6 Takeaways from MEDITECH LIVE 2024

With our largest in-person turnout since 2020, this year’s MEDITECH LIVE crowd was buzzing with discussions on AI, interoperability, the power of data, and other opportunities for innovation in the health IT space.

In her opening remarks, Executive Vice President and COO Helen Waters, painted a panoramic view of the influences on the healthcare industry today; clinical shortages, the rapid adoption of technology, market consolidation, and digital transformation were just a few of the subjects she touched upon. She then illustrated how Expanse is a 360 degree solution for the healthcare ecosystem, designed to keep pace with change and be a catalyst for transformation.

From industry thought leaders and keynotes, to in-depth breakout sessions, attendees seemed less burdened by problems of the past, and more uplifted by the possibilities ahead. The event covered a wide range of subjects, but here are a few of the hot topics that were on everyone’s mind. 

AI was a common thread running through MEDITECH LIVE, whether in discussions of how ambient listening is reducing physician burden, the success of Expanse search and summarization, or the ways data and AI is transforming the level of care patients experience.

Keynote Zack Kass, Futurist and Former Head of GTM at OpenAI, explored how AI will bring about a new renaissance in every way of life, specifically healthcare. Kass’ presentation focused on what AI can do and how humans can be assisted by AI, but he also emphasized that AI cannot replace the nuance involved in human thought and decision making. 

Keynote speaker, Zack Kass, Futurist and Former Head of GTM at OpenAI, spoke about how AI is already changing the healthcare landscape, and the transformation we should expect for the future.

At a breakout session exploring the power of ambient listening, leaders from HCA Healthcare, Frederick Health, and Citizens Memorial Hospital shared positive outcomes their physicians have experienced as a result of leveraging ambient listening. Clinicians report that they are spending less time charting and more time having face to face contact with their patients. When an audience member asked if the physicians were now seeing more patients, the panelists made it clear that that is not the goal – they want to reduce cognitive workload and burden on their physicians, not fill that time with additional work. Additionally, the panelists all agreed that ambient listening is a tool to help their physicians — not something physicians should become dependent on. It is still important for clinicians to review and edit their notes because at the end of the day, they are the true experts when it comes to patient care.

MEDITECH Senior Director of Interoperability Mike Cordeiro affirmed MEDITECH's intelligent approach to interoperability, which advances data exchange through a "FHIR-first" network that will transform the provider experience. He explained how Traverse Exchange's powerful, intuitive tools for compiling and curating data present a comprehensive view of a patient’s health history, whether captured at other MEDITECH organizations or those using another EHR vendor. In doing so, he showed how MEDITECH is moving aggressively toward dynamic, real-time requests for selective data clinicians need, and away from large, static document exchange.

It was also announced that MEDITECH has launched a company-wide initiative to bring  all eligible U.S. Expanse customers LIVE with Traverse Exchange by the end of 2025.

During the event, it became clear that all speakers — whether from MEDITECH, customer organizations, or participating business partners — shared a vision for how healthcare technology can be leveraged to unburden clinicians. John Halamka, MD, MS, President, Mayo Clinic Platform, moderated a panel where organizational leaders shared how they are applying technology to innovative ideas — big and small — that have yielded gains in operational efficiencies and in managing provider workloads.

One panelist shared how ambient listening technology is helping physicians get home to their families for dinner. Another described how digital transformation has improved patient care through reduced wait times. In a number of sessions, customers explained how features such as mobility, AI, and virtual nursing have increased efficiency and improved the patient experience.

One of the most powerful moments of the event came when Farhana Alarakhiya, Chief Data Innovation Officer at Aga Khan University sat down with MEDITECH Marketing Director, Rachel Wilkes to discuss how Expanse is transforming care on a global level, specifically in East Africa.

As Alarakhiya explained, they are “betting on data” to help elevate healthcare in East Africa. She shared a projection that by 2030, data-driven healthcare interventions could save over 1 million lives in Africa. AKU has leveraged over 14 years of legacy data, alongside their Expanse data, to build a repository for research purposes to better understand their patient populations. Alarakhiya spoke about how AKU is innovating within their cultural context to evaluate and create protocols for prevalent local conditions, like cardiovascular disease and gestational diabetes. Where gestational diabetes is typically diagnosed between 24-28 weeks, they have leveraged their data to determine that in East Africa, interventions at 12-16 weeks yield better outcomes for expectant mothers. 

Additionally, the area faces a severe healthcare worker shortage. Broadening the pool of caregivers with access to critical, timely knowledge as they treat their patients is paramount. To this end, AKU is leveraging LLMs on their repository of data to democratize the insights that data contains.

Whether in critical access hospitals, large academic institutions, or across the globe, Alarakhiya made it clear that the future of healthcare depends not only on data, but deriving the right insights from that data.

A variety of breakout sessions at the event discussed social determinants of health, challenges unique to different kinds of healthcare organizations, and creative ways to address population health concerns.

In a session focused on health equity, Daisy Rodriguez, MSN, MPH, BS, RN, Chief Operating Officer at Humboldt Park Health illustrated how their organization became one of just 13 facilities in the U.S. to achieve Healthcare Equity Certification from The Joint Commission. A safety net hospital in Chicago, Humboldt Park Health serves a diverse population challenged with health literacy. Humboldt Health embodies health equity and has engrained it into the mission of their organization. Many of the employees live locally, so the organization has an organic understanding and passion for serving their community. 

Rodriguez detailed how they met the 11 standards The Joint Commission requires organizations to meet in order to achieve this certification. She also shared the ways Humboldt supports its community, whether it’s helping patients find affordable housing options, improving breast cancer screenings, or opening their new wellness center, which will include sliding scale membership fees based on income. These are great examples of how an organization can creatively meet patients where they are to improve population health and truly exceed the standards defined for them.

Beyond breakout sessions and keynote speakers, MEDITECH LIVE also provided the opportunity for MEDITECH’s advisory groups to meet. These groups offer opportunities for MEDITECH customers to come together to trade ideas and share how they are addressing industry challenges. With these advisory groups and additional networking opportunities throughout the conference, everyone came away having learned something new.

We thank our customers and partners for taking the time to connect with us and each other. Gathering at LIVE was a great opportunity to share ideas, understand perspectives, and discuss our vision for the future. It's exciting to see the MEDITECH community coming together around a common goal: embracing technology that helps organizations achieve better outcomes for their staff, patients and communities.

With MEDITECH LIVE 2024 behind us, we look forward to the CHIME fall forum, as well as HIMSS and ViVE in early 2025.

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