We asked Kreofsky and three others to weigh in on the progress of this year and to look ahead to 2013. They include:

• Rishi Agrawal, pediatrician and researcher at La Rabida Children's Hospital
• Noel Khirsukhani, vice president at PatientPoint
• Dr. Carol Steltenkamp, principle investigator for the Kentucky Regional Extension Center

Security Breaches Expand

A study from the Ponemon Institute found that more than 95% of healthcare organizations had a security breach in the past two years, including the highly publicized event at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Associates who agreed to pay the government $1.5 million to settle potential violations of HIPAA. Most breaches stem from equipment theft and employee negligence. – Kreofshy, Impact Advisors

Slow Progress on HIEs

Health Information Exchange has not progressed as quickly as is necessary in a healthcare environment rapidly moving towards coordinated care models, like Accountable Care Organizations. - Agrawal, La Rabida Children's Hospital

Explosion of Patient Engagement

Patients expressed – and acted on – a keen interest in accessing their health information and care providers electronically. Conversely, physicians became increasingly engaged in e-communication with patients. Per the ONC, physicians’ capability to exchange secure messages with patients increased by 40% from 2011 to 2012. – Kreofshy

Boom of Big Data

It has been most interesting to watch the rise of “Big Data.” The aggregation and sharing of various data points in both structured and unstructured formats will help us glean actionable insights into patient behavior. But we have to take the next leap -- how we leverage that data amongst all stakeholders to develop a more informed, engaged and empowered patient. –Khirsukhani, PatientPoint

2013

What’s ahead?

In the upcoming year physicians and health care providers should begin to plan for that intensive legislative reform, said Carol Steltenkamp, principle investigator for the Kentucky Regional Extension Center. These changes will begin with establishment and reform of payment models, new difficulties with patient population and payment type, as well as a continued push toward meaningfully using electronic health records.

“Health transformation is difficult,” says Steltenkamp. “Through comprehensive data exchange and a renewed focused on the patient as an ally to improve population health, we as a community can navigate these challenges.”