http://www.zynxhealth.com/Blog/2014/November/Inspiring-Words-From-the-Departing-Deputy-National

Reider provided inspiration by:

Focusing on an altruistic mission. He kicked off his presentation by saying that he wanted to concentrate on what’s next on the health IT horizon, what we can do to anticipate what’s ahead – and ultimately “make the world a better place.”

Redefining what “meaningful” really means. For the past few years, the healthcare IT industry has gotten lost in the details (and sometimes lack of details) around the rules and exceptions that make up the Meaningful Use program. Reider, however, took a step back and defined “meaningful” as the ultimate point on a six-phased information technology maturity scale. He emphasized that meaningful technology – in healthcare and in other realms – is not just functional, reliable, usable, convenient, and pleasurable but also has the potential to result in a high level of “personal significance” for users.

Explaining how we can change behavior for the better. Reider made a simple comparison that illuminated how CDS could more easily influence provider behavior. He pointed out that when law enforcement officers use radar guns to measure how fast cars are moving and then punish drivers with speeding tickets, the impact on future driver behavior is minimal. However, when technology is used to measure and then display traveling speeds in real time (eg, on signs that show you are currently traveling at a speed of, for example, 39 miles per hour), drivers will typically use the information to immediately lower their speed (especially if they are driving in a 25-mile-per-hour school zone). Similarly, if healthcare organizations could better leverage technology to offer CDS in the appropriate context (ie, the 5 rights [right information, right person, right intervention format, right channel, right time in workflow]), then clinicians would be more likely to use the information to do the right thing.

Posted on November 14, 2014

Author: Bertina Yen, MD, MPH