New devices and climbing the tech cliff

Is it just me, or has the "tech curve" morphed into a "tech cliff?"

Fail to adopt early and you fall off. Adopt early and you become outdated overnight, resulting in climbing up the cliff again. Tech refresh is turning into a hamster wheel that every organization and practice seems to be on. They can't get off, or at the minimum can't even catch their breath. 

Today, Sept. 12, Apple will unveil its newest platforms, most of them mobile devices with applications in the mHealth arena. And on Thursday, speculation will begin anew about the next iteration of these same devices. Did our predecessors go out and purchase the latest and greatest typewriter once a year, stand in lines and barter for typewriters on the black market (remember, no eBay...)?  I don't think this was the case, but it helps place the idea of our "tech cliff" in perspective.

The healthcare industry has widely accepted the mantra of being slow to adopt or hesitant to take on the challenges of technology without just cause (incentives) or due diligence (regulations). However, these two issues alone are not the only variables in the equation for tech adoption. As many of us know, mHealth and its applications in healthcare is also an unknown in this equation.

In the 2011 HIMSS Analytics Mobile Technology Survey, budgeting was named the second leading barrier to the adoption of mobile technology. How will hospitals and providers make prudent decisions?

This December the volunteer force of mHIMSS will release "The mHIMSS Roadmap: A Hospital and Provider Centric Guide to mHealth." This document will address numerous topics, from care delivery to evaluating mobile technologies. In addition, the mobile survey for this year has been reworked and will be unveiled during the mHealth Summit.

Here at mHIMSS we are working on providing the answers to some of these questions. Will mHIMSS specify that you run out and buy the latest and greatest "device X?" Not really, but we will work to provide the industry with the tools and knowledge to make informed decisions.  Climbing the tech curve is accomplished in small steps, by implementing pilots and having a source to turn to for evaluation techniques. 

Is your practice or organization ahead of the cliff ... er, curve ... when evaluating technology and its uses?  Share some of your thoughts with us (if you use Twitter, be sure to use the hashtag #mHIMSS). We'll track the responses to this blog and craft a follow-up of best practices.
Maybe in doing so, the collective "we" will help everyone navigate the tech cliff.