Healthcare is facing unprecedented challenges in delivering care right now. IT support is key as hospitals and care providers grapple with evolving threats and difficulties in sourcing necessary equipment. Tom Stafford, chief technology officer for CDW Healthcare and former CIO of Halifax Health, recently hosted a panel discussion detailing what healthcare CIOs and directors are doing to prepare for business disruptions as a result of the current health crisis. This discussion featured current and former health system CIOs and directors, along with practice leads from CDW Healthcare.

Last fall, I was preparing for major abdominal surgery that would keep me in the hospital for a week, with an additional seven weeks of recovery at home. I knew from previous experience that pain management would be a challenge, and I knew through my work at CDW that there’s growing interest in using virtual reality (VR) to help patients manage their pain.

I decided to serve as a guinea pig, bringing an Oculus Go headset with me to the hospital to see whether it would actually help with my recovery. Here’s what I learned:

Patients are more involved with their healthcare than ever before. There are many factors behind this increased involvement, including the increasing use of mobile and telehealth tools as well as other healthcare communication technologies. By improving collaboration among patients, providers and clinicians, these solutions improve patient engagement and outcomes, all while streamlining care.

Every industry can benefit when workers collaborate more effectively. Working together can improve efficiency and productivity while boosting employee satisfaction and morale. But in the healthcare industry, effective collaboration can literally mean the difference between life and death. Because collaboration is so important in healthcare, technology advancements that make it easier for caregivers, providers and…

Healthcare data is an especially attractive target for cybercriminals. Information that can be readily changed, such as a credit card number, is not as valuable as data such as Social Security numbers, birthdates, current and past addresses or next of kin, which are often found in medical records. Because this data is permanent, it can…

Technology is revolutionizing the healthcare industry, and the cloud is revolutionizing IT. This development was clear last month at the HIMSS 2019 conference in Orlando, Fla. Healthcare providers are finding innovative ways to use the cloud to improve everything from patient care to back-office billing. In fact, a 2018 report found that the healthcare industry…