1. Top 11 Healthcare IT
Trends for 2011
GE Healthcare and eHealth Initiative
As 2010 comes to a close, we decided to break from the frenetic end-of-year activity
and consider the major Health IT issues that will shape the coming 12 months. We were
fortunate to tap in to the expertise of a number of industry thought-leaders to help us
uncover, focus and prioritize the myriad of issues confronting the industry. Rather than
a traditional end of year Top 10 list, it seems appropriate to have a Top 11 for ‟11.
Our goal for this list is not about proving to be effective prognosticators. Rather, we hope to
provoke some thoughtful contemplation, engaging discussions and, perhaps, impart a little
perspective on what will undoubtedly be a year of great change and transformation in
healthcare.
Earl Jones,
VP and General Manager
eHealth Solutions, GE Healthcare IT
Jennifer Covich,
CEO
eHealth Initiative

2. 1. Reimbursements in the Healthcare 3. Nature of Competition will shift to Quality
Sector Drop and Performance
The most significant issue expected in 2011 is the downward The discussion surrounding incentives being tied to
pressure on reimbursements for healthcare organizations. healthcare outcomes and pay-for-performance grew
Regardless of the outcomes in Washington around the steadily throughout 2010. In 2011, we should experience a
implementation of health reform, the continued rise in the continued maturation of these concepts, with an associated
cost of healthcare is unsustainable for our society. Both the shift in the way healthcare organizations compete. These
public and private sectors will take measures to slow the organizations will focus on quality and performance as a
rate of cost escalation. vehicle to attract patients and a means to get paid based
upon the value of, rather than on the quantity of, services
Many of the next ten trends stem directly from these lower delivered.
reimbursement expectations or the implementation of
programs driving pay-for-performance, bundled payments The Health IT modernization initiative driven by the Office of
across acute inpatient and post-acute care, and other National Coordinator and CMS‟s associated Meaningful Use
programs that will result in less revenue for the healthcare criteria are thematically aligned and enable this trend.
organizations. Cost cutting will be necessary, but it won‟t be Meaningful Use – and its attendant stages of maturity –
enough. incents the use of information technology to enhance
information transparency, improve quality and outcomes,
Organizations will need to transform all aspects of care and enhance patient engagement and experience.
delivery – optimizing processes, reducing waste, and
improving quality and performance. Health IT will become 4. The Concept and Practice of
increasingly strategic as organizations drive for increased Accountable Care will Begin to Take Shape
information transparency, improved analytics and decision-
Most healthcare professionals agree that Accountable Care
support, and care team collaboration.
Organizations (ACOs) should help enable care teams to
2. Healthcare CIOs are in the Crucible improve quality and reduce costs by better aligning
incentives with clinical outcomes. Beyond this broad intent,
The sheer volume of strategic changes confronting we are a long way from understanding exactly what ACOs
healthcare CIOs is a trend all unto itself – putting the CIO are and how they will work. While the Patient Protection and
squarely in the crucible in 2011. During the course of the Affordability Act calls for the formation of ACOs it does not
year, in addition to keeping current systems running, spell out performance measures, benchmarks, or how
healthcare CIOs will have to: savings will be quantified and distributed.
1. Position for HIPPA 4010 to 5010 (due January 1, 2012)
Today, there are several pilots such as the work being done
2. Prepare for ICD-10 (due October 1, 2013) in Vermont, at Piedmont Physicians (Ga.), with a group
selected by Dartmouth-Brookings, and others. These initial
3. Decide and execute on Meaningful Use roadmaps and
strategies for electronic health records and health pilots and others will help bring needed clarity to this
information exchange important initiative in 2011.
4. Manage the explosion of mobile devices in healthcare In addition, in 2011, CMS will propose and finalize ACO
regulations that will further clarify the definitions and
5. Develop strategies and infrastructure for
Accountable Care understanding around the ACO opportunity. Moreover,
interoperability, clinical integration, and analytics will begin
As one hospital CIO put it, “Those without the ability to providing the baselines and evidence upon which incentive
prioritize quickly will be in deep trouble.” payments will be based.

3. 5. The „Industrialization‟ of Healthcare Gains 8. Demand for Talented Healthcare Leaders
New Momentum Becomes Acute
The downward pressure on healthcare reimbursements, With the volume and impact of the changes shaping
combined with the potential influx of the previously healthcare in 2011, perhaps the most constrained resource
uninsured, places renewed emphasis on the industrialization in Healthcare is leadership talent – particularly at the early
of healthcare as a vehicle to lower cost and improve quality. to mid-career levels for IT professionals and change agents.
Though it is at risk of attaining “buzzword” status, More than ever healthcare organizations need their non-
„industrialization,‟ at its core, means having predictable, medical healthcare professionals to have a confluence of
reliable processes that can be consistently replicated and skills: deep technical domain, strong business acumen, and
improved upon. an ability to drive change. Healthcare organizations will
need effective recruiting pipelines and leadership
Predictable reliable processes reduce variation, improve
development programs to meet the challenges facing them
cycle-time, eliminate waste and defects and improve overall
in 2011 and beyond.
quality. Process re-engineering, Lean Six Sigma, and Change
Management protocols will play important roles in driving 9. Meaningful Use Timing Surprises
healthcare industrialization in 2011. Providers
6. Volume and Diversity of Mobility Solutions Providers who have not paid attention to the details behind
Explode for Providers Meaningful Use are in for a surprise in 2011. The MU bar in
2011 is comparatively low. To qualify, providers must attest
Mobility solutions that provide secure access to clinical
to 90 continuous days of meaningful use. Practically
intelligence are a boon to medical professionals –
speaking, this means eligible providers must begin using a
streamlining workflows while providing timely alerts and
certified EMR no later than October 1st 2011 to apply for a
feedback. In healthcare, 2010 was clearly the year of the
meaningful use reimbursement in January. Those missing
iPad and mobile applications. 2011 will see an explosion in
the October “go-live” will be subject to the somewhat higher
the volume and diversity of mobility solutions as new
2012 hurdle, requiring 12 continuous months of meaningful
devices, carriers and operating systems hit the market.
use. The practical effect of delaying EMR adoption is that
Provisioning for and securing these devices within a
eligibility for meaningful use reimbursement will push out at
healthcare organization will stretch already thin IT
least 12 months.
resources.
7. Patient Engagement through Digital 10. Image Exchange will be a Value Added
Channels Reaches a Tipping Point Service for HIE
The health information exchange (HIE) market will continue
Healthcare providers generally agree that among the many
to evolve over the next year. Enterprise, regional, state, and
things needed to transform healthcare, empowering
multi-state HIEs will develop value-add services, such as
patients to become more informed and engaged is a must.
image exchange, in order to be sustainable.
Without question, informed and engaged patients demand
value and performance from their healthcare system, which In 2011, the US market will begin to catch up to Canada and
creates healthy and positive market pressure. More Europe in the adoption of image exchange. Medical image
importantly, however, informed and engaged patients better sharing improves care by enhancing online patient review
manage their own health – with a particular focus on overall capabilities among multi-disciplinary teams across multiple
wellness, prevention, and care management. Patient locations and reducing costs and inefficiencies caused by
engagement remains low today but there‟s cause for hope. using physical media like CDs and film to share images.
The confluence of the national dialogue on healthcare, the Using standards-based protocols for image exchange on
Meaningful Use criteria that incent providers toward patient existing HIE infrastructure improves interoperability and
engagement, and the variety and maturation of digital extensibility of image exchange solutions.
patient engagement tools now available – from smart
devices, to patient portals - should mark 2011 as a tipping
point year for patient engagement.

4. 11. Industry Compliance with New Privacy In 2011, providers and health information exchanges
will respond to the publication of the final privacy rule with
Rules Create Opportunity to Build new internal directions and processes, while broadly
Consumer Confidence communicating these changes to build consumer trust. The
Issues of privacy and security will continue to dominate the increase in privacy and security activities will be viewed in
discussion in 2011 and beyond. Central to driving provider the context of increasing consumer transparency,
and patient participation in health information exchange is acceptance and embrace of electronic data sharing
the knowledge and transparency of privacy and security models/arrangements. If all stakeholders have a level of
practices. A framework with clear rules for accountability, comfort with the idea that strong policies are in place and
access, use, and disclosure will remain vital for organizations enforced to protect patient records, the impact will extend
seeking to build trust among all stakeholders. At the same beyond a framework for stakeholder reaction to a breach,
time, the federal and state governments will unveil rules for and will foster demand for widespread sharing of electronic
the exchange of information across organizations. health information.
If our Top 11 for ‟11 list is even directionally close, then 2011 will be a year of tremendous activity and transformation. GE
Healthcare IT and eHI give our thanks and appreciation to the leaders who helped us think through the many and complex issues
approaching on the horizon.
Tom Beauregard Brandon Savage
Executive Vice President Chief Medical Officer
United Healthcare GE Healthcare IT
David Cochran Rick Schooler,
CEO VP and CIO
Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc. Orlando Health
Deven McGraw Micky Tripathi
Director, Health Privacy Project President and CEO
Center for Democracy and Technology Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative
Marc Probst Chantal Worzala
Chief Information Officer Director, Policy
Intermountain Healthcare American Hospital Association
Rick Ratliff
Global Managing Director Connected Health IT
Accenture
GE Healthcare
540 W. Northwest Highway
Barrington, IL. 60010 © 2010 General Electric Company – All rights reserved.
U.S.A. General Electric Company reserves the right to make
changes in specification and features shown herein,
www.gehealthcare.com or discontinue the product described at any time without
notice or obligation. Contact your GE representative for
the most current information.
GE and GE Monogram are trademarks of
General Electric Company.
GE Healthcare, a division of General Electric Company.