Tom Foley, director, Global Health Solution Strategy, Lenovo, focuses on coupling technology with workflows and the different stakeholders across the continuum of care. He has more than 25 years of experience in IT across many industries. At UPS, where he started his career, he served as data network design manager during the initial deployment of one of the first national wireless data networks, giving him an understanding of mobility embracing wireless data. For the last 15 years, he has been involved in several strategic initiatives such as migrating EHR platforms from client-server to cloud-based models, rollout of health information, patient portals/patient engagement and rollout of Direct Messaging to 43,000 subscribers with leading EHR vendors. Foley discusses the latest in mobility and interoperability.
What do you see as the major trends in the healthcare IT space in 2016 and how will they impact healthcare organizations?
The major trend in healthcare in 2016 and beyond is how to nail down the issue of interoperability. Secondarily, the use of the cloud and mobility; however, the latter e orts will be challenging to drive forward without sound interoperability framework embraced by all. Given the CMS-announced pivot away from the meaningful use program and toward the Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), with its emphasis on a new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and alternative payment models, it will drive innovative and disruptive models that accelerate the transformation of the delivery of care and path to wellness. Remote monitoring and telehealth solutions are at the center of this e ort, creating customized care anywhere delivery models.
Providers are looking to more patient engagement solutions, which embraces patients to be part of the solution. Achieving wellness is centered not only on patient compliance and persistency in regards to prescribed care plan but also a change in behavior that promotes maintaining wellness.
Which trends do you see as having the most impact on technology providers?
I think the whole issue of pivoting earlier than expected from meaningful use to value-based care models is probably going to be a significant change. Under meaningful use, technology providers were really talking about counting clicks and implementing regulatory requirements, and that was scheduled to go on for another three years. When you start coding solutions based on regulatory requirements, you tend not to be as innovative as can be; you rush to get a solution out the door that’s a regulatory complement, but it’s not necessarily useful.
Now moving forward toward the value-based care model and engaging the patient as an equal provider in the delivery of care, it will drive the innovation on the patient engagement front. It’s no longer about a portal, but about the sharing of information – aggregating information across multiple providers and how that information gets shared across the community of care (inclusive of the patient).
What opportunities do these disruptions create for healthcare organizations?
The opportunity here goes back to macro dynamics of the overall market. You have a growing population in volume, you have a population that is getting older overall and you have that population that is contracting more chronic conditions to be managed over their life span, and that’s driving an added cost to the healthcare system.
At the same time, you have a lesser number of providers to actually administer care. So the opportunity here is to figure out how to deliver and enhance the quality of care in a risk based financial model. There is a significant opportunity to leverage technology to take down the brick and mortar of the institution and ultimately provide customized care anywhere, as long as that care is managed well and understood by all.
How are technology providers uniquely positioned to help healthcare organizations take advantage of these opportunities?
Health IT providers can help their clients address questions by being a bit more in tune with the innovation that is available to them and adopt that in a nimble, agile manner. You don’t have to deploy everything at once, but if you have a vision and implement in succinct stages, I think that will help the market get to where they need to go.
It’s not about regulatory clicks; it’s about care delivery anywhere and technology addressing the cloud, mobility and Internet of Things that will allow patients to achieve wellness through participating in their own health management – moving them along an awareness to wellness continuum.
Where should healthcare organizations prioritize their time, budgets and expertise?
Even though the meaningful use program is being transitioned, a large part of the time is still directed toward attesting to stage 2 objectives in 2016. Simultaneously, while there is a significant market churn in switching to a different EHR platform, I believe the best thing you can do is to better understand MACRA and how your organization is going to deliver care in a risk-oriented financial model. It’s time to embrace innovative/disruptive approaches – which may not be offered from a classic health IT vendor.
The core element here is that the classic care delivery model, as it moved to a value-based care model, needs to be significantly altered if you’re going to maximize the opportunity to engage your patients. It’s encouraging care systems to look beyond an EHR and look at the conditions of their population and leverage technology to manage that. It’s a care-anywhere model, not just a care inside my brick-and-mortar facilities. When there are 8,760 hours in a year and you only see that patient 15-18 hours, at best, per year – how do we reach and monitor patients to maximize compliance and persistence in care management programs without having them come back to the ED or be readmitted into the ambulatory setting 18 days after they make an appointment?
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About Lenovo Health
Lenovo Health is a visionary voice and proactive health IT partner that brings a foundation of security, compatibility, mobility and reliability to the industry. Our focus lies in simplistic, seamless solutions that help you get ahead in an ever-changing health IT landscape. www.lenovohealth.com
