During today’s #HITsm chat, Karen DeSalvo joined the chat and asked what healthcare IT will be like in 2024. Brian Eastwood, Senior Editor at CIO.com, tweeted the following:
Selfishly I want healthcare to still be messed up in 2024 so I still have a job. Personally … #HITsm
— Brian Eastwood (@Brian_Eastwood) September 26, 2014
The topic was of interest to me as a health IT blogger myself. However, this was my response:
@Brian_Eastwood You have nothing to fear. They'll just likely be different. #HITsm
— EMR, EHR and HIT (@ehrandhit) September 26, 2014
This of course led to Brian and I contributing to a series of possible 2024 Health IT Headlines we have to look forward to:
@ehrandhit 25 Ways Nanobots Living on Your Skin Improve Your Health #HITsm
— Brian Eastwood (@Brian_Eastwood) September 26, 2014
@Brian_Eastwood "Top 10 Pancreas Selfies that Will Impact Your Health" #HITsm
— EMR, EHR and HIT (@ehrandhit) September 26, 2014
@ehrandhit 17 #Healthcare Features in iPhone 17 #HITsm
— Brian Eastwood (@Brian_Eastwood) September 26, 2014
@Brian_Eastwood "3D Infographic of Human Body Analyzes Your Personal Risk of Death by Body Part" #HITsm
— EMR, EHR and HIT (@ehrandhit) September 26, 2014
I’m pretty sure this wasn’t what Karen DeSalvo had in mind when she asked the question, but I thought it was fun to think about these possible headlines. Plus, I think there’s a fair amount we can learn from thinking about the future in this type of headline fashion. What do you think the healthcare IT headlines will say in 2024?
My question – how will these headlines be published by media and digested by readers? And will anyone still be listening?
John – would be great session for your 2015 conference – visioning the future of HIT media…..
Beth,
I really like the topic. Probably best as a roundtable discussion or something like that. There’s no one expert on the topic, but we all have different views that would be interesting.
We have come a long way since 2010. We have around 60% adoption in eRx which was probably less than 10% in 2010. 50%+ adoption in EMR Adoption and adoption of PHR has accelerated as well. So, within the last 5 years we have come this far. And over next 10 years, probably we might be closer to 100%.
Where the lab results were printed out, now they are structured data, easily actionable. Where the Rx was written and patients had to empty their medical cabinets and bring all the medications to the PCP every visit, now its all available, irrespective of which Doc prescribed. These are baby steps – but surely nothing to be sneezed at.
I am sure all of us had to fill out the intake forms at PCPs place and then same intake forms at Specialists place – which through MU II is streamlined so that the Demography info as well as the Clinical Records are shared between Physicians. Again small steps, but taken together, is big leap from where we were 5 years ago.
I am sure we will see Health IT much more advanced than what it is today; and will contribute towards efficiency in resource utilization.
All of us can be proud of what has been achieved thus far and can also look forward to much improvements and growth over the next 10 years.
While we hear much noise on WHY and WHAT of EMR not being usable; not helping the Physician; slowing down the Physician, not being able to look the Patient in eye while documenting (I can go on and on) ……………. we don’t hear about the smaller improvements that resulted in adoption of HIT and how it has improved the efficiencies in practices.
Conclusion – Yes – HIT should have improved the lives of constituents by 2015 noticeably