By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    narrow-road-ahead-sign
    Narrow Networks in California?
    March 24, 2016
    Insurer Has E-Security Problem
    August 26, 2017
    What Kind of Inequality Matters to You?
    October 19, 2011
    Latest News
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Practical Advice for HIMSS 2014 Attendees
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Practical Advice for HIMSS 2014 Attendees
BusinessTechnology

Practical Advice for HIMSS 2014 Attendees

Steve Wilkins
Steve Wilkins
Share
4 Min Read
health IT HIMSS 2014
SHARE

health IT HIMSS 2014HIMSS14, the big conference for all things dealing with health IT, is right around the corner. It’s a great conference – wish I could attend this year.

Contents
First Principle #1First Principle #2First Principle #3First Principle #4First Principle #5

health IT HIMSS 2014HIMSS14, the big conference for all things dealing with health IT, is right around the corner. It’s a great conference – wish I could attend this year. But since I can’t be there on my soap box, I want to share here a few thoughts for HIMSS 2014 attendees to reflect upon as they wander the conference and exhibit halls. Some first principles to help you “keep perspective” as speakers and exhibitors attempt to dazzle and amaze you with promise of what HIT can do for you.

Let’s get started…

First Principle #1

There’s a big difference between what people tell survey researchers they will do or what they want (80% for example say they want and would use a service that enabled them to email their doctor) and how people actually behave in real life (less than 10% of patients/plan members with access to secure email on their patient portal routinely use it).

More Read

How to Use Genomics to Treat Lung Cancer
The Price, Cost, and Value of Bio-Pharmaceutical Care
Mid-Year Update: 4 Major Payer Trends
Bladder Cancer Care in America Gets a Failing Grade
Health Care Buzz Today

First Principle #2

Patient engagement may be next “blockbuster drug” as Dave Chase said, but like any drug you need a trusted doctor with good patient-centered communication skills to prescribe it. Put another way, the vast majority of health “care” is delivered in the context of a trusting physician-patient relationship. If a patient-facing HIT solution purports to cut the doctor out by talking directly to patients…walk away.

One of the big reasons that PHRS and patient portals are going nowhere is because physicians were not included in their development (nor patients for that matter) and are not inclined to tell/recommend that patients use them.

First Principle #3

Patient-facing HIT cannot compensate for a clinician’s poor patient communication skills or bad bedside manner. Absent a strong doctor-patient relationship and good patient-centered communications, patient portals, health apps and SMS texting will not increase patient satisfaction or improve patient experiences.

First Principle #4

It’s about the message, not the technology. Sure, patient-facing technologies like SMS texting can deliver a message to the right person…but what if the message is wrong? Before you “buy” into patient-facing technology look for the “Patient Inside” logo…you know proof that real people (aka patients) were intimately involved in crafting and testing the messages to be deliver.

First Principle #5

Pushing more information at patients (regardless of how vital you think the information is) will not change people’s health behavior. That’s not how behavior change works. Rather, people need to know they have a problem, they (not you) need to believe the problem is serious, they need to know that they can fix the problem by doing X and finally there needs to be a cue or call to action. Technology can, but absent a diagnosis and appreciation as to its severity, information alone is just digital gobble dee goop.

Finally, if you forget everything else, just remember that 85% of people still want the ability to be able to see their doctor “face-to-face,” regardless of how many patient-facing HIT solutions you put in front of them

Oh and don’t forget: like doctors, patient-facing health technologies should do no harm to anyone -patient, family or providers.

Have a great conference!

(health IT / shutterstock)

TAGGED:Health ITHIMSS 2014
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

9 Lifestyle Tweaks That Can Add Years to Your Life
9 Healthcare Lifestyle Tweaks That can Add Years to Your Life
lifestyle
July 11, 2025
car accident lawsuit
Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
Policy & Law
July 6, 2025
women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025

You Might also Like

The Future of Health-Care Delivery by Stephen Schimpff
BusinessGlobal HealthcareNewsPublic HealthTechnology

Book Review: The Future of Health-Care Delivery by Stephen Schimpff

February 28, 2012
Artificial IntelligenceMedical DevicesMedical InnovationsTechnology

How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Healthcare

March 31, 2019
doctor shortage looms
BusinessHealth ReformHospital AdministrationPolicy & Law

Are We About to Face a Severe Doctor Shortage?

December 17, 2013

Is This the Most Powerful Clinical Research Tool Ever Invented?

April 16, 2015
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?