The Vibe From ViVE: The Buzz About AI, Interoperability, and Beyond

If the buzz at last week’s ViVE conference in Los Angeles is any indication, there has been a palpable shift in the narrative around artificial intelligence from the theoretical to the tangible. Discussions focused on how the industry is harnessing AI’s potential to transform healthcare, including improving patient safety and boosting operational efficiencies.

Our Med Entry Dash game at DrFirst’s booth was a prime example. The game is a playful way for clinicians to test their keyboard skills against our clinical-grade AI when entering prescription instruction (“sig”) data into electronic health record (EHR) systems. Our Chief Medical Officer, Colin Banas, M.D., M.H.A., was at the booth and said it wasn’t even close, noting, “When people play the game, they get it.”

If you missed the chance to play at ViVE, you can play the game here.

HIT! Show Interview

Amid the bustling exhibit hall, Dr. Banas sat down with Dennis Dailey of the HIT! Show to share how DrFirst is revolutionizing data usability.

“We are definitely in a world where we’re generating a lot of data, but data isn’t necessarily information,” he said, highlighting a fundamental issue in healthcare IT. “It’s one thing to have a lot of ones and zeros flying through the ether, but how can we make those ones and zeros mean something? At DrFirst, one of the things we excel at is the normalization of data, taking large swaths of data and turning it into meaningful information.”

He also shared the rollout of an improved, web-based user interface for DrFirst’s Population Risk Management (PRM) solution, which addresses the complexities of managing patient populations, especially in the context of accountable care and risk-based contracts.

Dr. Banas shared that people are asking themselves, “How am I going to manage those patient populations, specifically as it relates to medication adherence?” Watch the clip to learn more.

Other ViVE Takeaways

Many at ViVE celebrated the continued progress toward interoperability a full year after the announcement of prospective Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs) under the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA).

Dr. Banas said QHINs are fostering a standardized approach to data sharing, and TEFCA and QHINs are setting the stage for a future where patient data is not only accessible but also actionable across different care settings.
Pointing to the need for speed, he added that even though the industry is making progress in interoperability, “for most parties involved, especially patients, it’s simply not fast enough.”

Visit DrFirst at HIMSS booth 1481 to see how we are Redefining Medication Management. We’ll also be talking about regulatory issues, population health solutions, and more.