It s a wrap: #HIM4 by Nancy Twombly

Another #HIMSSanity has come and gone - and this year the conference lived up to the promise of its theme: Innovation Impact Outcomes . With so many competing priorities in healthcare today - from achieving Meaningful Use, to Healthcare Exchanges, ICD-10, and Patient Portals it's no wonder that providers are feeling pressure, particularly when budgets are so tight and resources are so scarce.

Innovation can certainly help to alleviate the pressure - with new solutions that can streamline workflow and improve the clinician and patient experience. At #HIMSS14, the promise of innovation was everywhere from the Interoperability showcase to the Google Glass-wearing attendees walking the show floor. The sheer number of exhibitors and sessions - all focused on innovation in Healthcare IT - are evidence that innovation will be a driving factor in moving the healthcare agenda forward.

Impact was another key theme of the conference. Throughout the conference, many great stories were featured that demonstrated the impact of Health IT on patients and providers. There was also significant discussion on the impact of the legislation that is driving the healthcare reform agenda forward. The HIMSS EMRAM model continues to show an increase in Stage 6 and 7 hospitals - accelerating the impact of the electronic medical record. And the 25th annual HIMSS Leadership Survey revealed that two-thirds of healthcare organizations are participating in a Healthcare Information Exchange organization - making a huge impact on the delivery of more timely and efficient patient-centered care.

Improved outcomes are the ultimate goal of health reform legislation and Health IT technology. Featured presentations throughout the conference highlighted providers and vendors that have been able to impact outcomes through improved efficiencies and enhanced care. Through effective use of Health IT, providers demonstrated a wide range of benefits, including reductions in medication errors, improved patient communications, and reduced length of hospital stays. These providers were able to achieve these benefits while simultaneously achieving significant cost avoidance - creating a win/win situation for providers and patients.

So - how can a provider today balance all their competing priorities - and deliver on the full promise of Health IT? While the HIMSS 2014 Conference showed evidence of great progress in innovation, impact, and outcomes, there is still a challenging road ahead. Lack of financial support and staffing resources continue to be key barriers in Health IT as highlighted in the recent 2014 HIMSS Leadership Survey Report. To help alleviate these challenges, an integral part of any provider's strategy should include the identification of partners with needed expertise - to act as an extension of their own staff. Partners enable organizations to quickly reach new levels of capabilities without a major upfront investment in software, hardware, and in-house skills - enabling them to focus on their core mission of delivering patient care.

With HIMSS 2015 on the horizon, more great strides will be made on the Health IT frontier. We'd love to hear your examples of innovation, impact and outcomes. Tell us your story by Twitter @IronMtnHealth

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/industry/healthcare-information-man...
	See more stories from ironmountain

Most recent headlines