You Choose The Trends, Not The So-Called ‘Experts'

By Ken Congdon, Editor In Chief, ken.congdon@jamesonpublishing.com

As editor in chief of Health IT Outcomes (HTO), I get fulfillment out of every article we publish, but this annual issue featuring the top 10 health IT trends for the coming year is without question my favorite project. Why? It all comes down to the process we take to determine the trends.

Other media outlets produce similar forwardlooking “trend” or “list” issues to kick off the year, but most rely on their editors, industry analysts, or vendor executives to dictate the content. While these individuals are knowledgeable health IT resources, oftentimes their viewpoints are limited to their coverage areas, specialties, or client interactions. No matter how you slice it, most of these “experts” don’t work for healthcare providers. They aren’t on the frontlines of managing healthcare IT budgets or prioritizing technology initiatives. If these resources don’t actually implement health IT systems, how accurate are the trends they highlight?

At HTO, we take a different approach. We go straight to the source and survey the technology decision makers (e.g. CIOs, CTOs, CEOs, CMIOs, CFOs, IT directors, clinical leadership, etc.) from hospitals, physicians practices, and other providers to uncover the IT trends that are truly having the most profound impact on the healthcare industry. Only after these trends are identified by our readers do we seek out analysts and consultants with expertise in these areas to articulate the driving factors behind each trend.

I learn so much from the readers we survey for this issue each year, as well as from the industry experts who so graciously dedicate their time and effort into making this issue a valuable resource. For example, during the research for this issue, I was encouraged to see the focus most healthcare providers are placing on PHI security. With the rise in EHR adoption, PHI security has been an area of growing concern for patients. While several experts warn of the security breaches that can ensue if systems aren’t shored up to prevent data leaks, it was unclear if providers were actually heeding these warnings. After our research, it’s clear that most providers are taking the issue of PHI very seriously and working to put safeguards in place to protect themselves and their patients.

This is just one of the interesting findings to come from our survey. You can review the complete survey results and other valuable editorial on our Top 10 Health IT Trends For 2013 landing page. I’d like to thank all the contributors to this special issue and hope you get value out of reviewing the trends we’ve outlined. After all, these trends were determined by you and your peers.