From the Spring Issue 2018

In a new era led by patients as consumers, technology advancements are proliferating and reshaping the delivery of healthcare. Expectations of expanded access, transparent pricing, and greater convenience call for significant investments in technological innovations. Technology also provides opportunities for providers to improve the quality and safety of care and to lower costs. How do organizations develop and use new technology, and how do they measure the value of their investments? What innovative business models will drive the development or adoption of new technology?

To compete in the healthcare marketplace, innovative hospitals and health systems must develop a foundational information infrastructure, starting with and building on the electronic health record (EHR). Their platform must support interoperability for data exchange, predictive analytics, and data integrity and security. It must also support population health management and care coordination; the use of digital wireless devices and wearable sensors; and e-mail, social media, web-based portals, and mobile apps. Tools and technology are necessary to engage consumers, communicate effectively, facilitate service provision, and demonstrate quality and safety, as well as to support new models of care delivery.

This issue of Frontiers of Health Services Management shows how organizations—large and small, urban and rural—have developed and applied technology to reach patients as consumers and provide their care where and when they need it. Telemedicine, telehealth, e-consultations, physician e-visits, patient engagement apps, and direct-care delivery apps are just a few of the solutions that are changing the delivery of care in a significant way.

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