When HIPAA finally comes, will clinical engineering be ready?

We live in interesting times. Recognize that HIPAA will impact nearly everyone in every health care organization and fundamentally change the health care industry. Implementation of HIPAA standards as well as ongoing developments in telemedicine, e-health and the Internet will continue to have a synergistic effect and further transform our industry. Biomedical technology will evolve and combine into ever-larger integrated networks. These networks will extend not only throughout the hospitals but also into the clinics, doctors' offices, and even patients' homes and workplaces. As clinical engineers, we need to stay ahead of the curve, anticipate and be prepared for these developments. We need to understand HIPAA and the implications it has for the technology we manage. We must ensure that the organizations we represent are prepared for what will undoubtedly be an exciting future.