tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384692836709903146.post8139600381972313264..comments2024-03-27T09:55:23.143-07:00Comments on Dispatch from the Digital Health Frontier: Implementation and Adoption HearingsJohn Halamkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04550236129132159307noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384692836709903146.post-11281416625802791772009-10-28T23:34:43.109-07:002009-10-28T23:34:43.109-07:00The fact is that we live in an evironment where no...The fact is that we live in an evironment where no single vendor rules the roost in Healthcare. This is a good thing for me, because competition breeds excellence, and that's what I want when I get care. <br /><br />Maintenance of proprietary systems to lock in customers is an illusory gain for vendors. Often the result is difficulty in integrating with other systems, and that's not desirable way to be noticed. The heterogeny of systems makes life more complicated though because these systems all need to work together, and customers of healthcare IT expect them to do so. It's almost impossible to find care settings where integration isn't needed.<br /><br />Vendors are rarely noticed because customers were easily able to integrate with another system, so I can see why making it easy might not be an obvious strategic move. However, what vendors do get noticed for is when they provide ways for their customers to work better, more efficiently or provide better care. Those are true competetive advantages. Vendors that make integration easy for their customers and themselves are better able to spend time innovating in other ways.<br /><br />The best solution for everyone is to make it easy to connect HIT systems together. That way, vendors can focus on where the real added value occurs, in improving care. <br /><br />The fact that so many vendors are participating in standards development though organizations like <a href="http://www.ihe.net" rel="nofollow">IHE</a>, <a href="http://www.hitsp.org" rel="nofollow">HITSP</a>, and <a href="http://www.hl7.org" rel="nofollow">HL7</a> encourages me to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and as a patient, I expect to benefit from it.<br /><br />I'm a Standards Geek for GE Healthcare. The opinions represented in this posting and on my <a href="http://motorcycleguy.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">blog</a> are my own, and not that of my employer or the respective standards organizations that I work with.Keith W. Boonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16883038460949909300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384692836709903146.post-83369693125202208142009-10-28T18:08:39.111-07:002009-10-28T18:08:39.111-07:00I am always interested when vendors are involved i...I am always interested when vendors are involved in these discussions as I am challenged to understand their motivation for real change. They focus on shareholder value and maintaining their competive advantages, which infers maintaining propreitary systems and charging customers for any customimizations\integrations with other systems.<br /><br />I am encouraged to see what the future holds and how such products will be changed. It appears there is traction and a light at the end of the tunnel, but it is like pulling teeth and short-term gains are hardly seen.<br /><br />Thank you for keeping up with your blog. The information is interesting and I can relate it to my everyday responsibilities as an IT Director in the Healthcare industry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com