Get Ready for HIMSS 24: Security, Transformation, and AI Oh My

Are you going to Orlando this week?

If so, and if you’re in healthcare, chances are you’re not going for the rides at Disney World but the one at HIMSS24 March 11-15, aka the digital transformation roller coaster – which, in our view, is just as exciting.

HIMSS started in 1962, ten years before Disney World when around 60 members gathered to talk about health system management. The “I” for “Information” was added 20 years later in 1982. By the turn of the new millennium, attendance was up over 20,000 as growth in healthcare IT began to surge. Last year, in Chicago, over 30,000 people attended, and that number will be at least as high this year. What should we expect in 2024?

Every year is pivotal in healthcare IT but 2024 is turning out to be yet another year like no other. HIMSS24 will reflect that and more. But special attention will be paid to these topics.

Cyber-Security

The Change Healthcare attack is bound to make security one of the key topics of networking conversation this year. On its own, Change manages about 14 billion clinical, financial, and operational transactions annually. But the ripple effect goes even wider. Many doctors and hospitals are not getting paid. Patient records are not being shared.

Given the size and inter-related complexity of the US healthcare ecosystem, organizations will always be vulnerable to a cyber-attack of this nature. But security has to be top of mind for any health system and payer going forward.

How can we make healthcare more secure? Data capabilities must be absolutely cutting edge to stay ahead of the hackers. Not every vendor is up to the challenge as we have seen with Change Healthcare and other incidents. The federal government may have to step up with requirements to improve safeguards and upgraded technologies, but it’s a constant challenge to ensure security. How well can healthcare vendors address those concerns? That’s a question worth asking, preparing for, and considering.

Transformation

After more than a decade of disruptive change in healthcare, what does transformation even mean today? That’s a question worth developing a coherent answer around and HIMSS24 is a good place to do some exploration and broad-minded thinking.

Many vendors offer solutions to advance transformation. Many have been talking about digital transformation for years. In other words, they’re in the business of delivering solutions and tools that turn manual, siloed processes into automated, interoperable processes. Notably, such solutions must be capable of being integrated into a larger digital platform or they aren’t truly transformational.

Other vendors that use the word transformation have shifted the conversation to value-based care. They’re helping health systems and providers incorporate the workflows, processes, tools, and care management capabilities to succeed in value-based contracts. This is complex, comprehensive work that is transformational for sure, but health systems and providers need more than that to succeed in the world we’re currently in.

Innovaccer’s perspective is that transformation means all of the above and more. We see three macro forces at play in healthcare, each of which supports the other, and we’ve built our business accordingly. The first pillar is value. To meet regulatory requirements, achieve optimal financial health and produce the best health outcomes, value-based care is essential. The second pillar is experience. On the one hand, patients have consumer expectations for service, convenience, affordability, quality, and so on. On the other hand, clinicians and administrators are crying out for support that reduces the burden and burnout of healthcare.

The third pillar is empowerment. All of these constituents need to come together in more engaging and human ways. There are many important ways that healthcare performance can be improved dramatically. A lot of those efforts will increasingly be focused on AI solutions.

This three-pillar framework is a good way of thinking about healthcare transformation today. How well does a HIT solution advance in any of these key areas? Perhaps, more importantly, how well can a vendor help you advance all three of these areas holistically and comprehensively? That’s where real transformation begins.

AI

And, of course, nothing is more game-changing in healthcare today than the emergence of artificial intelligence as a real tool. Like blockchain a few years ago, many vendors today have re-tooled their marketing to claim AI capabilities that are more surface than reality.

Health systems looking for AI partners need to look closely at the offerings. Are they realistic and can they be implemented now? Will they help accelerate existing workflows or disrupt them? Do they move the needle on critical performance indicators that matter to you? Are they safe? Are they reliable? Is your organization culturally ready? Does your vendor have the data capabilities in-house or are they building a solution on the fly?

Tough questions, perhaps. However, HIMSS24 provides the opportunity to explore the different AI solutions and understand better which ones are real and ready to provide value and which ones are more science fiction than practical applications.

There will be other hot topics. Telehealth. Wearables. Provider burden. Patient engagement. Personalized medicine. All are important. And there’s no place on the planet that will gather more expertise and knowledge. Take advantage of everything that HIMSS has to offer. And enjoy the ride of the year.