HIMSS Unveils the Digital Health Indicator to Measure Health System Progress Toward A Digital Health Ecosystem

The current pandemic has challenged every global health system to rapidly scale services to meet the growing demands for care, while public health agencies strive to keep people and populations healthy by mitigating risks of infection, which also serves to reduce demands on health systems. To support global health systems as they look for ways to accelerate and strengthen capacity and resilience as the future unfolds, HIMSS is proud to unveil its global solution, the Digital Health Indicator (DHI).

The HIMSS Digital Health Indicator measures progress toward a digital health ecosystem. An ecosystem that connects clinicians and provider teams with people, enabling them to manage their health and wellness using digital tools in a secure and private environment whenever and wherever care is needed. Operational and care delivery processes are outcomes-driven, informed by data and real-world evidence to achieve exceptional quality, safety and performance that is sustainable.

Based in the principles and evidence described in the recently released HIMSS Digital Health Framework, DHI measures the four dimensions of digital health:

1. Person-Enabled Health
2. Predictive Analytics
3. Governance and Workforce
4. Interoperability

To support and inform health system decisions to advance digital health capacity given the current global pandemic, HIMSS is providing free access to the DHI Rapid Assessment tool, a 12 indicator assessment that provides an estimated DHI score mapped against the four dimensions of digital health.

A DHI score provides a baseline understanding of an organization’s digital health capacity and identifies the strengths and opportunities for development of a strategic plan to advance toward a digital health ecosystem.

The Digital Health Framework and DHI are the latest additions to HIMSS’ innovative offerings. Over the past two decades, HIMSS, a not-for-profit organization, has established a portfolio of assessment tools and maturity models that have been readily adopted by health organizations in 50 countries, contributing to their strategic and operational decisions. The DHI builds on these internationally recognized tools to create its comprehensive framework.

“When individuals can connect with their providers and personal ecosystem, they can actively and collectively help manage their personal health and wellness; health system costs are lowered and improved quality outcomes, such as reduced error and adverse events, are achieved,” said Hal Wolf, President and CEO of HIMSS. “The governance frameworks and solutions of most health systems are no longer effective or adequate to achieve the necessary digital health systems of the future. Driving adoption of the Digital Health Indicator (DHI) will help move global healthcare forward to become more accessible, equitable and better performing for every human. This speaks to the heart of our mission.”

“We believe a comprehensive, evidence based framework to define and measure progress towards digital health ecosystems will provide a foundation to advance digital transformation of traditional healthcare delivery. Currently, the dominant focus of health systems is disease management and care for patients that are sick, while the goal of digital health ecosystems is to enable prevention, with people empowered to manage their health to stay well,” said Anne Snowdon, Director of Clinical Research for HIMSS.

Available Resources

More information about the Digital Health Indicator is available. Finally, HIMSS’ recently released definition for digital health can be viewed, here: HIMSS Defines Digital Health for the Global Healthcare Industry.