With the recent hacking and security breaches in the news, cybersecurity is back at the top of the news — but for healthcare executives and IT managers, we know that keeping patient data safe is an ongoing concern.

According to a new report from Navigant, 21% of rural hospitals in the U.S. are at a high risk of closing. Lack of liquidity, outdated technology, and knowledge gaps with minimal financial resources to fill them are just a few of the challenges rural hospitals are struggling to overcome. Despite these alarming statistics and obstacles, there are steps organizations can take to be successful and address socioeconomic drivers for their communities. 

What’s next for healthcare technology and nurses? This year at HIMSS19 MEDITECH’s Associate Vice President, Cathy Turner, BSN, MBA, RN BC, spoke with Patient Orator about the evolution of healthcare technology.

In our latest thought leader podcast, I spoke with Jim Fitzgerald, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at CloudWave about the role of cloud computing in healthcare.

In Ontario, healthcare is often siloed—a byproduct of the way the healthcare system is structured. Patients experience frequent gaps in care; they’re asked to explain their health concerns over and over within each different setting, and digital tools aren’t keeping up with how Ontarians live and work in their everyday lives. Sound familiar?

The nursing outlook on technology and business is on the fast track. Most nurse informaticists would state that their role did not exist 5-10 years ago, proof that the career path of nurses is widening as technology gallops forward. MEDITECH's Nurse Forum showcases how nursing continues to evolve; providing a platform for nurses to ask relevant questions, hear from industry leaders, take a step back and listen, and then share that wisdom with their community to understand what lies ahead. 

Lisa, a 45-year old single mother, visits her primary care physician complaining of fatigue and excessive thirst; blood tests reveal she has high blood glucose. She walks out of the clinic with a prescription and a pamphlet about type 2 diabetes. Now what?

The following article appeared in the May 23, 2019 issue of the HIMSS Clinical Informatics Insights newsletter. A portion of it has been posted here with permission.

Last year, a colleague of mine wrote an apology to clinicians on behalf of all EHR vendors for the pain we’ve put them through. It resonated with many readers, who have soured on the overly hopeful messages of clinical and business transformation coming from the industry. It’s important for all of us to honestly acknowledge where we are, how we got here, and what we need to do to restore the confidence of EHR users — particularly clinicians, whose lives have been irrevocably changed, for better and for worse, by the computerization of healthcare.

Over the past decade, social media has made a huge impact on the way people communicate and stay engaged with what’s happening in the world. More healthcare consumers are using social platforms to learn about their conditions and providers, as well as to give feedback and advice in real time. But what about healthcare providers? Is spending time on social really worth it for them? 

No healthcare organization should ever have to choose between innovation and value. As our industry continues to transform, it will be important to both adopt new technologies that can meet the needs of demanding consumers, and still prioritize ROI and long-term sustainability while doing so.