Electronic Health Reporter

Amazing Charts, a provider of electronic health records and practice management solutions, issued its healthcare predictions for 2015. Some interesting predictions here I thought you might find worthwhile. Concierge medicine, which I’ve said for some time is going to have a lasting impact, especially in the era of the Affordable Care Act, made the list.

Patient engagement, and consumerism of healthcare– somewhat of a slam dunk — appears here, too. I believe we’ve get some clarification on what that movement means this year. Amazing Charts agrees.

Also, wearables (oh, wearables, will you become more than a fad?) makes this list, and telehealth is here, too; I think we’ve finally reached the saturation point of telemedicine. This year should show strong results that I hope will validate its role at the point of care. We’ll finally get to see if payers get the message.

Here’s the full list of healthcare predictions for 2015 from Amazing Charts:

Membership Medicine Comes on Strong: The patient membership approach to medicine will grow in all forms, including value-based Direct Primary Care (DPC), high-end concierge medicine and primary care services contracted directly by employers. Market-driven medicine, fueled by changes occurring in healthcare today, such as inexpensive health plans with very high deductibles, will continue to encourage consumers to explore more cost-effective alternatives for primary care.

Patients Help Define the Experience: The patient, in partnership with the provider, will help define the care experience going forward. This trend will be powered by technologies that enhance face-to-face interaction in the exam room. One example is the projection of an EHR onto a large display screen to facilitate information sharing between provider and patient. This in turn will help reduce errors and misdiagnosis, as well as motivate patients to take a renewed interest in their own healthcare and treatment options.

EHRs Get Personalized: The EHR market will further mature and become customizable for individual patient needs and treatment plans. Intuitive data analytics will play a critical role here, helping clinicians measure, assess and manage their specific patient populations to better define specific gaps in clinical care and introduce the latest evidenced-based treatment procedures or diagnostic techniques.

Wearable Health Devices Empower Patients: Led by FitBit, the market for mobile health monitoring devices saw explosive growth in 2014. Now Apple is entering the scene, and 2015 promises to see even more apps and devices introduced to consumers. How the government regulates these devices may depend on how they are marketed. For example, a glucometer could be unregulated if the intent is for a user to monitor blood sugar levels for better nutrition. If the same glucometer is marketed for monitoring diabetics, however, it may be more strictly regulated as a medical device.

EHR Interoperability Still Around the Corner: While all EHRs will not be able to seamlessly communicate in 2015, the core infrastructure for increased data liquidity will largely be in place. The data standards of the CCDA and its predecessor, the CCD, are increasingly used by EHR vendors. In addition, meaningful use Stage 2 mandates that patients can receive a digital summary of their own records on demand. These positive steps forward will combine in 2015 to get us closer to the promise of data interoperability.

EHR Switching Accelerates: Many practices selected an EHR system lured by the promise of meaningful use incentives and now find themselves dissatisfied with their decision, primarily because the solution is not user friendly and slows them down. Despite barriers to switching systems, we will witness a mass conversion of solutions toward EHRs that better meet providers’ expectations and requirements.

The Doctor Will NOT Be In: In 2015 and beyond we will see reimbursements drive the “virtual” appointment, whereby health plans will reimburse clinicians for online patient visits. Patients and their providers will connect over virtual platforms for scheduling, reviewing test results, writing prescriptions, etc. As they do, more and more insurers will follow suit as technology advances and claims its place in the doctor’s office.

Amazing Charts EHR has been adopted by more than 10,000 clinicians in more than 6,800 private practices. Founded in 2001 by a family physician, today Amazing Charts.com, LLC operates as a subsidiary of Pri?Med, an operating division of Diversified Communications (DC) and a trusted source for professional medical education to more than 260,000 clinicians since 1995.