Biggest Themes from #HIMSS23 | Healthcare IT Today

As we attain form of the midpoint of the HIMSS 2023 annual convention, just a few themes have actually come into form.  I’m pleased (and form of unhappy) to say which might be predictions of the highest subjects had been what we predicted in our HIMSS 2023 preview.  The 2 largest themes at HIMSS are the 2 subjects which might be high of thoughts at most healthcare organizations: workforce and income.

I believe it’s in all probability honest to say that HIMSS 2023 attendees are burnt out of speaking about how burnt out everybody in healthcare is true now.  Plus, it looks as if this downside is probably going going to worsen.  I assume the one vibrant spot in all of that is that most of the well being IT options which might be being shared at HIMSS are issues that may assist with a few of this burnout.  One problem is that many docs and nurses are skeptical that IT goes to assist alleviate their burnout.

Sadly, this can be a affordable feeling for clinicians and different healthcare staff.  Clinicians views are skewed due to how EHR software program has impacted them and their work lives.  Whereas EHRs have made their lives simpler in some methods, using EHR software program has additionally pressured them to doc so many extra issues to satisfy regulation and reimbursement necessities.  Mentioned one other manner, we now can get entry to the info that’s being documented by a health care provider or nurse and so we’re asking them to doc extra knowledge than they’d have on paper.  Plus, we would like it documented in a granular method which takes work.  It’s no marvel why many in healthcare are skeptical of well being IT’s capability to alleviate the burnout they’re feeling.

For sure, workforce is on the highest of minds of most healthcare leaders.

In relation to income, it does look like there’s just a little little bit of the haves and have nots.  Many healthcare organizations work on very skinny margins.  In truth, nearly all of them do.  Generally that is exhausting to reconcile whenever you hear that some healthcare organizations have billions within the financial institution.  Nevertheless, these revenues typically come from one thing apart from affected person care.  Many have funding funds and different sources of revenue that places cash of their coffers.

COVID actually harm a number of healthcare group’s income state of affairs.  Plus, income was turning into a difficulty even earlier than COVID.  We regularly heard of healthcare organizations being paid much less for the care they supply.  To not point out the shift to extra affected person pay which is tougher than payers in quite a lot of methods.

I may go on and on concerning the challenges of income which mockingly additionally contributes to burnout of the workforce.

In fact, whereas these two subjects are high of thoughts for healthcare organizations at HIMSS 2023, the true speak of the convention is round ChatGPT and Massive Language Fashions.  The joy for these applied sciences is palpable.  Nevertheless, it additionally comes with a contact of worry.  Many can see the potential and well being IT distributors are all evaluating tips on how to incorporate it into their options.  It’s nonetheless too early to actually know the reply for the way issues like ChatGPT are going to affect well being IT, however there are lots of people occupied with it and seeing how they will leverage the potential that comes with it.

I jokingly tweeted out earlier than HIMSS23 that it’s fairly cool that every one the distributors on the convention have change into healthcare AI distributors that may deal with workforce points and income challenges.  That’s not fairly true, however it’s fairly shut.