Uncovering The True Health IT Trends

By Ken Congdon, editor in chief, Health IT Outcomes

Well, 2012 is upon us, and you’ve likely already been bombarded with numerous articles, reports, and studies claiming to highlight the top health IT trends for the year. Let’s take a moment to revisit the meaning of the word “trend.” Merriam-Webster defines the term as “a prevailing tendency or inclination.” With this in mind, I’d argue that many of the health IT industry’s so-called “trend” reports have lost sight of this definition. Much of what I’ve read focuses more on emerging or cutting-edge health IT applications than it does on technology initiatives that are actually being put into practice at healthcare facilities. Emerging technologies are certainly interesting and newsworthy, but they aren’t exactly a true representation of the IT initiatives that will dominate our industry over the next year.