| | March 20188UTLOOK Healthcare Tech the Affordable Care Act, the evolution of MACRA legislation--which will likely remain in some form--and changes to state law. The potential for disruption to the regulatory landscape, for good or bad, is real and we must prepare teams now. For IT to accelerate and not hinder regulatory adoption we must shed the paradigm of a customer service department. While great customer service is a cornerstone in solid organizations, customer service implies "the customer is always right" and this mentality is dangerous when we must ensure the security of patient data, maintain stable operating environments and be nimble enough to confront new changes in technology. A true partnership between IT and operations will continue great service and add understanding and accountability. To be successful, IT organizations need to develop a knowledge base that understands the technology in play and why it is in use.The risks of failing to partner are real; increased delay in implementation, non-agile iterative build, and the failure to innovate because the objective Government regulation, changing customer demand, and technological advances are redefining what it means to provide quality healthcare; and IT is being required to fill the dual role of customer service and steward of technology infrastructure. As healthcare reinvents itself as a vast array of services, clinicians, and technology, IT departments are being called to innovate, develop, and keep systems stable and ready to adapt to new initiatives. Many organizations find themselves in a post-EMR era with EMR optimization and integration placing continued demand for IT resources. Managing initiatives in a piecemeal fashion will become increasingly ineffective. It is time to look to the non-technological forces that will change healthcare organizations' ability to succeed or fail. The new healthcare IT will be forged by regulatory and social forces. Regulation and Legislation Last year, we watched as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services continued to transition reimbursement from fee-for-service to quality-based models. This investment in alternative payment models such as Accountable Care Organizations, advanced medical homes, and bundled payments for episodes of care seeks to have 90 percent of Medicare payments linked to quality by 2018. Most health organizations have been preparing for this through continuations of existing programs and a focus on patient-centric care. What HIT leaders need to be ready for is possible changes under a new administration and its focus on `repealing and replacing' IN MY OPINIONInformation Technology and the New Challenges of HealthcareBy Kris Zierolf, Director, IT Revenue Cycle, Renown HealthKris Zierolf
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