ADRC 2007 National Meeting

Future Trends in Information Technology

July 13, 2007
Gary Chapman LBJ School of Public Affairs University of Texas at Austin

ADRC Information Technology workshop

All organizations are facing a new environment

Rapidly changing technology and capabilities

Everything depends on connectivity Growing need to share information The blurring of organizational boundaries Doing more at the same or less cost Ensuring privacy and security for networked data Human services are increasingly consumer-driven

ADRC Information Technology workshop

Whats important in the near term?

Network speeds are going up

High-speed Internet becoming ubiquitous Data sharing and collaboration Open standards Electronic health records

ADRC Information Technology workshop

Network speeds going up: broadband

Conventional DSL/Cable Enhanced DSL/Cable AT&Ts U-Verse Very High Speed Cable 1.5 4-5 6 15

Verizon FIOS

30

Millions of bits per second

ADRC Information Technology workshop

Faster Internet changes content and capabilities

Video
Voice-over-IP Video conferencing and video chat Online training, webinars Real-time collaboration Online applications and data access

ADRC Information Technology workshop

An example of online applications: Google Docs

ADRC Information Technology workshop

Broadband gets ubiquitous: wireless

More and more wireless hot spots

Many cities now investing in municipal wireless Wireless offices change how people work Wireless helps people and data be mobile A new generation of wireless handhelds Cheap GPS will help locate people and things

ADRC Information Technology workshop

Data-sharing and collaboration

A gradual end to data silos

Organizations can benefit by figuring out how to share data, and doing so routinely Consumers can benefit by minimizing duplication New and helpful information can be revealed A blend of data and capabilities online gives us more robust one-stop shopping and portals

ADRC Information Technology workshop

Data-sharing and collaboration: federated data

Federated systems help blend data sources without affecting the underlying systems
Federated systems used increasingly by government, human services, RHIOs

Federated Application

Participants see blended, federated data on a permissions basis

Diverse data sources

ADRC Information Technology workshop

A federated example: Dallas jail diversion program

Jail-diversion instant messaging (JDIM)

Public-private partnership between Dallas County and private service providers

Cuts time for mentally ill citizens in jail to be returned to care from days to hours
Unprecedented workflow efficiencies are achieved as systems of people and data interact across organizational boundaries.

ADRC Information Technology workshop

Open Standards: a key to data-sharing

Trend away from proprietary data standards to open

standards, particularly XML XML stands for Extensible Markup Language

XML makes data more flexible, more malleable,

easier to share Standards for new electronic health records are XML-based, such as Health Level 7, or HL7

ADRC Information Technology workshop

Electronic Health Records

Goals for EHRs include cost savings, interoperability, sharing, protection of consumers, and portability, among others

Questions over who will pay for EHRs

PHRs: Personal Health Records Privacy is a concern many feel not yet adequately addressed

ADRC Information Technology workshop

New IT trends reshape organizations

No more isolated silos of information

Consumer-driven Blurring of boundaries Collaboration and coalitions Distributed teams Mobility

Further detail in the Lewin Group paper:

Moving Forward: Opportunities for Information Technology Advances in the Aging Network by Gary Chapman and Carrie Blakeway

Gary Chapman Senior Lecturer LBJ School of Public Affairs University of Texas at Austin gary.chapman@mail.utexas.edu