Topic

Where Are We On Our Path to Digital Healthcare (And Why Is It So Hard?)

Presenters

Robert M. Wachter, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco

Keywords

Health technology; Digital health; Electronic health records; EHR; Health information technology; Data interoperability

Key Points

The four stages of health IT involve (1) digitizing the health record, (2) connecting the parts, (3) gleaning meaningful insights from the data, and (4) converting those insights into action that improves value for patients.

Healthcare leaders should focus on building skills, culture, and governance to reimagine the work—and retain sense of optimism that productivity from digitization will get better over time.

Discussion Themes

What is the role of regulation in this transformation? One of the big challenges in many platforms is securing data.

The role of the physician will transform—from font of all knowledge to someone who interprets the data and frames the question. There will be a need for new kinds of training and new specialties.

For More Information

Read more from Robert Wachter: The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine’s Computer Age.

Tags
#DigitalHealth, #pctGR
@Bob_Wachter, @PCTGrandRounds, @Collaboratory1, @PCORnetwork