I continue to be amazed at the speed at which the mobility and portability of healthcare is developing. It is readily apparent that the technologies, devices and other innovations that we always knew would transform the delivery, consumption and administration of healthcare—but that always seemed years away—are in fact now here.

 

It’s kind of like that car commercial from a few years ago that asked why we’ve never actually seen the cool and futuristic concept cars that auto manufacturers have teased us with over the years; except in this case, all of the neat and futuristic stuff is right there just waiting for us to put it to good use. It’s called telemedicine, at the risk of oversimplifying, and combined with the change that has actually been legislated for healthcare over the past year, it’s putting the system on the threshold of an entirely new era.

 

For example: Remember the dark ages of, say, 1998 or 2000 when patients were given heart monitors to wear and then had to phone their doctor to report the various data? Well, it’s pretty safe to say that we can relegate those to the same time capsule as the VCR and the rotary telephone. Fast forward to today and you’ll find wireless, Bluetooth-enabled devices that can deliver the same information—and a lot more, in fact—in real time, 24/7. How about unlimited geographic boundaries for the delivery of medicine? Think of a lung specialist in Philadelphia rendering his expertise to a patient in rural Australia without leaving the comfort of his desk chair. Tired of being handed a clipboard and then interrogated about your medical history every time you see a new doctor? What if that information—in more breadth and detail than you can remember or are probably even aware of—was delivered to your doctor long before you even showed up for your appointment? And how about if, afterward, it was updated automatically and then followed you to your next specialist appointment?

 

These are just a few very small, very simple examples of the transformative powers of telemedicine and how it will (or, more accurately, has already begun to) change virtually everything about healthcare by putting information wherever we need it, whenever we need it and however we want it. This seemingly boundless availability of data isn’t simply a phenomenon unto itself, either. It’s going to impact all stakeholders in some way, which is precisely what we’ll need it to do if we’re to meet the mandates of reform.

 

Effecting large scale change of any sort in a system as massive and complex as healthcare seldom comes without a certain degree of trial and tribulation. It also often results in tremendous opportunity. In this respect, all of the constituents in our industry stand to benefit greatly from the proliferation of telemedicine, and healthcare IT in general. Consider the previous examples and how having immediate, real-time access to more thorough data from a variety of sources can impact brand scalability and growth, market reach, operational efficiencies, cost controls and myriad other business-related factors. More importantly, imagine how the ubiquity of digital information will impact patients and their care—faster and more accurate diagnoses, better treatment plans, a generally more navigable system and, ultimately, healthier lives.

 

The sooner- and faster-than-expected telemedicine boom and the many opportunities associated with it mean IT professionals in all sectors of healthcare don’t have much time to react. It is important to begin assessing your organization’s existing capabilities and eventual needs now in order to be able to accommodate new and changing requirements as they arise.

 

As it has in virtually every other aspect of business and life in the 21^st century, technology isn’t likely to slow itself down so we can get on board; we’re going to need to be ready to jump on when the opportunity presents itself. It’ll be important to have a running start. Consider how your organization will need to handle input from additional data sources, and what it can do with all of that information once it arrives. How will it impact programs and procedures? How will its real-time immediacy change your approach?

 

The proliferation of telemedicine is also increasing the need for health information exchange. As all of these cutting edge gadgets and gizmos work their way into the medical mainstream, it is crucial that they be able to receive and transmit data from throughout the healthcare ecosystem. It’s important to investigate the best means for your company to share information with multiple entities in order to stay in sync with these real-time exchanges. It’s no longer a one-way, or even two-way, transaction. Will your organization be able to deliver data to multiple users in different formats for different devices?

 

Do you agree that this all seems a lot to consider? Making the digital conversion in healthcare is likely to be cumbersome at first. The good news is that there are a lot of options out there for not only managing but capitalizing on the trend. It’s best for us all to start kicking the tires on them now, because just as we’ve gotten to this point seemingly overnight, the next step is likely to happen even faster. Technology waits for no one, so exactly what can you do with it to get the most out of it?

It seems as if we’re inching ever closer to a wide-scale proliferation of electronic health records (EHRs). The much talked about American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contained major incentives to encourage the meaningful use and adoption of the promising technology. Add to the equation some variation of healthcare reform which will further promote the digitization of medical records, and it’s safe to say we’re on the cusp of a significant technological revolution in healthcare.

 

And that got me thinking…Where exactly do personal health records (PHRs – remember those?) shake out in all of this? Will we ever see significant uptake to the extent that there’s a legitimate demand for them? Products such as Microsoft’s HealthVault and Google Health created a lot of buzz when they appeared on the scene in recent years, but it appears that people haven’t exactly been waiting in line to open accounts. Will they ever?

 

The simple answer is yes. And when they do, look out. Here’s how I see it playing out…

 

In a few short years our currently younger, tech-savvy and web-dependent generations are going to become better acquainted with the healthcare system. Whereas they now maybe see a doctor once or twice a year for basic services like a physical or a flu shot, they’ll soon start catching up to us older folks who utilize healthcare more frequently, even if it isn’t for themselves. As their parents’ medical needs grow, many will undoubtedly become primary caregivers and enter the system that way. Already used to executing the rest of life’s serious business digitally — banking, taxes, job hunting, dating, clothes shopping — almost on cue they’ll begin seeking products and services that enable them to manage their health (or that of loved ones) the same way. Collaboration among all stakeholders will be critical to easy-to-manage healthcare.

 

So there’s your demand. It’s going to be an enormous opportunity — and an equally large challenge — for health IT. As much as these current whippersnappers depend on technology to make their lives easier, to a degree they also want it supplied to them, and they want to be assured of its value. In other words, if they have to create their own PHRs by inputting data themselves, it’s not going to happen. Just as they expect their paychecks to magically appear in their checking accounts every two weeks and their car payments and utility bills to be paid in the same automated fashion, so too will they expect ready-made health records that not only contain an accurate medical history but also suggest to them what they might be thinking about in the future based on their past. The information can’t just be data; it needs to be smart and meaningful. It needs to make a measurable, if not quantifiable difference in their lives.

 

We have to be ready. There isn’t going to be much of a ramp-up to this revolution. It’s going to happen rather abruptly, and the HIT industry can’t afford to wait and react; we need to start preparing now. The industry has already begun laying the groundwork to capitalize on this opportunity. Interoperability, collaboration and health information exchange have been and will continue to be dominant themes. This is exactly what it’s going to take to support the demand that rises in the wake of the PHR big bang. We need to ensure that we can facilitate the exchange of clinical data among all parties in the healthcare ecosystem so that each can have mutual access to actionable, real-time information that creates a complete picture of the patient. This will be the lifeblood of successful PHRs — essentially meeting consumers where they want to be met in whatever technical format and through whatever device they choose.

 

I suppose you could simplify things by thinking of it this way: when the Wii generation starts needing healthcare in a few short years, it’s up to us to ensure that they have an app for that.

 

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Carole Hodsdon is MEDecision's executive vice president and chief technology officer.