Digital health predictions for 2020 from industry expert Yuri Campbell

Yuri A. Campbell, FCHIME, FACHE, SHIMSS, Health IT Strategist, US Army

Predictions on what will happen in the rich field of health care information technology next year range from virtual provider-patient interactions and personalized genomic-based diagnostics to the prescription of wearables and mobile applications to aid in the health reformation process. The question I have is: How do we know where to position our systems to best take advantage of the next worthwhile breakthrough innovation that will benefit our focused populations?

The adage of “skating to where the puck will be” may be cliche, but there is truth in it. We have to optimize today’s current operations so we can pivot to that next key play when the time is right. So, although the first step is to ensure that we are maximizing our current potential, we must also look for the next play. It doesn’t have to be a huge move that rocks our whole paradigm to the core, but perhaps one that helps make an incremental step toward that big move.

We learn fast, so we can adapt fast. We must have a reserve of our resources committed to this work. And we must be prepared to act on the innovations that are discovered. Finally, we must be able to consume the innovations we uncover and produce quantifiable outcomes that benefit our stakeholders.