Healthcare Technology

A Mediaplanet Guide to the Future of Digital Health Innovation

Healthcare Technology

Dr. Bertalan Meskó ”The Medical Futurist” on the importance of patientfirst technologies Learn about the potential of interoperability in healthcare Industry experts weigh in on the future of healthcare technologies

MARCH 2022 | FUTUREOFPERSONALHEALTH.COM

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Empowering Patients to Take Control of Their Healthcare develop their own personal health record. The American Health Information Management Association website has resources on how to select and start maintaining a PHR and links to information on how to access health records.

Today’s widening range of consumer health informatics tools — electronic resources that help patients interact with their health information — are empowering patients and their caregivers to better communicate with their doctors and manage a healthy lifestyle.

Health from home Examples of these tools include computerized activity or fitness trackers, personal health records (PHRs), patient portals, remote office visits using video conferencing, or even physician visit applications on mobile devices.

The many ways patients @MEDIAPLANETUSA

interact with their healthcare providers without ever having to leave their homes is expanding almost daily and encouraging patients to play a more active role in their healthcare experience.

Getting started ​​​​​​​ Getting started with these @FUTUREOFPERSONALHEALTH

tools is easy. One of the most widely used tools is a patient portal. Portals allow patients and their caregivers to access electronic health records, enabling them to see their test results, communicate by email with their care team, view a current list of vaccinations, or request a refill on prescrip-

tions. Patient portals improve communication between patients and their providers which can improve care.

The first step for the patient is to determine whether a healthcare provider has a patient portal and, if so, gain access to it. If a portal is not available, patients should

High-tech tools In addition to using patient portals, patients should develop and maintain their own personal health record and ask prospective healthcare providers about the availability of telehealth services in their area. You can also check your mobile app store for sources to obtain medical care while on the go. Some health insurance companies may even provide reimbursement for healthcare obtained through mobile apps, so check with your insurance provider to find out if they offer those benefits.

Health informatics tools are without question changing healthcare. They help providers engage with their patients while also granting patients easy access to their health information and the tools they need to better manage their health. n Lesley Kadleck, Director, Policy and State Advocacy Engagement, AHIMA

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Publisher Adrienne Macaluso Managing Director Jordan Hernandez Lead Designer Kayla Mendez Designer Keziah Makoundou Lead Editor Jon Adams Copy Editor Taylor Rice Content Production Manager Jordan Hernandez All photos are credited to Getty Images unless otherwise specified. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve USA Today.

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PHOTO: ANDRÁS ZOLTAI FOR DR. BERTALAN MESKÓ

“The Medical Futurist” Weighs in on the Future of Healthcare

Dr. Bertalan Meskó, Ph.D., is the director of The Medical Futurist Institute, which studies how sci-fi technologies can become a reality in medicine and healthcare.

He explained why patientfirst technologies must be a driving force in the future of healthcare tech.

Over the past year, where have you seen technology make the biggest impact in terms of the way patients access care?

Any technology that supports at-home care. The pandemic has led to an incredibly quick technological adoption world-

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wide. Physicians and patients had to learn to use telemedical services in the span of weeks when the pandemic hit, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to receive or provide care. If we can put the cultural transformation healthcare needs now next to this skyrocketed technological adoption, we might save a decade’s worth of progress in digital health.

The biggest milestone in the history of medicine is the patient empowerment movement. Patients, who have been the most underused resource of healthcare, can now act proactively and become a member of their own medical team. Any

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technology that supports that transition significantly improves the ways patients can access care.

What technology should healthcare providers be prioritizing today?

It’s certainly not one or two technologies healthcare providers should be prioritizing today. Instead, they should embrace two approaches: patient design and digital health. Patient design means you involve patients on the highest level of decision-making in the organization, meaning you only design physical facilities, treatment processes, and guidelines or

even products with them.

Embracing digital health means healthcare providers acknowledge the cultural part of healthcare’s transformation. One example clearly shows what it means in practice. If you focus on a given technology, such as virtual reality, and give devices to patients staying at the hospital for longer times expecting that they would feel less pain by virtually swimming in the ocean or visiting other countries, you won’t succeed. But if the caregivers of patients take part in the process, acting as coaches to discuss the expectations, the technology, and the whole experience, researchers have been able

to prove that patients’ pain scores get significantly lower.

In short, healthcare providers should focus on technology that improves the doctor-patient relationship.

What will healthcare look like in the next five years?

Patients will be empowered, easily and routinely reaching out to technologies, information, peer support, and second opinions. Digital health technologies will make them the point of care, meaning they will be able to receive care wherever they are through the technologies they and their caregivers use.

We will see fewer interfaces in the doctor-patient meetings allowing two people to have a meaningful conversation while being surrounded by invisible, seamless technologies. Medical professionals will closely work with automation, especially artificial narrow intelligence, to remove the repetitive components of their job.

This will not only happen in developed nations, but in underprivileged regions, too, where policy makers decide to take a leap into digital health.

The above-mentioned situation is not a prediction. It’s a vision we share at The Medical Futurist based on trends and studies, and I firmly believe that whether it becomes common practice in five years or sooner depends only on us, empowered patients, and what we plan to do with our health and disease management. Going for advanced technologies and fighting for a partnership with our physicians are definitely the first two great steps in that direction. n

Three Ways Telehealth Continues to Expand in Reach and Effectiveness Though telehealth has already improved our access to healthcare, here are a few ways we can continue this positive trend.

Spurred by the pandemic, telehealth has broken down the traditional walls of the exam room to connect patients and physicians safely and effectively. Its adoption has been further aided by sweeping changes implemented by Medicare, individual states, and private insurance companies.

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Widespread adoption of telehealth Technological improvements such as remote patient monitoring — combined with the need to maintain physical distancing — have spurred explosive growth in telehealth usage.

AMA research shows that the percentage of physicians utilizing telehealth visits jumped from 14 percent to 28 percent between 2016 and 2019. But, beginning in March, estimates spiked to somewhere between 60 percent and 90 percent.

This fundamental change in how physicians deliver care, and how patients experience it, bodes well for the future.

Moving forward, we will need physician leaders, government, and health organizations working collaboratively to ensure that challenges of efficacy, privacy, and equity do not impede growth.

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It’s an effective tool Telehealth is an incredibly powerful tool in caring for patients with various forms of chronic disease, the treat-

ment of which absorbs nearly 90 percent of U.S. healthcare spending.

In addition, telehealth is invaluable in preventive care and in treating acute conditions like COVID-19, particularly as it keeps patients from exposing others to the virus. The potential of telehealth can be transformative, but significant work remains to ensure all who need it can gain access.

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Readily available strategies and methods to boost telehealth

The AMA continues to assemble a broad range of resources designed to help physicians maintain continuity of care in the face of pandemic-related challenges. Continuity of care is an essential consideration for all patients, but it is particularly important in treating those dealing with multiple conditions who may be taking several medications.

The AMA Telehealth Implementation Playbook, available for free on their website, outlines a clear, efficient path to rapid, scaled implementation of audio and visual visits, along with a wealth of institutional knowledge and best practices curated from experts in the field. n

Susan R. Bailey, M.D., 175th President, American Medical Association (AMA)

Your health, on your terms.

Technology should make life easier. More connected.

Especially when it comes to your health. Easier access to your doctor.

More control over your care. Cost transparency. And for your doctor, the right technology makes it easier to focus on you.

Innovations for healthier communities, and better outcomes for all.

That’s NextGen Healthcare.

nextgen.com/outcomes © 2022 NXGN Management, LLC. All Rights Reserved. NextGen is a registered trademark of NXGN Management, LLC.

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Interoperability’s Role in Better Health

Interoperability is the gateway to patient empowerment. It is the foundation for enabling digital health and digital health innovation.

Technology has made it easy to access and interpret our personal data. The capability of one device to connect to another is called interoperability. It can be as simple as connecting a wireless mouse to a computer.

In healthcare, interoperability means communicating information to your healthcare providers while making them actionable to you as a patient. In practice, your devices can remind you to pick up your prescriptions or encourage you to take more steps. Our data helps us make personal choices, and it allows our care teams

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to quickly offer the best recommendations, like prompting us to schedule a health screening.

Interoperability in COVID-19 We’ve seen how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our willingness and ability to seek healthcare in person. It has brought forward the need for seamless telehealth options, whether meeting virtually with a doctor or looking up a health record.

Interoperability enables us to receive high quality care from anywhere, including our homes. Doctors can deploy devices like thermometers and pulse oximeters to help monitor our health and to allow us to heal in our homes, which is more comfortable than a hospital stay.

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Interoperability is also essential towards creating and distributing a COVID-19 vaccine. Sharing our vaccination record could free us from the pandemic simply by proving we’ve received the COVID-19 vaccine. Further, the ability to share data to the proper health jurisdictions about who has been vaccinated will contribute to better care and decision-making for public safety. Interoperability is beginning to put data into the hands of patients, providing a holistic view of our health. It makes sure our doctors receive our information from a hospital visit or send an X-ray from one office to another. Connected technologies can prevent hospitalization or even tragedy for people with life-threatening chronic conditions.

A caveat However, if one system doesn’t have quality data and standard terminology, the data can’t be used in another system. In order to make this work better in the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for IT is working on addressing these challenges with the right nationwide technical infrastructure and enactment of rules through the 21st Century Cures Act. We will see more tools and more capabilities available for consumers as access to health data becomes available. This means more health apps will be available on your phone and computer. n Steve Wretling, Former Chief Technology Innovation Officer, HIMSS

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National Campaign Celebrates 2022 as the Year of the Nurse Educator

In recognition of their essential role and in celebration of nursing education’s historic and continuing inspiration to nurses everywhere, I am proud to announce 2022 as the Year of the Nurse Educator.

Throughout the Year of the Nurse Educator, the National League for Nursing and our partner organizations are spotlighting the pride that nurse educators experience teaching in a variety of academic and clinical settings: major research universities connected to cutting-edge teaching hospitals, community college and diploma pre-licensure programs, and innovative models of primary and preventative care in marginalized, impoverished communities.

To bring you this free, downloadable online educational content, the campaign has created a dedicated Year of the Nurse Educator website: YearofNurseEducators.org. Throughout the year, you will find personal stories from nurse educators, sharing what and who inspired them to go into nursing education. You will also learn from students about the mentors who have made a difference in their lives, as they nominate these special people for a monthly recognition program.

The campaign will feature #BeyondANurseEducator, a social media initiative to be launched in May; the Nurse Educator of the Year Award; and regular e-blasts, video testimonials, blog posts, and podcasts on the NursingEDge. Please join me and my colleagues in saluting our dedicated, hardworking heroes in nursing education — and get inspired to join our ranks. A future nurse will thank you today, and their patients and families will thank you tomorrow!

Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, President and CEO, National League for Nursing

Making Health Information Accessible Where and When It’s Needed Public policies drove the adoption of electronic health records across the United States, but they did not include some types of providers, hampering healthcare’s ability to achieve complete interoperability.

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onsumers today expect instant access to all types of information at their fingertips, whether it be banking transactions, map data, or any number of other pieces of data available on personal electronics.

Accessing healthcare information, on the other hand, is anything but instant, but that may be changing as the U.S. government has gotten serious about data exchange.

Thanks to landmark legislation known as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, a big investment in healthcare technology was made beginning in 2009. Importantly, HITECH gave much-needed funding to hospitals and clinicians to invest in electronic health records (EHRs) and, as a result, most of these healthcare providers have EHRs today.

These investments were an important down payment focused on fostering greater digitization of patient data, although it fell short of enabling providers to exchange information seamlessly with one another. One reason for this shortfall is that not all types of healthcare providers were eligible for the above-mentioned programs and, consequently, interoperability across the healthcare sector has not been uniform or without challenges.

A seamless experience Then in 2016, the 21st Century

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Cures Act pushed healthcare providers, EHR vendors, and other stakeholders to ensure patient data is appropriately shared with other providers and accessible to patients themselves.

Congress specifically called for the use of application programming interfaces (APIs), the technology in widespread use today across other industries to facilitate rapid and seamless access to information via third-party apps on smartphones. These APIs should, one day, bring healthcare to the level of seamless data access enjoyed by banking and other consumer-facing industries. For healthcare, the hope is that APIs will make it easier for patients and clinicians to download, exchange, and manage healthcare information.

Easy access Also included in the 21st Century Cures Act is a set of terms and conditions for how this data exchange will operate, known as the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). Currently planned to be finalized by ONC this year, the TEFCA will serve as a voluntary set of policies intended to work as an “on-ramp” to nationwide connectivity and data sharing across the care continuum.

With the TEFCA in place, much of healthcare will have both the means and opportunity to share data with other

providers and patients with few barriers.

That is, of course, if you are one of the providers that is able to actually participate and benefit from these programs. As mentioned previously, not all provider types have benefitted evenly from programs and policies intended to drive better healthcare data sharing, with many still effectively locked out or with limited ability to meaningfully participate.

All the goals of advancing interoperability across the United States are laudable but will ultimately fall short of being revolutionary unless everyone is included in the interoperability conversation.

Healthcare as an industry must continue to push forward into the future, innovating and creating new technologies.

While we do so, however, it’s crucial we raise the floor to ensure all provider types have access to this evolution of care. If all providers aren’t able to gain access to patient data, it ultimately is the patient who suffers as they must continue to navigate a partially interoperable health system without the ccompletely seamless flow of data they were promised so many years ago. n Mari Savickis, Vice President, Public Policy, College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME)

Data Exchange: The Engine that Powers U.S. Healthcare The engine that runs the U.S. healthcare system is a data exchange between patients, providers, and health plans. While we’ve made great strides in the last quarter, there’s more work to be done before that engine is firing on all cylinders.

Improved data exchange was first prioritized in the early 1990s by Louis Sullivan, M.D., then secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. As a practicing physician, Dr. Sullivan experi-

enced firsthand the difficulties associated with data exchange — there were no national standards for transmitting critical transactions such as healthcare claims, patient insurance eligibility and benefits, prior authorization for medical services, provider payment, and others. Too often, phone, fax, or mail would be used to conduct these communications. Dr. Sullivan created the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) to draft a blueprint for standardizing electronic data exchange and establishing guardrails to

ensure that the privacy and security of the data would be maintained. This blueprint would later be incorporated into the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, better known as HIPAA. Making strides While HIPAA was modestly successful in moving the industry toward the use of electronic transaction standards, numerous gaps remained.

Some electronic transactions, such as healthcare claims, are commonly used and very effi-

cient while others, including prior authorization, continue to be conducted primarily through inefficient manual means. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 added new electronic transaction requirements and the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 mandated a new era of data exchange leveraging Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standards to support application programming interfaces (APIs), the same standard that powers the apps we use on our phones and tablets. FHIR and APIs not

only support the exchange of data between providers and health plans, but they also can empower patients by providing them access 24/7 to their health information, enabling them to be full partners in the care delivery process.

Work continues here at WEDI and through other industry initiatives to improve what HIPAA started and implement data exchange solutions using FHIR. It is an exciting future for healthcare professionals and patients alike. Standardizing and streamlining the flow of health information not only reduces overall cost to the system, but getting better data in the hands of clinicians, insurers, and patients when they need it will translate directly to improved care outcomes. n Charles Stellar, President and CEO, WEDI

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Online Nursing Education: What’s Happening Now and On the Horizon?

When Safiya George-Dalmida was in nursing school two decades ago, all of her training was in person.

Now, the dean and professor of Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton is heading up a very different curriculum: one that is more akin to an in-person/ online hybrid model, due, in part, to a pandemic that accelerated the shift to online learning and the advancement of new technologies overall.

“I think online education works best when it’s a mix between innovation and appropriate use of technology, and of course interactive teaching methods that engage our nursing staff and really get to the meat and potatoes of what our students need,” she explains. “We’re blending many opportunities for students to learn well and to provide them with the experiences that will help them be great future nurses.”

Despite moving to more digital learning, in-person learning still has its value.

“Virtual simulation covers a number of topics that students would need to learn to develop clinical critical thinking skills related to patients,” George-Dalmida says, “and then in-person labs give them the opportunity to practice their skills so once they do get to that clinical, in-person setting in the hospital, they feel a little more comfortable working through problems and applying their critical thinking.”

If someone chooses to get an online education to become a nurse, they can expect more flexibility — but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still hard work, GeorgeDalmida suggests.

“I think, overall, nursing school is very stressful for most students,” she explains.

“It’s very intimidating. And it does require time management and organizational skills in general, whether it’s in-person or online.”

Melinda Carter

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How Technology Is Aiding Healthcare in its New Challenges Four healthcare professionals weigh in on the challenges facing modern healthcare and the potential of new technologies.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, M.D. Chief Medical Correspondent, CNN

Robert A. Frist Jr. CEO, HealthStream

What are the top challenges facing healthcare professionals today?

Robert A. Frist.: Healthcare organizations are faced with unprecedented clinician burnout, workforce turnover, and early staff retirement. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated these challenges that were well in the making years earlier. Job openings in healthcare are the highest in any industry, while healthcare unemployment rates are now the second lowest in any sector. Overcoming these challenges requires innovative ways of attracting, retaining, and engaging healthcare professionals — and I believe new technologies can expedite these processes.

Are there any downsides to the growth in healthcare technology?

Sanjay Gupta: Limited coverage for telehealth services is an obstacle for widespread adoption.

David Sides President and CEO, NextGen Healthcare

As more technology is being introduced, it is not uncommon for software to have its kinks. We need to be certain that developers understand that in medicine we are in the zero-mistake business, and to make sure that it doesn’t hurt anyone. This raises accuracy and regulation of health apps.

Developers need to decide if they are creating a medical device or a wellness app.

What are some best practices for physicians, healthcare executives, and CMIOs looking to improve the quality, equity, and affordability of care during these unprecedented times?

Tom Skelton: It’s well known that socioeconomic factors such as education, income, and occupation impact our health. For example, we know that the cost of prescriptions can make the difference between a patient having access to treatment or not. Technology is available to providers today to help lower

Tom Skelton CEO, SureScripts

patients’ out-of-pocket costs and prevent “sticker shock” at the pharmacy, which negatively impacts medication adherence and patient safety. Other solutions can help better manage high-risk groups by providing care teams with the data they need to spot gaps in care, identify legitimate outreach opportunities, and improve patient outcomes.

What will healthcare look like in the next five years?

David Sides: The future of healthcare is achieving the best results for patients in a way that’s efficient, connected, and affordable. We know that technology will provide deeper insights, allowing predictive care to become more prevalent. More connectivity between providers and patients, and also among providers, will be the norm.

Consumers will be more engaged in their care and more discerning about how they spend their care dollars. n

The Future of Online Nursing Education Dr. Josh Hamilton Dean & Graduate Program Director, Rasmussen University

COVID-19 left educational institutions scrambling to implement comprehensive and high-quality online learning programs, and nursing education was no different.

Three experts weight in.

What does the future of online nursing education look like to you?

Mary Lou Sole Dean and Professor, College of Nursing, UCF

Mary Lou Sole: Online education will continue to grow as more students are looking for flexible options to attain a higher education. The pandemic has shown us the importance of having high-quality online offerings.

Emerging technologies are being integrated with more traditional online education to engage the student and immerse them in the content area.

However, I believe that most programs need time integrated into the clinical setting for real-life experience.

Distance education offerings that are well-designed bring this aspect of education into the scope of online learning.

Matt Cooper Founder, Skillshare

Is technology good enough to give nursing students the hands-on experience they need when pursuing a degree online?

Dr. Josh Hamilton: Some skill training can be integrated into online courses with the appropriate technology and software. Simulated programs also provide an opportunity to learn and demonstrate critical thinking skills.

What is the most common challenge students face when trying to pursue an online education, and how can this be avoided?

Matt Cooper: There’s a lot more self-discipline required with online learning. We’ve all heard about the struggles that kids and their parents have faced with virtual schooling throughout the pandemic, and it’s not that different for adults trying to stay focused on a class when there are endless distractions getting in the way. This then puts the onus on us to ensure a student’s experience is a highly personalized one, and that there’s a fair amount of structure offered. n

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