Radical health IT changes not expected in '08

Despite widespread talk of radical changes in health IT infrastructures and business practices, at least two senior health IT leaders think we're getting ahead of ourselves, according to an interview in Modern Healthcare.

It's not that they don't see new and exciting things on the horizon. For example, David Brailer, first chief of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at HHS, believes that telecommunications tools used for telemedicine are going to be hot, and interoperable home-monitoring devices are likely to be increasingly popular as well. Brailer's now putting his money where his mouth is, as head of Health Evolution Partners, a San Francisco-based venture capital fund.

However, Stephen Lieber, head of HIMSS, says that he's not expecting to see breakout changes in health IT during 2008. For one thing, he notes, nobody's sure what impact Medicare reimbursement cuts--and pay-for-performance programs--will have on their overall operation. He also thinks health IT execs are going to play "wait and see" until the presidential election shakes out, as a lot depends on which candidate moves into the White House.

To get more background from these interviews:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece [1] (reg. req.)

Related Articles:
HIMSS: Patient safety top reason for IT investment. Report [2]
Hospital execs stress IT investment for coming years. Report [3]
PwC: Hospital IT can lower death rates. Report [4]
Health plans quicker to invest than providers. Editorial [5]