Health Content Needs to Drive Health IT Investment

There is plenty of buzz about the $19.2B in stimulus money earmarked for health IT, some of it positive (see here, too) and much of it negative.  The positives focus on the improved efficiency of electronic medical records (EMRs) that will improve outcomes and minimize medical errors and adverse effects.  The negatives focus on poor design of existing EMR technology and the reluctance of physicians to adopt medical records systems that require substantial investments in time, money, and behavior change. 

Research Customer Workflow

Both sides agree that digitizing records and automating information flows is a good idea, but the skeptics emphatically insist that the workflow of the intended users be studied before the interfaces, navigation systems, and methods for data entry are determined. Simply stated, health IT vendors need to involve physicians more directly in the design of EMR systems. 

Incorporate Content to Drive Adoption

Expert opinions from both sides of the argument touch on-but don’t clearly articulate-the importance of incorporating health content into the development of health IT systems; and that the content has to include external as well as internal data in order to be “mission critical.” Content-driven systems such as Epocrates and UptoDate demonstrate that doctors will flock to digital systems that offer useful information on an easy-to-use and convenient platform.

We at Health Content Advisors have been involved in transforming print-based content to online information tools for over 20 years and have been living by the mantra that technology + content = “data that can do stuff”.  For instance, we have witnessed the productivity-enhancing benefits of transforming a print buyers guide into an online e-commerce site that not only helps buyers find the right goods and services, but also includes tools that compress the sales cycle.  So we understand that digital information systems in the health industry will lead to better health outcomes and more efficient delivery of healthcare. But it will happen more quickly if physicians and content providers are more directly involved in design and implementation of EMR systems, and if content drives the technology.