Health IT Challenges and the Future of Healthcare
Getting health IT “right” is difficult. Thousands of brilliant, creative and industrious people around the world have been working for several decades to realize the vision of making the technology a companion to care providers and patients, helping them make better decisions in support of better health. A scientific field of biomedical and health informatics has evolved around these efforts. Although great progress has been made, great challenges remain. While the health IT of today is largely equal to the task of supporting meaningful use as envisioned for 2011, current technology will be challenged by the more ambitious meaningful use visions of 2013, 2015, and beyond. Ongoing research and innovation will address these challenges
To that end, we announced in December the Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects (SHARP) program, as part of our HITECH initiatives. We identified four areas where breakthroughs are required: health IT security, patient-centered cognitive support of clinicians, innovative application and network-platform architectures, and secondary use of EHR data that maintains privacy and security. We invited the public and private sectors to propose collaborative research programs with the goal of developing “breakthrough” innovations. We further challenged applicants to bring the best minds in the country to bear on these key problems.
The response to our call was extraordinary in quality and quantity. The resulting competition was very keen. Today, after careful objective review, we awarded these very significant grants to four leading research institutions that submitted the most outstanding applications: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine (for secondary use), Harvard University (for platform architectures), the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (for cognitive support), and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (for security). All four projects will develop innovative solutions that will find their way into working systems in two years, while also exploring more fundamental problems that require longer term study.
As an informatics researcher and, formerly, a software developer, I am fully aware of how much we are expecting of these four projects. At the same time, I am fully confident that all four awardees are equal to our ambitions for SHARP, and that over the coming years, we will see from these centers breakthrough innovation and published research that will stimulate equally creative work by others.
Health IT has many attractive aspects and being able to collate data to meet patient need im order to best mange resources is perhaps the main one. However, the time and money needed to set the sytem up has in some countries led to frontline services being sacrificed for something that has yet to prove its worth. Its the same with any business beoming computerised the money needs to be found over and above normal running costs.
The health IT is largely equal to the task of supporting meaningful use as envisioned for 2011, current technology will be challenged by the more ambitious meaningful use visions of 2013, 2015, and beyond. Ongoing research and innovation will address these challenges.
The passage of the Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Bill, is a major achievement by President Obama’s Presidency, and a Historic Moment for the American people.
What will healthcare be like in five to years from now? Within 2-3 years, the volume of data that will be generated, will be in zattabytes (2-3ZB). Most of this data/information will be created by individuals. How are we going to Store, Maintain, and provide Access to this data/content?
We need to used some of the Stimulus Funds, in combination with a 50/50 joint venture of Government, and private Sector Investments, and used the combined Funding (i, e, it will Cost up to $300 billions), to Build an intelligent Infrastructure Services for: Broadband, Healthcare IT, smart Transportation systems, and smart Grids.
BROADBAND, HEALTHCARE, AND THE INTERNET
We must make maximum Use of our Spectrum Resources. We need to used our Technological strength, to increased the Capacity of this very limited Resource (i, e, increased Air Interface/Spectral efficiency).
BROADBAND
The Engine of economic growth in this 21st Century is “Broadband.” We can start by, Deployment of a pure Packet-based, all Optical/IP, Multi-Service National TRANSPORT Network Infrastructure, using optical Ethernet throughout this National “Network of Networks.” This will connect all optical Islands, Nationwide.
HEALTHCARE IT
NHIN must be Designed, as a Nationwide, Healthcare Business-Driven Network (HBDN) Infrastructure. This will enabled a Nationwide Interoperability of: electronic health records, electronic medical records, and personal health records. Proper deployment of Health Information Technology (HIT) Solutions, and Training will increased Productivity (i, e, medical data mining/warehousing, risks treatment, service delivery), Efficiency (i, e, medical errors, redundant and inappropriate care), and provide this Nation with a Cost Savings of around 20-30% of our Annual National Healthcare Expenditures (2009, $ 2.5 trillions). This Investment is like the Investments made in the past, in ERA, TVA, the National RailRoad, and the National Transportation Inter-State Highways, which increased productivity and the GDP.
The Investment in this “Network of Networks”, in addition to new jobs creation and economic recovery, can also Serve as a business driver for: Law Enforcement Nationwide Network, e-Government, e-Commerce, e-Education, e-Healthcare, Bio-Surveillance, Energy and Transportation systems, Social Networking, Entertainment, etc.
Please See: http://www.gkquoquoi.blogspot.com or http://www.21stcenturyinfrastructure.blogspot.com for additional Info.
Gadema Korboi Quoquoi
President & CEO
COMPULINE INTERNATIONAL, INC.
The full value of investments in electronic medical records, electronic health records and other health IT won’t be realized until the data gathered by those systems finds secondary use, according to a report that was released earlier this month by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
IT is indeed at the foundations of our way of life in the 21st Century and will continue to be so beyond. Whether it be healthcare or online gaming , IT permeates our lives from bare necessities to entertainment and recreation.
physicians will face a significantly increased number of data reporting requirements in 2012 and 2013. For practice leaders, the decision is what type is right for their office. providers should keep in mind they’ll have to collect vital signs during patient visits, in addition to nurses and medical assistants. The surgeon will need to document his evaluation of the patient.
The nine dental specialists are integral components of oral health care for all individuals both young and old. We are all constantly learning about better ways to take care of our teeth, but the most valuable steps that anyone can take to remove decay and gradually improve one’s health is with a dentist for the improvement of the form and function for a great smile that can last a lifetime.Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your valuable insight and perspective on this topic.
The problem with Health IT is the cost involved for setting up the process and the cost involved in training people. I am a Raritan Dentist and I am currently looking to purchase an IT solution for my office. There are so many software vendors out there that being trained on one makes it difficult to convert to another system. People say having everything digital will make communication between practitioners easier, but has been complicating the process since every manufacturer has their own proprietary software that are not interchangeable between companies.
Tom, I agree. Yes, we are having a problem in college because of the increased costs of creating software. In fact, we are trying to keep the IT problems that we have with our servers at a minimum. Hopefully new technology will come out in the future that will prevent so many of these unnecessary downtimes.