Dr. Michael Blackman, Chief Medical Officer at Greenway Health always has his finger on the pulse of healthcare. Right now, he is keeping his eye on the HTI-1 rule from the ONC, the pace of change in healthcare, and how AI is deployed.
Healthcare IT Today caught up with Dr. Blackman at the 2023 MGMA Leaders Conference in Nashville. We wanted to get his thoughts on the top challenges facing healthcare right now.
Smaller and More Frequent Policy Changes
One of the things Dr. Blackman is keeping a close eye on is the upcoming changes to the HTI-1 rule by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC). The HTI-1 proposed rule proposes updates to definitions for the information blocking regulations, and new and revised conditions for certain exceptions.
The proposed rule also clarifies certain definitions like “Offer Health IT” and “Health IT Developer of Certified Health IT”
“This is a big change,” said Dr. Blackman.
Changes Putting Stress on Physicians
Dr. Blackman worries about the pace of change in healthcare and the pressure this is putting on physicians. The rate at which technology, medicine, regulation, and internal procedures are changing is increasing at a time when everyone in healthcare is being asked to do more with less.
“As vendors we need to look at the looming physician shortage and figure out how to make it so that people are efficient as possible while still providing quality care and take away administrative burden,” stated Dr. Blackman.
The Potential for AI
Dr. Blackman would like to see healthcare organizations take a pragmatic and realistic approach to deploying AI: “I think a lot of people see AI as a panacea. I think we need to take a step back and see where AI can be used effectively and safely.”
A few areas where Dr. Blackman sees tremendous potential is decision support, patient communication, billing, and workflow optimization.
Watch the interview with Dr. Michael Blackman:
Learn more about Greenway Health at https://www.greenwayhealth.com/
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