The thought of patients as consumers is concept that can make even the most seasoned health system administrator cringe. But it’s a vital mindset shift that must be adopted across the spectrum of healthcare professionals if there is any hope for a system to thrive. Simply put: if the patient is not perceived as in control of their healthcare choices -- and the revenue that follows them -- then a gross miscalculation of focus will lead to the demise of even the most state-of-the-art healthcare organizations.

We realize we are about to deflate the tires from entire salesforces in the healthcare IT space, but it would be a supreme disservice to our clients to ignore this fact: Integration is never straightforward. Despite connectivity standards that have been around for years -- be it HL7 as the Golden Oldie or new-kid-on-the-block FHIR -- there are an endless number of variables in any given interoperability or connectivity project that threaten to derail best efforts.

It may seem intuitive that the primary concern when it comes to systems interoperability for healthcare is the accuracy of data. Did all the information make it across, and did everything parse into the right place? And sure, that’s incredibly important. But an oft overlooked component for the success and reception of interoperability initiatives is user experience.

A Fresh Approach with 5G

The drive to modernize the delivery of healthcare IT is unprecedented in history. More than ever, new innovation is needed to deliver healthcare services, protecting patient data and reducing medical errors, and technology play a vital role in the transformation of this industry. The ability to deploy technology to enhance patient care and safety starts one hospital at a time and depends on the adoption of smarter technology solutions. Hospitals by their nature are large, complex facilities that are expensive to build and even more expensive to maintain. Walk through most hospitals in the United States and you can trace a timeline of modern computing technology on the walls, ceilings, data centers and departmental systems.

The 2019 HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition is scheduled to take place in Orlando next week, Feb 11-15, 2019. This conference is a unique opportunity to meet over 45,000 healthcare IT professionals, clinicians and executives from across the globe. You can visit us at booth #3121!

With an amazing agenda of speakers and networking opportunities, HIMSS19 is set to be another amazing conference in sunny Orlando, Florida. As a healthcare CIO, the key to your success is being prepared. Below are eight ways to prepare yourself for HIMSS19.

Click here to read part one of Creative Solutions to EHR Training Challenges.

You might spend more on technology than training when implementing a new EHR or upgrading an existing system, but the effectiveness of your training may influence the return on your investment more than the capabilities of your technology. If your team doesn’t fully realize the benefits of the new technology, then you will not maximize your ROI. Creating an effective training program is key to increasing efficiency and productivity. In part two of Creative Solutions to EHR Training Challenges, we continue with creative solutions #3 and #4.

With 2018 at a close, we compiled our top 10 most popular blog posts of 2018, in one place. We hope that you enjoyed our posts from 2018, and we are looking forward to creating even more helpful content in 2019.

You might spend more on technology than training when implementing a new EHR or upgrading an existing system, but the effectiveness of your training may influence the return on your investment more than the capabilities of your technology. If your team doesn’t fully realize the benefits of the new technology, then you will not maximize your ROI. Creating an effective training program is key to increasing efficiency and productivity.

Ken Bradberry, CPHIMS - Senior VP & CTO at the HCI Group discusses how blockchain has the potential to redefine trust between individuals and institutions. In this post, Ken explores the basics of blockchain and where we can soon see blockchain and cryptocurrency integrated into the healthcare ecosystem.