Advancing technology and federal incentives to implement new systems to improve patient care and lower costs will push health care IT innovation in 2011, a report from tech news site Information Week says.
One of the central areas in health care IT this year will be the further development of electronic medical records, allowing for better centralization and standardization of patient data, according to Information Week. This could have the dual effect of keeping costs under control and decreasing potentially dangerous medical errors, experts say.
The integration of mobile devices like smartphones and tablet PCs into the health care IT space could be another growing trend in 2011, Information Week says, though this could also pose challenges for CIOs in the industry. New digital sensors that transmit data via Bluetooth and diabetes management apps are also in the pipeline, the tech news publication says.
Lower costs, experts say, could be passed along to health care consumers, making private plans more attractive and improving access to necessary services. This could also have the secondary effect of lowering health insurance premiums for the many Americans who find it easier to stay healthy.
