4 Healthcare Interoperability Predictions For 2015

By Konstantinos Klitsas, president, Talent Advisors, LLC

The outlook for healthcare providers’ efforts to improve the sharing of patient information is one of slow but sustained progress over the next 12 months. With this year fast approaching its close and 2015 just around the corner, now is a good time to consider what’s likely to take place in the arena of healthcare IT interoperability.

Healthcare Consumer IT Growth
It’s likely that 2015 will see a steady rise in the use of telemedicine and remote health monitoring, with more consumer IT brands focusing on wearable healthcare technology. This aspect of interoperability will radically change the relationship between patients and their healthcare providers. Physicians will have more access to patient data uploaded to the cloud via smartphones and similar devices. This will enable doctors to more effectively manage chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disorders.

The use of home medical devices that record and transmit data to providers will include blood pressure monitors and automatic scales for patients with congestive heart problems, finger stick blood sugar meters for diabetics and pulse oximetry readers for people with chronic lung conditions. Readings from these devices will be available instantaneously to physicians and will provide early warning of deteriorating conditions. This in turn will enable more timely medical interventions, ultimately saving lives.

Patients Will Get in on the EHR Act
As healthcare providers increasingly adopt EHR software, the use of patient portals will increase, further strengthening communication between patients and providers. Through such portals, patients will be able to communicate with medical practices from their homes and get fast access to data such as lab test results. With EHR software becoming a necessity for primary healthcare providers, practitioners and patients alike will gain benefits from more efficient appointment reservation and hospital check-in processes.

More Data Breaches, More Regulations
As interoperability improves and information-sharing across platforms increases, data breaches will become even more common occurrences. This will result in more agencies stepping in to regulate the use of technology such as healthcare apps. Legal bodies likely to increase attention to consumer healthcare IT include the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission.

A Cloudier, Yet Brighter Outlook
Perhaps the greatest impact on healthcare interoperability will come from the cloud. There is no simpler way to facilitate data sharing across disparate systems, platforms and applications. As more hospitals struggle with overburdened budgets for software and hardware, cloud solutions will become increasingly attractive. The economy of scale available with cloud-based IT, as well as its possibilities for risk sharing and low demand for specialized hardware, will see healthcare Software as a Service grow massively in popularity over the coming year.

Along with the greater demands from patients, greater use of the cloud and more regulations, 2015 is likely to see the introduction of healthcare data standards. The current lack of standardization is one of the biggest obstacles to interoperability. However, with the overarching need to drive down the costs of healthcare, organizations are realizing the need for collaborative efforts to utilize common data formats. In short, it’s going to be another year of struggle to advance healthcare interoperability, but one in which progress simply has to be made.

About the author
Konstantinos Klitsas is instilled with the belief that technology can be leveraged to increase profitability, operational performance and clinical outcomes in the healthcare industry. He is the President of the Talent Advisors, LLC.