At HIMSS 2017, more than 45,000 health IT professionals, clinicians and executives from around the world listened to 300 speaking sessions on the latest in healthcare technology.
Of those sessions, less than 3 percent were either presented by a pediatrician or about a children's hospital – even less were actually focused on the topic of pediatrics. Instead, educational sessions were driven by healthcare payers and the federal government and themes were centered around generalized topics such as patient engagement, population health and interoperability. Similarly, on the show floor, there was a noticeable lack of vendors producing software that's specific to pediatrics. Rather, booths were advertising generalized technologies like telehealth and patient portals.
In all fairness, there weren't many specialized speaking sessions or vendors at the show – most were, in fact, generalized. However, the absence of pediatrics at HIMSS this year coincides with a larger pattern in the healthcare industry.
In reality, the lack of presence at HIMSS and lack of recognition in general healthcare publications reflect an industry standard: pediatricians are being put on the back burner when it comes to healthcare technology.
Missing: Pediatrician-Specific Technology
According to The American Academy of Pediatrics' most recent child health policy agenda, pediatrician participation in the Meaningful Use program has fallen behind that of other providers, despite being early adopters of healthIT. Further, only 8 percent of office-based electronic health records (EHRs) have pediatric functionality. Yet, pediatricians require specific workflows and need to deliver care specific to children. As the report states, "Children are not just little adults in that both they and their health care providers require different functionality in order to ensure that their EHRs are accurate and contain useful information."
Recently, large vendors with several offerings, none of which are tailored to pediatricians, have begun making the claim that they are focused on pediatricians. Yet, in reality, these massive companies are selling to all physicians and all hospitals with the façade of specialty through clever marketing. Sure, pediatricians may use their EHRs – but are they really getting what they need on a generic platform? Of course, not.
Pediatricians are still waiting for even basic functionalities that keep children safe and supports pediatric evidence-based guidelines. Pediatric-specific templates, developmental tools, vaccine forecasting and immunization registry connectivity should be readily available features for pediatricians, but that's not the case. Instead, they are forced to practice with cookie-cutter EHRs that don't fit with their workflow. It's time for that to change.
There's nothing to preclude pediatricians from submitting a speaking session at HIMSS on the intricacies of vaccine algorithms or the successes in using a pediatric-specific EHR. There's nothing stopping pediatric publications from registering to attend the show, and there's certainly nothing preventing technology providers from developing solutions specific to pediatrics.
It's time for the industry to recognize the lack of pediatric-specific technology available. Pediatricians have been put on the backburner far too long. They should not only have a voice at HIMSS, but across the healthcare realm and be recognized as specialized experts in the healthcare field. Further, pediatricians should inspire healthIT providers to empower them with solutions that are tailored to their unique specialty and challenges.
So, here's my rallying cry: Let's make HIMSS 2018 the year pediatricians attended the show in full force, where several sessions are entirely devoted to the practice, pediatric publications are in attendance, and the show floor is packed with new pediatric-specific vendors.
If we are to get there, however, we have to start now. The pediatric community must come together and demand attention, recognition, and technology made with them in mind – for when you come together, pediatricians, you simply can't be ignored.
By Peter Minio - Product Manager for Office Practicum
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