaging with industry partners and vendors at the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition ! It takes ALL of us to achieve the HIMSS mission and vision of "reforming the global health ecosystem through the power of information and technology" and "realizing the full health potential of every human, everywhere." Thank you for making #HIMSS24 a conference to remember.

For those who missed Nick Saban's closing keynote address, 'Championing the Capacity to Lead,' he explained that he became a much better coach when he transitioned from transactional to transformational leadership. As healthcare leaders, you can help us achieve the goals mentioned above by becoming transformational leaders. So, are you ready to take on this role?!