Modern Healthcare's inaugural class of Top 25 Innovators includes Kensaku Kawamoto, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.S., associate chief medical information officer at University of Utah Health. The complete ranking of national innovators is featured in the August 19 issue of Modern Healthcare magazine.
Dr. Kawamoto is honored for his work improving electronic heath record (EHR) systems. For several years he has led national task forces and initiatives to create interoperability standards so that our health information can move seamlessly throughout the entire health ecosystem. He has also collaborated in national efforts to help envision the future of EHRs and to define a roadmap for achieving that vision.
He is now leading a multi-disciplinary group of clinicians, scientists, and informaticists to leverage those universal standards to develop and integrate a variety of EHR "apps" across clinical domains. Such EHR add-on apps harness the innovation of the entire health care community—including numerous startups and technology companies beyond traditional EHR vendors. Just like apps on a smart phone greatly enhance the user experience, EHR apps can improve the experience for both provider and patient—improving patient outcomes while delivering personalized, value-driven, and safe care for individuals and populations. Read more about his work.
Innovations like these are driving change across the healthcare industry, leading to gains in quality, affordability, accessibility and sustainability. The recognition program acknowledges executives working in the healthcare industry who are initiating and leading the transformation.
"For the industry to truly transform how it operates, innovation must take hold at all levels of an organization. And often, a seemingly simple idea can lead to huge chance. But it takes vision and a willingness to try something different. The honorees of our inaugural Top 25 Innovators program found new ways to engage the consumer and they've improved quality of care and lowered costs as a result," said Aurora Aguilar, editor of Modern Healthcare. "We congratulate the class of 2019. We are excited to see your impact on the industry and look forward to tracking your trajectory in the years to come."
