Since the introduction of electronic medical records (EMRs) in the late 1950s and electronic health records (EHRs) several decades later, clinicians, payers, members of the healthcare information and management communities have been asking, “What do patients need and want from an electronic record?” Another important question is, “What will the future EHR do that will improve practice?”

In the October panel, HIMSS NCA will bring together a group of government experts to share their perspectives today’s EHR and the EHR of tomorrow. They will address accomplishments accolades, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. They will answer:

• What lessons can we learn from the multi-billion dollar EHR implementations? How can we do better?
• How can health systems and government agencies make the best of legacy systems, and what will modernization or replacement look like to meet new requirements and standards? What are the risks and possible rewards of a “big bang” approach vs a long, phased rollout?
• How will laws and mandates like MACRA, FEFCA, 21^st Century Cures, and CARA influence EHR data sharing and interoperability? What additional quality and compliance burdens will be required of Health IT professionals?  Will the EHRs of tomorrow (and their supporting standards) reduce the high level of burden placed on providers today?
• What influence does the development of such standards, such as HL7, FHIR, and C-CDA have on the usability and viability of patient data over time—especially in context of backward compatibility issues?
• What will be the ongoing influence of leading technologies like wearables, small real-estate devices, and cloud-based architectures on the growth of these systems and the usability and value of the data they produce?
• What new technologies (e.g., 6G) are likely to influence the EHR systems of tomorrow and why?
• What are best practices in evaluating and buying an EHR system or making a current system more useful? Is it possible to “futureproof”?

Panelists:

• Tollie Elliott, MD - Chief Medical Officer of Mary's Center and Founder of ResponseMD
• Michelle C. Lardner, DNP, RN-BC; Deputy CIO, Chief of Clinical Informatics, Department of Clinical Research Informatics, NIH Clinical Center
• Jason Windsor, COL, AN, RN-BC, CPHIMS, Program Manager, EHR-Core, Defense Health Agency

Moderator:

• Frank Opelka, MD, FACS, Medical Director for Quality and Health Policy, American College of Surgeons

Program Flyers:

HIMSS NCA 2018 October Program Flyer

HIMSS NCA 2018 October Program Bios