Nine Tech Trends

Healthcare IT advances are pulling together to manage an expanding universe.

The time has come again to pause and consider the direction--or directions--in which the healthcare IT industry is drifting. Two years ago, trends were still being influenced heavily by monumental global events as well as by the impact of HIPAA deadlines and skidding revenues. Last year, we saw an industry demanding IT integration during a time of economic rebuilding. This year, a new sense of vigor suffuses the industry, supplied in large measure by strong pushes from the Bush administration. Much of the conversation now pivots on the place of importance that the electronic health record (EHR) eventually will assume.
In the following pages, you'll find the nine trends we believe are most significant for you, our readers. Among the key developments discussed are the state of the EHR, the bar coding and newly emerging radio frequency identification technologies, disease management, emergency preparedness, telehealth and the government's push to establish regional health information organizations.

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