Unlocking the Power of HealthTech Solutions: Key Takeaways for Product Managers and CTOs from the HIMSS23 Global Health Conference
Some of the most talked about topics at this year’s HIMSS was Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and the increase, benefits and risks associated with the growing utilization of the public cloud in healthcare.
ThorTech at HIMSS23
The HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition held last April 17-21, 2023 in Chicago is the most influential health information technology event of the year. Healthcare leaders gather to explore the latest trends and technologies shaping the industry. As conference attendees, we had the opportunity to meet with our existing customers and connect with many companies to learn more about their strategic approaches to engaging patients, automating workflows, improving interoperability, and enhancing security.
One of the key challenges facing the healthcare industry is a shortage of staff, which is leading to rising costs and decreased efficiencies. Customers are asking for tangible solutions to solve these problems and many of the startups we met with are building innovative solutions to do just that. We met with companies building automated AI solutions around clinician scheduling, to companies with asset tracking applications all of which put time back into the pockets of clinicians to free their time which should be spent working with their patients. The cloud was the most talked-about theme among these vendors. Many of the discussions were about the mechanics of how to move to the cloud while ensuring security and controlling costs.
Key Learnings
Generative AI and its role in healthcare was a hot topic at the HIMSS conference. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon partner with healthcare organizations to implement health solutions using generative AI.
The opportunity to apply large language models and artificial intelligence in clinical workflows is tremendous, but there are risks in applying these technologies in the wrong settings. It must be done responsibly. Using AI to reduce paperwork and clerical tasks is one way to help with employee burnout and empower healthcare workers to spend more time with patients.
The healthcare industry is facing unique challenges when it comes to cybersecurity. Hackers are increasingly targeting healthcare organizations with ransomware attacks, with 70% targeting email. We had many conversations with Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) asking how to implement security strategies given budgetary constraints and which technologies would be appropriate for their use cases.
With years of mergers and acquisitions, many healthcare systems are left with aging technology, redundant systems, and siloed operations that lead to security vulnerabilities and decreased efficiencies.
Many healthcare organizations are turning to the cloud to create innovative new care delivery models that improve the quality of care, net patient revenues, and reduce operational expenses. The cloud platforms also have tremendous feature sets for building locked down secure systems to help organizations protect their data and their systems.
Cloud services, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, analytics, genomics, and imaging, can complement Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and transform care delivery. This transformation includes public, private, and hybrid/multi-cloud environments, which present new questions and challenges for today’s cloud stakeholders as they seek to manage and protect rapidly growing volumes of sensitive data.
Our experience at the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition was enlightening and productive. We had the privilege of meeting with industry leaders and discovering the latest innovations in healthcare technology. From addressing staffing shortages to improving interoperability and enhancing security, we learned about the most pressing challenges facing the healthcare industry today.