EHR maker eClinicalWorks will have a large presence at HIMSS20 in March. And it has been giving a lot of thought to what is happening in healthcare information technology that is most important to focus on at the big annual conference and exhibition.
Healthcare IT News had a discussion with Sameer Bhat, vice president of sales and co-founder of eClinicalWorks, asking him to identify the most important healthcare and health IT trends surrounding HIMSS20. He focused on consumerism, physician burnout and interoperability.
Consumerism in healthcare
In 2020, consumerism is at the forefront of healthcare, he stated.
“People want access to things anytime, anywhere,” he explained. “As a healthcare provider, it’s imperative to recognize and understand your consumer’s needs. The goal is to empower patients so they remain involved in their healthcare decisions throughout every step of the patient journey.”
Having a set of resources at one’s fingertips that can keep patients engaged could be the difference between a provider organization and its competition, he cautioned.
"SMART on FHIR apps provide physicians with data that moves directly into their workflow and helps form a more detailed patient story."
Sameer Bhat, eClinicalWorks
“Implementing the latest technologies such as kiosk, telemedicine and self-service apps offers your patients the flexibility they expect,” he said. “Tools like these create a one-stop-shop for all patient-provider interactions and support the overall goal of enhancing provider to patient outreach.”
Reducing physician burnout
Elsewhere in healthcare, physician burnout still plagues many doctors, Bhat said.
“It’s a long-term stress reaction marked by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a lack of sense of personal achievement,” he remarked. “Although there is not one particular cause that leads to physician burnout, the rapid increase in the sophistication of medical technology and the rise of convoluted EHR systems can leave physicians with less time interacting with patients and more time behind a computer screen.”
To combat this ongoing issue, the health IT industry is striving toward developing innovative products that address the needs of medical professionals and reduce physician burnout, he noted.
“For example, AI-centered conversational APIs, such as an electronic scribe, give busy providers powerful tools to make documentation faster, easier and more clinically accurate than ever before,” he said. “The goal is to help doctors increase their productivity, reduce the hours they spend on documentation and help them gain precious minutes to achieve a better work-life balance.”
Interoperability
Another trend surrounding HIMSS20, according to Bhat, is interoperability. Without effective interoperability, provider organizations can be stuck in the past, he said.
“Today, health information needs to move quickly among physicians’ offices and hospitals,” he said. “The goal of interoperability is to allow this health information to flow securely among practices and facilities nationwide. It also is critical that we find ways to help providers quickly and successfully sort through patient information. Health information search engines allow them to quickly access relevant data and deliver complete, accurate patient information at the point of care.”
The Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR) is different from traditional interoperability solutions, he noted.
“It gives developers a platform to create apps that authorize access to medical records,” he explained. “Implementing this capability to patients allows them to retrieve their medical data and puts them in control of their own health.”
Additionally, SMART Health IT is an open, standards-based technology platform that enables innovators to create apps that seamlessly and securely run across the healthcare industry, Bhat added.
“SMART on FHIR apps provide physicians with data that moves directly into their workflow and helps form a more detailed patient story,” he said. “Patients, doctors and healthcare practitioners can use this library of FHIR apps to improve clinical care, research and public health.”
eClinicalWorks will be at HIMSS20 in Booths 149 and 8300-91.
Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT
Email the writer: bill.siwicki@himssmedia.com
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.