With the proliferation of web and smartphone technologies, consumers have unprecedented access to personal information. Unfortunately, the healthcare industry has been slow to provide this type of access to consumers regarding their health history, medications and provider information. However, thanks to private sector innovations and government regulations incentivizing the use of electronic health records, data availability and cross-system collaboration are poised to become common in the healthcare space.
Electronic health records have experienced tremendous growth in recent years, and like other digitizing sectors, encouraging developers to use industry data standards such as application programming interfaces (APIs) to improve functionality. Open, standardized APIs, as well as cloud computing and mobile technology can improve care coordination as providers transition towards population health delivery models. Though interoperability between systems remains a significant challenge, health systems and vendors have recognized this and are collaborating to address those issues accordingly. Open, vendor neutral APIs, along with cloud storage, are helping patients to access their health data on the platform of their choice.
Cross-platform collaboration through APIs and cloud technology simplifies the data sharing experience for both the care provider and the patient. There is the potential for great gains in communication, care coordination, the provision of feedback and decision support for the patient and provider through the seamless integration of smartphone technologies.
Healthcare needs to identify ways to improve the patient experience and promote patient engagement if it is to succeed under value-based payment. We need to put the patient at the center of their data and their care. Interoperability and the provision of data delivered to consumers in a meaningful and understandable format is a necessity.
Aneesh Chopra, president of NavHealth, previously the first U.S. chief technology officer in the Obama Administration
Peter M. Fleischut, MD, chief innovation officer for NewYork-Presbyterian
NewYork-Presbyterian is the host of the InnovateNYP: Pediatric App Challenge, a 10-week long competition that concluded on May 20. The Challenge - open to both the public and Hospital employees - will award up to $40,000 in cash prizes. Five finalists will participate in a Demo Day on Thursday, June 9 at NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, in the Wintergarden, 3959 Broadway, New York, NY, 10032 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. For more information on attending Demo Day, click here.
Do you have an innovative idea for NewYork-Presbyterian? We would love to hear your ideas or how we can work together. Send your thoughts or contact us at innovatenyp.org.