According to Sara Vaezy, the chief digital officer at Providence, the healthcare industry is challenging to disrupt from within. Providence is a major hospital system, and digital transformation needs to begin on the inside. Due to controls that have been in place in the industry over the years, disrupting these controls and instituting digital transformation from the inside in such a large organization is a monumental undertaking.
With so many different digital and technological advancements and changes, organizations are finding they need a person in charge of the digital transformation, a chief change agent. This person needs to be the leader of the change and the change management for the digital transformation—someone to champion the efforts to keep everything moving forward and keep employees motivated and leading communication.
Leadership and implementation process management are the main aspects of successful digital transformation. Focusing on culture, communication, and transparency are primary stumbling blocks. Focus groups can also play a role in this transformation of digital health technology. Focus groups should be represented by personnel from all areas of the organization.
Senior leaders will need to work together on transformation initiatives. Not every initiative will be a good fit for every organization, and the solution should be tailored to the organization’s needs. Major medical organizations now have Chief Digital Officers to lead all initiatives and determine which are appropriate.
Change starts at the top. Employees tend to be opposed to change or reluctant to change.
Someone or a group needs to be responsible for maintaining and increasing the quality of care for all patients. A good example is a rapid transition at the beginning of the pandemic to telehealth appointments for patients to not miss any opportunities for consideration.
Although Chief Digital Officers are a good idea, having only one person leading the transformation can be problematic as others may impede change. It is far better to have collaborative decision-making so that everyone is on board with the changes.
Digital Transformation in Healthcare
As the healthcare industry is a complex system, it’s essential to understand how digital transformation can be applied and what benefits it can bring to the ecosystem.
Healthcare providers are now facing pressure from all sides, including patients, payers, regulators, and others. The main issue is that the healthcare industry is highly fragmented and inefficient, leading to longer wait times for medical procedures and more patient health problems.
However, with the rise of AI and machine learning technologies such as deep learning, we can expect significant changes in how healthcare is delivered in the future.
Here are some key areas where digital transformation can make a difference:
Patient engagement: Patients have become more aware of how they can take charge of their health and make informed decisions about their treatment options. They also want more transparency on how much they’ll be paying for their care and want to know if they’re getting value for money. Digital tools like mobile apps can help increase patient engagement by providing information about their treatment plans and offering personalized insights based on their data points.
Better medication management: With the rise of telemedicine services like Skype or WhatsApp video call sessions with doctors, there’s been an increased need for improved medication management systems.
Cost reduction: Digital transformation can help reduce costs by automating manual tasks such as data entry, billing, and insurance claim processing through automation tools or even AI-driven software programs that can perform tasks with minimum human intervention. This results in increased productivity while reducing labor costs significantly over time.
Better quality care: The use of technology enables doctors to access real-time patient information at anytime from anywhere with just a few clicks on their laptops or smartphones. This helps doctors provide better quality care by accessing complete medical records of their patients at all times without having to wait for physical files to be sent via courier services or post.
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