This week saw a number of new technologies and technology trends spring forth in the Health TechZone. Let's take a look at some of the developments reported in healthcare IT this week.
HIMSS Analytics and Comcast Business released a report based on a conversation with seven prominent healthcare IT professionals that took place at HIMSS 2013 last March. The report, entitled "Healthcare Network Provider Solutions, Barriers and Challenges," identified the top four challenges facing healthcare IT: mobility, security, information exchange and data/image storage.
Mobility raises concerns because BYOD demands from employees makes controlling network endpoints tough for IT staff. Employees also found many ways to work around hospital network security policies. Where states haven't set up effective health information exchanges, exchanging information between providers is difficult. Image storage creates challenges for because the images are resource intensive.
One way to improve security is to choose a HIPAA-compliant cloud services provider. Essentially, hospitals should only use cloud service providers that are willing to sign "Business Associate" agreements. A hospital's Business Associate is just as legally liable for data breaches as the hospital itself. Shared risk, according to HHS, will make providers more vigilant against breaches.
Even though providers worry about data breaches, big data offers many potential advantages to the healthcare system. The U.K. government is pairing up with wealthy philanthropist Li Ka Shing to build a two-phase Center for Health Information and Discovery at Oxford.
The Target Discovery Institute will generate healthcare data using genomic and chemical screens, while the Big Data Institute will generate, store and analyze some of these large datasets to gain a better understanding of human diseases and associated treatments.
Image storage may be resource intensive, but real-time image generation through video conferencing is changing the way that patients and doctors interact. Telemedicine is especially evolving in rural areas, where access to doctors is limited. Using Skype, FaceTime, e-mail and SMS, doctors are interacting with patients without requiring patients to enter the clinic. In the future, doctors may even be able to perform remote surgeries using telemedicine technology.
Before performing remote surgeries, however, the FDA needs to make a call on the Da Vinci surgical robot. According to a paper from Dr. Martin Makary of Johns Hopkins and some of his colleagues, many hospitals underreport accidents that take place because of Da Vinci robot malfunctions. At the same time, hospitals vigorously market robotic surgery, creating a possible conflict of interest.
These articles make up only a snapshot of the news deluge that occurred in the Health TechZone this week. Check back frequently for the latest healthcare technology news.
