Like many IT vendors and healthcare professionals, I'm enjoying HIMSS this week.
I can't say for certain what will be the final themes of the event, but I'm going to stick my neck out and make a few predictions.
Firstly, I think HIMSS is going to be one big reality check for the healthcare IT industry. This year we are really starting to come to terms with 'meaningful use'. It would be naive not to see the business opportunity of the Recovery Act, but it would be foolish to overlook the new discipline and accountability that it brings to our sector. We're going to have to put the hype to one side, get our feet firmly on the ground and talk about the present.
Which is why I'm pleased, and slightly relieved, that interoperability is a key theme of the event. I'm anticipating a lot of talk about Health Information Exchanges (HIE). Not because I like the sound of another industry buzzword, but because I really believe that we are close to achieving the levels of integration across the healthcare supply chain that other industries have enjoyed for years, decades even.
The only area where I think we will see some end-user eye candy, is at the HIE front end. Forget the iPAD, it's about time that medical professionals, administrators, and eventually patients had a modern, fluid interface that enabled them to view and manipulate patient records, imagery, schedules, billing and more.
On a separate topic, I'm also excited that The Obama administration is taking steps to simplify the implementation of its health IT strategy. As you might have seen on the newswires, a memo from the Office of Management and Budget has been sent to a number of Federal agencies, proposing the creation of a new Health Information Technology (HIT) taskforce that will support a coordinated effort to implement goals of the HITECH Act across various government agencies.
I'll certainly drink a toast to that - even if HIMSS is going to be a very sober event this year.