News Feature | August 4, 2015

HIT Innovations Drive Convergence Opportunities

Christine Kern

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

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The future of healthcare will transcend EHRs and PHI.

Far beyond the adoption of EHRs and telehealth capabilities that allow for interoperability and exchange of personal health information (PHI), new innovations and developments in healthcare technology are emerging which are creating a convergence in the way we treat patients. Advances in technology now offer patients and providers new opportunities to improve patient outcomes, minimize hospital stays, and streamline caregiver costs. Convergence in healthcare is occurring on a variety of levels, and is driving the future of healthcare IT.

IEEE Computer Society released its top 10 technology trends for 2015, writing, “In the coming year, while consumers will be treated to a dizzying array of augmented reality, wearables, and low-cost 3D printers, computer researchers will be tackling the underlying technology issues that make such cutting-edge consumer electronics products possible.”

From wireless sensors that help scientists map Staph infections in hospitals and microchips modeling clinical trials with the goal of replacing animals in experimentation, to the use of wearable technology like Google Glass for telehealth and training and the use of 3D printed biological materials, the future of healthcare will be dominated by the convergence of technology.

Among the healthcare technology advances IEEE Computer society is forecasting are:

  • the expansion of wearable devices
  • the Internet of Anything will become all-encompassing: The Internet of Things and Internet of Everything in 2015 will morph into the Internet of Anything, which “envisions a common software ‘ecosystem’ capable of accommodating any and all sensor inputs, system states, operating conditions, and data context”
  • escalating cloud security and privacy concerns
  • 3D Printing will takeoff
  • predictive analytics will be increasingly used to identify outcomes
  • augmented reality applications will grow in popularity

In terms of the expansion of wearable devices, IEEE states, “Both established players and small startups in 2015 will be actively involved in developing new devices, applications, and protocols for the wearable electronics market.” And IEEE predicts that 3D printing will take off in 2015, seeing the first 3D-printed car enter production, and sales of 3D printers are expected to explode, with a host of new possibilities for healthcare.

Augmented Reality Applications will also grow in popularity, IEEE explains, as “The availability of inexpensive graphics cards and sensors, and the popularity of applications in such areas as gaming and virtual worlds, is bringing augmented reality into the mainstream.”

As the emphasis in healthcare is increasingly on patient satisfaction ratings and the shift from pay-for-service to value-based-payment models, healthcare organizations will be turning more and more to technology to optimize their systems. Technological advances from point of care, infrastructure/data center, telehealth, security, and services will each play an important role in ensuring the success of your healthcare organization.