What is both the most exciting and most overrated trend in healthcare? Blockchain, says BlockMedx's Michael Brunner

In this special Speaker Series, Becker's Healthcare caught up with Michael Brunner, PharmD, chief executive and founder of BlockMedx, a secure e-prescribing platform.

Mr. Brunner will speak during the Becker's Hospital Review 4th Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference on "Combating the Opioid Crisis Using the Blockchain," at 9:55 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 22. Learn more about the event and register to attend in Chicago.

Question: Can you share your best advice for motivating your teams?

Michael Brunner: Make sure that employees know that they share in the company wins. Finding a way to reward employees when the company has a win is important in motivating employees.

Q: In the past 12 months, how have you adapted to new patient experience expectations in the age of consumerism?

MB: In developing our software, we have focused on providing a consumer-grade application with [a user interface and user experience design] as a priority. Health IT does not need to be difficult or burdensome to use for either patients or providers.

Q: What is the most exciting thing happening in health IT right now? And what is the most overrated health IT trend?

MB: Blockchain [as both most exciting and most overrated]. Distributed ledger technology in its many forms has the potential to change the way many healthcare IT processes are conducted. There are many interesting applications for the tech that may become prominent within the next two to five years. That being said, as with any new technological innovation, the hype may have outpaced realistic goals for implementation in the short term.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about health IT?

MB: That it can't be easy and fun to use. Consumer grade health applications are just starting to come out. Many legacy systems have severe problems with [user interface and user experience design] and have soured people toward technology implementation in the workplace. The next generation of healthcare applications, both at the enterprise and consumer levels, will need to focus on usability and user experience.

© Copyright ASC COMMUNICATIONS 2020. Interested in LINKING to or REPRINTING this content? View our policies by clicking here.