We’re excited to share the topic and questions for this week’s #HITsm chat happening Friday, 2/22 at Noon ET (9 AM PT). This week’s chat will be hosted by Tom Castles (@theTomCastles) and Jack Murtha (@jackmurtha) on the topic of “Balancing News and Noise in Digital Health – #HealthITHype”.
Every day, the wide world of digital health is expanding. This is incredibly exciting — we have more companies, stakeholders, thinkers and (hopefully) doers rolling up their sleeves and tackling big issues like interoperability, patient engagement and value-based care.
But upon closer inspection, a tough question inevitably rears its head: Is digital health a mile wide and an inch deep? Is it news, or is it just noise? Underneath it all, is digital health about healing or hype?
Anyone who’s taken a casual saunter through the exhibit hall at HIMSS knows that somehow, every booth contains a self-proclaimed unprecedented, novel, breakthrough solution. And anyone who’s paying attention on Twitter doesn’t have to scroll very far before landing on some romantic tweet about how AI, NLP, or FHIR is going to save and/or destroy healthcare (and better yet, the world).
For those who want to join the conversation, this kind of relentless hype is simply the price of admission — it can’t be avoided. And the bad news is that it can confuse us if we let it. Under the weight of such heavy-handed messaging, the most objective observer can quickly turn into a disbelieving curmudgeon or a starry-eyed evangelist. Heck, I’ve been both myself, and surely will be again before the story’s all told!
The good news is that digital health hype is like a bonfire. If we contain it, it’ll keep us warm through the night, illuminate the darkness and help us cook up a huge helping of food for thought. But if we let it get out of control, we’ll all get burned.
On this week’s #HITsm chat, let’s talk digital health hype — both the good and the bad — and explore ways we can use it to bring healthcare to new horizons.
Topics for this week’s #HITsm Chat:
T1: What were the most overblown examples of hype that you saw at #HIMSS19? #HITsm
T2: Which areas, people, companies, programs or innovations in digital health deserve the hype they receive, and why? #HITsm
T3: In what ways does hype affect healthcare and what health IT is trying to accomplish? When is it a good versus a bad thing? #HITsm
T4: What strategies do you use to separate meaningful digital health innovation from all the noise? #HITsm
T5: How can the health IT community work together at scale to cut back hype, misinformation and confusion? #HITsm
Bonus: Tell us about your most meaningful interaction or session at #HIMSS19?
Upcoming #HITsm Chat Schedule
3/1 – Virtual Care
Hosted by Brittany Partridge (@bspartridgecis)
3/8 – TBD
Hosted by @Intermountain
We look forward to learning from the #HITsm community! As always, let us know if you’d like to host a future #HITsm chat or if you know someone you think we should invite to host.
If you’re searching for the latest #HITsm chat, you can always find the latest #HITsm chat and schedule of chats here.