The future of healthcare technology: Top four trends from HIMSS 2019

While the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Annual Conference & Exhibition is meant for healthcare innovators and professionals, it was the patients who were the focus of this year's event.

As the leading health information and technology conference, HIMSS provides a snapshot of the major influences driving healthcare today, as well as the emerging issues that the industry will be facing in the years to come.

This year, much of the event's conversation centered around how to ensure that patients stay at the center of the health system, especially in the face of a changing regulatory structure and rapid advancements. (See our recap from HIMSS 2018.)

So what else is on the horizon? Here are four of the biggest trends from #HIMSS19.

Increased patient engagement is an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to improving health outcomes. In the pharmaceutical industry, that means offering patients additional tools to both manage their medications and share real-time adherence and outcomes data with their healthcare providers.

HIMSS 2019's special Pharma Forum explored how companies can undertake these efforts. In addition to the importance of patient engagement, the Pharma Forum also highlighted the need for interoperability among providers and the use of digital technology to facilitate communications at all levels of care, from patients to the payer c-suite—and everyone in between.

HIMSS presenters said web-based platforms could make information more accessible to patients, so prescriptions can be better managed, test results can be viewed, and outstanding bills can be paid—all without patients having to make any calls or leave their homes.

(Read more about how "big data" is helping pharma companies to better support patients in this Essential Insights article.)

The need for increased interoperability among providers is growing, both for patients and the health system and pharma leaders responsible for improved healthcare outcomes. The Interoperability Showcase at HIMSS 2019 highlighted how technology can improve patient care management.

The showcase included a wide range of interoperability tech use case demonstrations, with vendors showing how their products could help solve complex industry problems by allowing providers to exchange data in real time.

This push for interoperability was juxtaposed with an opening keynote where Seema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), lamented that the industry is far from where it needs to be in terms of optimizing data sharing.

(Read more about how CMS is promoting interoperability in this Essential Insights article.)

It seems you can't engage with any healthcare technology-focused news lately without hearing about blockchain.

Blockchain tech is booming in healthcare thanks to its promise of enhancing security, data sharing, and patient safety. In the Blockchain Forum at HIMSS 2019, experts called out promising areas for blockchain technology like the pharmaceutical and clinical trial space.

What do the experts think you need to do to start preparing for the blockchain revolution? Start thinking of concrete and achievable ways that blockchain technology can bring value to your business. Equally important is considering how the regulations impacting your space will shape how you bring blockchain's benefits to life.

(Read more about how blockchain can benefit healthcare in this Essential Insights article.)

Healthcare companies are uniquely vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Large, decentralized workforces and the possession of incredibly sensitive patient data mean that providers across all channels must work harder than ever to protect their information and most importantly, their patients.

In a panel discussion, former U.S. chief information security officer Brigadier General Greg Touhill provided his best cybersecurity tips for leaders in the health industry, which included adopting a “zero trust" strategy and investing in standardized fraud-prevention training for every member of the healthcare workforce.

A wealth of additional cybersecurity tools and ideas were presented at the conference's Cybersecurity Command Center, with attendees getting a chance to put their own cybersecurity know-how to the test—showing that most organizations aren't as prepared as they may think.

(Read more about what healthcare facilities need to know to protect against cyberattacks in this Essential Insights article.)

These trends offered valuable direction to healthcare leaders and innovators. As another HIMSS closed, it was clear that now is the time to bring the digital revolution to healthcare.

Editor's Note: Read our five predictions for healthcare innovation in 2019 for more insights on these and other trends.