Artificial intelligence – created and introduced as something that could imitate the human brain and its capacity for cognitive thinking. Ever since its inception, AI has widely been used in developing various spheres such as selective defense, space exploration, and lately, intelligent personal assistant like Siri, Google or Alexa. While AI, no matter how powerful, can ever replace physicians, it is slowly making its way into modern healthcare and changing the realm of healthcare as we know it.

Blockchain- the technology that took the world by storm by its revolutionary work in data management and exchange, especially in the financial sector. Its immense success across different industries has left the healthcare world rattling with questions too. People are calling it the ‘answer to interoperability,’ and the ‘technology that can solve healthcare’s looming problems,’- but if the confusion looms, blockchain will take double the time to make a difference in healthcare.

Technology can never replace humans because the ultimate decision-making authority always lies with the individual. He or she can, however, in the course of time, opt for technological solutions that simplify their work and bring about efficiency.

Simply put, interoperability is making the right information available to the right person at the right time across the healthcare continuum, in a way that can be relied upon and meaningfully used by the recipients. Given that, this is the perception of interoperability in the U.S. healthcare industry, the acceptance and adoption of interoperability has been appallingly slow.

The transition to value-based care is underway, and there have been several, robust efforts to enhance the quality of care and introduce the element of accountability and value in care. Providers, insurers, quality organizations, and the government have also standardized some methods of care delivery and quality programs that reward providers on delivering quality care. Healthcare organizations report their performance on several metrics, ranging from structural quality to patient care- every year. These reports are not just instrumental in providing a look into healthcare quality, but are also useful in tracking network performance, keeping a close look at population health, and gaining incentives for quality care. However, as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) puts rigorous requirements for reporting data in place, generating accurate and valid reports has become vital.

I am sure I am not the only one who has lost count of the times I’ve been asked “Why can’t the systems talk to each other?” or, in more technical terms, “Why don’t we have interoperability?”

For health care providers, choosing the right population health solution path is riddled with apprehensions because of the many challenges that come in the way of a successful PHM implementation. This is not just another blog about the challenges with PHM; it will go in-depth about how it can be done with the willingness to inculcate data-driven initiatives in any given network.

As a person who has advocated the advancements of technology in healthcare- the industry entering a digital era and becoming home to some of the most cutting-edge and forward-thinking new technologies is great to witness. Plus, regardless of one’s stance, it’s great to see quality in healthcare becoming paramount and today, improving patient care, clinical outcomes, empowering patients while reducing cost are some of the few goals providers are after. And what’s the common denominator for all of these goals? Data integration.

Some twenty years ago nobody could have imagined that healthcare data would evolve the way it has and become an intrinsic part of the industry. Today, one of the largest and most complex industries in the U.S. is ripe for data initiatives; however, it is in the hands of the stakeholders to take these initiatives forward. The first giant leap into leveraging big data was made after the widespread adoption of EHRs by most hospitals in the country as it helped physicians with diagnostic advice and treatment guidance.

Although the value-based care train has gained momentum ever since its onset, it’s a long way to the destination. There are a lot of stops along the way, from uprooting the fee-for-service model to comprehensive population health management. These ideas of value-based care and population health management can feel like complex notions, but the advancements in health IT and the work of healthcare organizations- especially accountable care organizations- have attested that big data and analytics are holding true on their promise to drive tangible improvements in care.