A Medical Device Daily

ATLANTA – Swirling lights, multiple screens with various news outlets reporting on the future of healthcare in the country, and loud acoustics helped kick off the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS; Chicago) annual conference or HIMSS 10 as it has been dubbed by organizers and participants held here at the Georgia World Congress Center.

The key take away the opening video montage that displayed past comments of President Bush and President Obama on healthcare was that change was just on the horizon. It was a theme that was echoed throughout the day in multiple sessions.

But early yesterday morning, Barry Chaiken, MD, a chairman of HIMSS, kicked off the need for change mantra and wasted very little time spelling out the problems and issues that healthcare faces.

To illustrate his point, Chaiken told the story of the inbox and how it has changed throughout its 40 year-existence. Years ago an inbox was considered as a tray where various papers and documents were placed. Now inboxes have grown and are features on a phone or someone's computer. The paper aspect of the inbox, has almost completely been eliminated, Chaiken said.

“The story of the inbox tells the story of the economy of our country,“ Chaiken said. “The story of the inbox tells of how a manufactured-based-economy transformed to an electronic information-based-economy. But healthcare in many ways remains frozen in time.“

Chaiken added that “in many respects, the U.S. healthcare system still operates like the typical business of 1969; it is still largely paper-based, it ignores information tools that can facilitate evidence-based best practices, and it functions without analytics to qualify and quantify the care we provide. Medical decisions are made according to implicit criteria – hidden internal knowledge – rather than explicit criteria – external knowledge that can be checked, evaluated, and updated. He pointed out that “the Dartmouth Atlas of Healthcare provides documented proof of glaring, unacceptable variations in how healthcare is provided and sheds light on disparities existing across the country. Too many providers are not taking advantage of 21st-century technologies to access 21st century information, choosing instead to provide care the same way it was done 40 years ago.

The healthcare system is plagued with inefficiencies that significantly impact its effectiveness, Chaiken told the audience. According to statistics he cited from the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva) U.S. Healthcare costs 50% more per capita than in any other country. He added that the only way to stop this is to have a greater adoption and use of healthcare IT solutions.

“While these healthcare challenges are daunting, I believe the solutions to them must and will come from the professionals sitting in this room and from our colleagues across the country and around the world, he said. “Healthcare information technology is the instrument that will transform healthcare and it is we – the informaticists, clinicians, management engineers, senior IT executives, IT specialists and the diverse talents of so many others – who will create the applications, processes and workflows that will improve quality, safety, access and cost-efficiency.“

Chaiken told the audience that they would be at the forefront in developing technologies that would help bring healthcare into the 21st century.

“It's no longer about what others are doing or have done,“ Chaiken said. “It is you who will transform healthcare. It's your job to act now upon the message in your inbox and to place your contribution to a transformed American healthcare system in your outbox in due time.“

Keynote Speaker Dan Hesse CEO of Sprint (Reston, Virginia) said that he couldn't agree more. Hesse, who spoke after Chaiken, said that the coming year was going to bring wireless patient monitoring to the forefront and the adoption of a 4G communications network was going to change the landscape of how medicine is practiced in general.

The term 4G refers to the fourth generation of cellular standards.

“Now what if I had been talking to you about wireless in 1986,“ Hesse asked. He then picked up a huge cell phone from that era to illustrate his point. “You would've laughed me off the stage.“

He then picked up a smart phone, which fit in the palm of his hand.

“The cell phone is the most rapidly adoptive technology on this planet and its presence is growing in healthcare,“ Hesse said.

He pointed out that the inclusion of applications with cell phone is helping this change take place and is transforming healthcare.

“Have you ever accidentally coughed into your cell phone? Well you might want to on purpose because there is now an (application) that can analyze the cough,“ he said.

Hesse also mentioned that there was an application called Flu Radar, which gives helpful tips regarding the disease.

But beyond applications, perhaps the most transformative piece of technology to revolutionize healthcare will come from a physician's increased ability to remotely monitor patients.

Hesse held up a pill and said that in the future, smart chips could be added to the pill and once it was ingested it would give the physician the ability to monitor if a patient is taking their medicine or not, or what kinds of issues the patient would suffer from.

These chips could be added to pretty much anything and provide wireless connectivity,“ Hesse told the audience.

“As the population grows we believe that home healthcare will grow,“ he said. The 4G network will help with that because it will bring in a higher resolution for imaging at greater speeds.“

Hesse said that while much has changed with wireless technology since 1986, even greater changes are coming in the next few years. He urged the audience to seek out innovation and look for even better ways to improve the healthcare industry.

“Healthcare faces what I believe is a once in a lifetime combination,“ Hesse told the audience. “It faces great challenges and great opportunities. Even the best technology company can't seize that opportunity on its own. We need all of you to take part in this.“