While nuclear cardiac imaging and echocardiography have been the mainstays of cardiovascular imaging modalities, MRI and CT offer cardiologists additional diagnostic tools that could improve outcomes in patients with heart disease. For example, advances in coronary CT technology allow for novel analyses such as removal of artifacts related to coronary calcification, detailed coronary plaque characterization, and even dynamic myocardial perfusion analysis.

Automated phone menus and rudimentary chatbots (only capable of providing maddening yes-or-no answers) are being replaced by next-generation intelligent virtual assistants (IVA) that leverage natural language. These bots provide a more human-like experience that is personalized, immediately accessible, and empathetic—while also being secure and HIPAA compliant.

The one thing healthcare isn’t short on is data. The industry has data coming in from all directions, but that’s not always a perfect scenario—data that is duplicated, low quality, or siloed can present barriers to better analysis. For healthcare systems to improve the way they want, data needs to be organized and unified.

Boston-based Current Health recently merged with Best Buy to increase access to home health options. Chief Medical Officer Adam Wolfberg, MD, was part of discussions about expanding work in this area prior to the pandemic. But when COVID-19 hit, “Current Health quickly realized we had an opportunity to serve an important role,” he says. “Healthcare had a capacity problem, and we were expanding capacity to let relatively less acute patients be cared for at home.”

For Essen Health, the past year and a half has seen the company innovating in home healthcare by making a massive leap forward in using technology to monitor patient vitals from their homes.

A recent survey of leading healthcare CIOs reveals four of the most critical barriers that prevent organizations from getting the most out of their EHR investments—and action steps that can better facilitate value.