Unpacking HIMSS23: Our Top 8 Takeaways for Healthcare Professionals Unpacking HIMSS23: Our Top 8 Takeaways for Healthcare Professionals

2. Healthcare Providers are Still Facing the Challenge of Cybersecurity

As healthcare providers handle sensitive patient data including medical records, financial information, and personal identities, cybersecurity is of critical importance. Many healthcare providers at HIMSS shared their insecurity about cyber-attacks because of the sensitive data it holds, and the complexity of networks and systems.

Cyber attacks can range from malware and ransomware attacks that disrupt the availability of systems, to theft or compromise of patient data that can be used for identity theft, fraud, or other malicious practice.

During the HIMSS conference, healthcare providers shared some of the challenges when it comes to cybersecurity. Initially, the healthcare industry has been slower to adopt cybersecurity best practices compared to other industries, due in part to budget constraints and the complexity of healthcare.

Healthcare providers often rely on legacy systems that are usually not designed for modern cybersecurity threats. Finally, the increase in the use of internet-connected devices and the rise of telehealth has expanded the attack surface and made it more challenging to protect against cyber threats.

Healthcare providers need to invest in various cybersecurity measures to protect against cyber threats, such as implementing multi-factor authentication, regularly patching systems, conducting regular vulnerability assessments, and providing cybersecurity training to staff.

Related Read: Healthcare Data Security Checklist

3. Interoperability is Becoming a Concern for Healthcare Providers

Interoperability is the ability of different systems and technologies to communicate and exchange data with each other seamlessly. In healthcare, interoperability plays a crucial role in patient care and outcomes.

At the HIMSS event, we experienced that interoperability continues to be a key concern for healthcare providers. Many healthcare systems and technologies are still operating in silos, with limited ability to communicate or exchange information with each other. Such silos can hamper the operations in healthcare organizations which can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment, redundant tests and procedures, and inefficient care coordination.

One of the main reasons for the interoperability challenge is the lack of standardized data formats and communication protocols across different healthcare systems and technologies.

4. Telehealth is Now An Important Element of Healthcare

One of the key takeaways from HIMSS is the widespread adoption and integration of telehealth in healthcare systems and organizations. Telehealth helps healthcare providers to deliver services, such as:

• Consultation
• Diagnosis
• Treatment, and monitoring

Via digital communication technologies such as:

• Video conferencing
• Messaging
• Phone calls

After the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has become a key platform in delivering healthcare services, as it allows patients to access and applies authorization for access controls. Healthcare providers shared how telehealth has helped in improving patient outcomes, increasing access to care, and making care cost-efficient.

The integration of AI tools and edge computing in telehealth has created different opportunities for collaboration between healthcare providers and organizations by enabling them to share resources during emergencies.

Related Read: How to Overcome Post-COVID Barriers to Telemedicine?

5. Healthcare Organizations are Constantly Improving Their Efficiency

At the HIMSS23 affair, it was apparent that numerous healthcare providers and organizations are honing in on improving patient care efficiency and quality. The reasoning behind this is to minimize expenses, simplify procedures, and advance the level of care given to patients.

Patient care coordination can be improved by healthcare organizations embracing advanced technologies that ease workload complexities. Day-to-day practices now involve electronic health records (EHR), telehealth, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools being seamlessly integrated into healthcare providers’ work.

This trend streamlines the process of data retrieval and reduces the necessity for manual recordkeeping. As a result, providers can quickly access important patient information while enhancing their care-providing capabilities.

Healthcare organizations are focusing on streamlining their administrative processes. Repetitive tasks such as billing, coding, and claims processing, can be time-consuming and error-prone when done manually.

We found that many healthcare providers are keen to understand how standardizing their operations, reducing variability in care delivery, and improving care coordination across different providers and settings, can improve their business quality.