The amount of patient data generated by various medical devices, wearables, and healthcare apps grows every day. However, hospitals can make use of all this information only in case when their devices and software systems communicate via a common protocol. One of such protocols that allow healthcare apps to securely exchange sensitive patient clinical data with each other is Health Level 7 (HL7), – a globally accepted, widely accredited, and one of the most commonly used set of interoperability standards in the world...
The idea that the healthcare industry can study the data being created in electronic health records (EHR) to foster ongoing improvement is not a new one, but it is gaining momentum. A “learning health system” is one that commits to the use of data as a byproduct of care for continuous learning. Clinicians and health system researchers want to tackle perhaps their industry’s most significant knowledge management challenge: how to capture the results of research into clinical best practices and more quickly feed it back to doctors and nurses at the point of care...
Face it: health care IT infrastructure is a mess. After spending tens of billions of dollars to "incent" providers to move to EHRs, they're using them but are not very happy with them. In a world in which health IT systems should help improve patient care, they're seen more as a burden than as an asset. We now have millions of electronic records that are still way too siloed, and all too often incomplete. Worse yet, when those records aren't being hacked, they are being held captive by ransomware. Enter blockchain.
For the third straight year, HLN Consulting, a leading medical informatics consulting company, will participate in the Interoperability Showcase at this year's HIMSS19 Global Conference and Exhibition which is being held in Orlando, FL from February 11-15, 2019. The Showcase itself runs on February 12-14 and consists of a series of connected demonstrations which are collaborative projects between 6-8 organizations using interoperability standards to exchange information and improve the quality and value of the care provided. Together they develop a storyline, or scenario, that contextualizes the value of their demonstration and tells the story of a patient, caregiver, or provider. This year HLN will participate in two scenarios...
On Monday, Humana and Microsoft Corp. announced a strategic partnership focused on building modern health care solutions for Humana members aimed at improving their health outcomes and making their health care experiences simpler to navigate. Using the power of Microsoft's Azure cloud, Azure AI, and Microsoft 365 collaboration technologies, as well as interoperability standards like FHIR, Humana will develop predictive solutions and intelligent automation to improve its members' care by providing care teams with real-time access to information through a secure and trusted cloud platform.
Audacious Inquiry (Ai), a health information technology (IT) and policy company that delivers bold solutions for connected healthcare, announced today it had received an investment from ABS Capital Partners, a leading late-stage growth company investor. The funding will be used to enhance solution offerings, as well as expand the company's geographic footprint. "Ai seeks to meet the pressing need for connected care across the country, through complementary advisory, systems integration, and software solutions," said Chris Brandt, Managing Partner of Ai. "We look forward to our partnership with ABS Capital as we work to accelerate interoperability across the country to enable better communication, coordination, and care."
“A middleware architecture has been shown to be the best technological solution for addressing the problem of EHR interoperability. The middleware platform facilitates the transparent, yet secure, access of patient health data, directly from the various databases where it is stored. A server-based middleware framework supporting access to the various patient health data stores allows for a scalable, unified and standardized platform for applications to be developed upon. The middleware architectural design has been successfully used to link data from multiple databases, irrespective to the database platform or where the database is located,” says Voltz. 
Although the health care industry has made great strides in health IT, large numbers of providers remain slow to reap the benefits of a “digital transformation”. Health care organizations focus on what they get paid for and neglect other practices that would improve care and security. At conferences and meetings year and after year, I have to listen to health care leaders tediously explode the same myths and explain the same principles over and over. In this article I'll concentrate on the recent EXPO.health conference, put on in Boston by John Lynn's Healthcare Scene, where the topics of free and open source EHRs, security, and cloud migration got mired down in rather elementary discussions.
Noam ArztA recent article in HealthAffairs describes a significant decline in the number of both operational HIEs and HIEs in the planning stage from several years earlier. The authors note continuing barriers to broad-based HIE and a shift to vendor-driven exchange which diminishes the effectiveness of community-based networks. In effect, this translates to a shift away from geographic-based/dominated HIEs to product-dominated HIEs. We have already noted (see The Interoperability of Things) the lack of a national strategy on HIE, and ONC’s Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap barely mentions the concept.
In early July 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its 2023 report on Emerging Technologies and Scientific Innovations: A Global Public Health Perspective. This insightful and detailed report is the result of strategic engagement with a panel of global health experts through the use of an online Delphi method, roundtable discussions, and key informant interviews. The purpose of this report is to identify innovations in research and emerging technologies that have the potential to impact global health in the next five to ten years.
This VA leadership lull provides an opportunity for reflection. Specifically, it’s worth asking while we have the time whether Cerner is the right path for the VA to take. While the decision may seem like a no-brainer to some, the VA’s situation is unique and arguably calls for a singular approach to both existing organizational issues and a major healthcare IT decision. Specific to the Cerner decision, what should the new VA secretary consider?