While it has always been lacking when it comes to change, there are definite signs that healthcare in the is aligning itself with digital transformation, and at a rapid pace. Digital natives offer the most optimal results when used as a tool to dig into a specific issue and become part of a management programme promoting a cohesive change.
An increasing number of organisations are making the transition from piecemeal technology to end-to-end process transformation. Innovation is at its best when delivered locally, which has been observed through physical offices and hospitals experimenting iteratively to deliver sustainable and measurable results.
However, the journey remains in its early stages. Here are three predictions for what to expect from the digitisation of healthcare.
Digital technology will come with an ROI packaging
Informed healthcare organisations aren’t listening to digital technology hype and are emphasising measurable outcomes. This is an area that will affect numerous industries, as the companies that last will be those that excel in both innovation and customer service. There are numerous examples in multiple industries where brands have managed to achieve excellence in both areas.
Amazon is an obvious example, but then there are brands such as videoslots.com in the casino industry. The company has managed to stay on top of the trends that drive the industry, offering the latest in technology to its slot-playing customers. As videoslots.com and the casino industry have proven, those industries and brands that emphasise technology and innovation will only better serve their customers, anyway. In the healthcare industry, pressure on margins and budgets will lead to greater expenditure on packaged solutions with embedded technology. This will be for the purpose of rapid benefits with regards to financial or clinical outcomes. There aren’t many healthcare organisations with the desire or budget to get involved in “science projects” and extended beta programmes with non-obvious ROI. Whether it’s robotic process automation, chatbots, voice technology, and AI, it isn’t the technology that matters most but the outcome.
Physician burnout will be offered solutions
With close to half of doctors experiencing burnout, health systems are seeking ways to cut down on technology fatigue, and bureaucratic tasks. A number of medical specialists are feeling overwhelmed when attempting to balance the needs of their busy practice engaging with electronic health data systems and working with an increasing number of performance metrics.
We’ll likely see medical scribes grow to be even more popular, in addition to the more intelligent voice-based technologies that keep the focus on the patients rather than the keyboard.
Key mergers will drive a renewed need for platform and data consolidation
As the health industry continues to seek a stronger scale and a strategic drive towards increasing verticalisation, larger-scale industry acquisitions and mergers will continue to be the norm. This will be a driver in data archival, data security, data integration, data standardisation, and united desktop technologies capable of stitching together disparate system workflows through a sole pane of glass.
These health organisations won’t find it easy to spend on parallel innovation and integration, and will seek to get rid of data archival and keep the focus on services to proven technology partners. Change can be hard. Many organisations have struggled to keep pace and compete against retail-style organisations driving healthcare into a world of patient consumerism. A well-enacted, methodical plan will help players in healthcare regard these shifts as milestones on a longer journey- one that they can begin to walk down today.
By taking heed of the above trends and prioritising digitalisation, healthcare providers are able to continue taking their journey with the aim of improving the experience and results for payers, patients, and providers. New healthcare organisations, as well as established ones, would be wise to take this on board.
