Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2024. Read them in this 16th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Healthcare Interoperability Will Accelerate Digital Health Adoption in 2024
By Sagnik Bhattacharya, CEO of Rhapsody
Healthcare innovation continues to accelerate at an unprecedented pace. However, the adoption of new digital health solutions is often hindered by economic uncertainty and tightening IT budgets. In 2024, healthcare interoperability and integration will act as critical enablers in bridging the gap between financial constraints and innovation, allowing the seamless exchange of data and accelerating digital health adoption at a lower cost.
The winners will figure out how to adopt digital health solutions and integrate them into healthcare workflows at a lower cost.
Healthcare is undergoing a digital transformation, and innovation is accelerating. Unfortunately, a lot of this incredible innovation falls to the wayside because of economic uncertainty and the tightening of IT budgets.
Digital health solutions stand outside of healthcare providers’ IT systems. There’s a gap in getting that innovation into the hands of end users and patients.
Integration is at the heart of closing that gap, bringing providers and healthcare technology companies together. I see interoperability as an enabler to accelerate digital health at a lower cost, reducing the friction between being budget-conscious and adopting innovations.
The teams that streamline repetitive processes, automate manual tasks, adopt purpose-fit solutions to meet diverse needs, and deliver on performance metrics will emerge as the winners.
Healthcare providers and technology companies will no longer think about interoperability. And, we don’t want them to.
Data scientists need to focus on analyzing information to discover actionable insights. Clinicians need to spend their 10-15 minutes in an exam room talking to patients, answering questions, and practicing at the top of their license. Development engineers need to dedicate their work hours to innovating and building the next feature or capability for their products.
Interoperability will just happen as companies like Rhapsody offer integration as a service. Within healthcare, the technology and expertise exist to help providers, payers, public health, health information exchanges, and healthcare IT companies exchange data. Healthcare’s digital transformation happens when integration and interoperability no longer create tension or friction – when providers and digital health companies come together seamlessly.
Interoperability isn’t a goal unto itself. It’s about enabling others to do their work in advancing health and improving outcomes. We will continue to see a shift where interoperability is the foundation for limitless innovation. It’s an enabler for precision medicine, personalized care, and proactive health management.
AI – and machine learning – become practical tools, not just buzzwords.
It’s hard to have a conversation about technology without mentioning AI or machine learning. This fascination makes sense, especially in healthcare, when we discuss the positive impact these tools can have on clinician burnout, patient safety, and operational efficiencies. I expect a shift in 2024, where AI and machine learning move from general buzz to more practical applications. As the hype cycle begins to taper, healthcare professionals and administrators will deploy AI embedded within their clinical, financial, and operational systems or as apps for patient engagement or clinical decision support. This technology must be integrated into the end user’s workflow, or it will fall by the wayside.
People aren’t forgetting about data privacy anytime soon.
Protecting personal health information and personally identifiable information will remain a top priority for all technology vendors. When discussing security, the technical concerns are solvable, and the industry has a good grasp on what’s needed and how to protect information. On the privacy side, however, there are still open questions of whether patients know where their data is going and who has access to it.
As technology vendors, we must ensure the right guardrails are in place for the appropriate use of patient data with the right level of transparency and accountability. Plus, when pulling in data from disparate sources – clinical and non-clinical data – we need to make sure it’s matched to the right person, uses the right terminology, and is clinically accurate.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sagnik Bhattacharya is the Chief Executive Officer of Rhapsody. Sagnik is an industry veteran, accomplished in connecting with clinical leaders, CIOs, CMIOs, and other industry stakeholders to create positive patient outcomes. As CEO, Sagnik is passionate about customer success and simplifying the complexity of health data exchange. Prior to joining Rhapsody, Sagnik served as EVP and General Manager of HealthEdge, where he led the company’s core solutions for payers. Prior to that, he served as Head of Payer & Provider Initiatives at PatientPing, accelerating development and go-to-market of a national patient-centered care coordination platform. In addition, Bhattacharya had a distinguished career at Epic where he led the Population Health and Outpatient EHR divisions. Sagnik is an active participant in national interoperability conversations, serving on the Advisory Board and Board of Directors for Carequality.
