Major Health IT Themes for 2012, belatedly
This is a good two months overdue, but still worth putting out there. This article from iHealthBeat asked 9 health IT experts about the major trends in Health IT from 2011 and for some predictions for 2012. Their answers were insightful and I think are, as always with health IT, very relevant to diabetes.
The major trends that I think are most relevant to diabetes care in the US:
1) Consumer engagement: The e-patient movement will continue to gain steam as consumers continue to become more empowered and engaged in their own healthcare. Patients can expect to be more involved and more informed about their health.
2) mHealth: More mobile health products will be designed, developed, released to market. This will include a flood of products in the diabetes arena.
3) Improved analytics for large data
4) The current lack of interoperability and standards: This is true both for Electronic Health Record systems and other Health IT. This is going to be a hindrance towards improved care and cost savings.