Healthcare & Technology

Social Media at HIMSS11

 

The Social Media Pavilion was an exciting stop for HIMSS11 Conference Attendees. It was in an open area near the Interoperability Showcase where presentations on Social Media were given. On the 2nd day of HIMSS11, I presented on the topic of Social Health: Point of Care Everywhere!

Based on the number of comments and questions from attendees, the presentation seemed to resonate with its message of the expansion from 1:1 patient to provider conversations on health that has now become a social conversation between patients, family, friends, colleagues, others with the same conditions, and providers.

In addition to the opportunity to share my perspective on Social Media's impact to the delivery of healthcare, I was invited to be one of the panelists at the Meet the Bloggers session. It was exciting to meet the other panelists and to share perspectives on blogging, its issues and conversations in healthcare. Very interesting to note, David Hanscom, MD gave the panel a positive write-up on his blog, iMedExchange.

Thank you to everyone who attended and for Cari & Cesar's efforts to "make it real" for the crowd. It was great to finally meet Cari & Cesar, and to make new friends at HIMSS11...

---

Looking for a best of breed HIPAA Compliance Software?

To stay current on the HITECH Act and its quickly changing regulatory scheme visit the HITECH Survival Guide website and/or sign up for our free monthly compliance newsletter. Also, check out our FREE EHR Checklist.

If you need tools that will help with your compliance initiatives then check out the HSG Store.

Buzz Doesn't Square With Reality

Link: Guerra On Healthcare: HIMSS Buzz Doesn't Square With Reality -- Health IT -- InformationWeek

Anthony Guerra reports on his experience at HIMSS11 in Orlando last month. He speaks to the ever widening conversation in the healthcare marketplace about technology, its uses, and regulations for Meaningful Use. His opinion speaks to a wide gap between what vendors are reporting and what Hospital CIOs have identified as primary objectives for 2011.

HIMSS had an incredible number of vendors in the Exhibit Hall.. Since it was my first time to participate as an Exhibitor, I was also impressed with the Crates at the loading docks! Absolutely incredible... the number of crates was astounding. So, it doesn't seem so unusual that the "HIMSS" Buzz in the Exhibit hall was founded upon vendor's perceptions of goals for 2011.

There were many visits to Nuvon's booth, many of the visitors asking about Meaningful Use and Data Exchange criteria. I think it's all on the table now. There is a high level of uncertainty regarding repayment of incentives and pay-for-service models.. There's a political war at the home front - healthcare is just one aspect.

Will be interesting to watch it unfold...

---

Looking for a best of breed HIPAA Compliance Software?

To stay current on the HITECH Act and its quickly changing regulatory scheme visit the HITECH Survival Guide website and/or sign up for our free monthly compliance newsletter. Also, check out our FREE EHR Checklist.

If you need tools that will help with your compliance initiatives then check out the HSG Store.

DIY Health Care with Mobile Devices?

Link: New York Times

An article in yesterday's New York Times estimates that in the United States, revenue from digital health technology and services could exceed $5.7 billion in 2015. They report that the need to monitor chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes are key contributors fueling the growth. Along with chronic conditions, wellness and fitness apps are included.

In my opinion, this points to the overwhelming introduction of technology solutions at the point of care and in the form of Smartphones and mobile devices. These devices capture data from the patient or from a patient monitoring device and transmit these data securely to the patient's EMR in the physician's office or to a PHR managed by the individual.

The article describes a Wi-Fi-enabled cuff that takes blood pressure and pulse that connects via an iPhone to synchronize the data with records kept online or with PHR providers such as Google Health and Microsoft's HealthVault. Patients are becoming more involved with their conditions, looking for ways to improve wellness and to become more educated about their conditions.

I presented at the HIMSS11 Social Media Pavilion on the topic of Social Health: The Point of Care is Everywhere! last month in Orlando. The Social Health "revolution" is made possible by the internet and mobile applications. The idea behind the presentation is that healthcare is no longer a 1:1 relationship between patient and provider because patients are sharing and exchanging data with friends, colleagues, family and others online who have similar conditions. The underlying message to clinicians is that engage online with a specific message, in the right context, and provide appropriate education to patients.

Why is this important? Because patients are already engaged. Lead, follow or get out of the way... competitive market forces will guide patients toward providers who understand.

---

Looking for a best of breed HIPAA Compliance Software?

To stay current on the HITECH Act and its quickly changing regulatory scheme visit the HITECH Survival Guide website and/or sign up for our free monthly compliance newsletter. Also, check out our FREE EHR Checklist.

If you need tools that will help with your compliance initiatives then check out the HSG Store.