One of the primary technology challenges for healthcare facilities is EHR implementation. According to a study by Level 3 Communications, CIOs are focused on meeting the impending federal deadlines.[1] Over half of those surveyed believe that EHR implementation and Meaningful Compliance will improve overall patient care.
In addition to meeting EHR deadlines, healthcare facilities are focused on upgrading infrastructure and recognize the serious challenge to security demands. While cloud computing and mHealth continue to gain ground, they are still considered much lower priorities for most CIOs.
“Patient privacy and the security of health records are weighing on the minds of healthcare CIOs,” said Karl Strohmeyer, Level 3 group vice president. With the adoption of EHR and the increasing interconnectivity between healthcare facilities and related provider, security continues to be a fundamental challenge. According to the research, 56 percent were “somewhat confident” that they were prepared to avert a privacy or security breach on the network. This mild confidence suggests a challenge, considering the history of breaches in the healthcare industry and the costly impact.
Infrastructure upgrade represents another fundamental growth area in healthcare. 76 percent of CIOS surveyed plan to upgrade infrastructure within the next two years. Healthcare providers and facilities are prepared to invest in upgrades to support the wide-ranging demands of EHR, security, and other advancements.
“The expansion of network infrastructure that we anticipate will allow healthcare organizations to store massive amounts of patient information securely,” said Strohmeyer. “Providers can access digitized information from any location in real time, ultimately resulting in substantial efficiencies in patient care. Interconnectivity and network security are essential to meeting the growing demands of the digital healthcare world.”
These results indicate both an opportunity to continue expanding and improving patient care as well as a investment and implementation challenge. Integracon focuses on helping our healthcare clients meet the infrastructure demands of EHR, increased security and more.
[1] Digital Overload of Healthcare Information and Looming Deadlines Driving New Challenges for IT Executives. Level 3 Communications, February 4, 2013. <http://level3.mediaroom.com/2013-02-04-Digital-Overload-of-Healthcare-Information-and-Looming-Deadlines-Driving-New-Challenges-for-IT-Executives?WT.tsrc=02042013CIOBlog>
