Trend Watch: Increasing focus on digital transformation by health system leaders

According to a McKinsey research report, AI, traditional machine learning, and deep learning could collectively reduce healthcare costs by up to $360 billion. However, the question is whether health systems are allocating resources to harness these potential savings.

• Priority: Nearly 90% of health system executives (technical and non-technical) consider digital and AI transformation a high or top priority.
• Resource gap: 75% of these executives say their organizations can't deliver on this priority due to inadequate planning and resources.
• Digital transformation: 75% of surveyed executives list digital transformation as a high priority but face insufficient planning and resources.
• Investment misalignment: Investments do not always align with impactful areas. 70% of executives see a high impact from virtual health and digital front doors, 88% see a high impact from AI, but 20% do not plan AI investments in the next two years.

72% of executives are satisfied with digital investments; satisfaction is higher for those investing in robotics and advanced analytics.

Here are the detailed figures from the McKinsey report:

What should organizations do?

Digital and AI transformation is changing organizations' functions and developing capabilities that lead to measurable business benefits. These benefits encompass improving patient acquisition and satisfaction, optimizing clinical results, increasing operational efficiency, and enhancing workforce experience and retention. Achieving these goals requires health systems to invest in digital technologies and embrace new, innovative approaches to their work.

Forming strategic partnerships

According to the report, achieving value through scale has become a bit more tedious, with top systems now requiring over $13 billion in revenue to be among the top 20. Many systems have reached this level through mergers and acquisitions. Joint ventures and alliances could be key to accessing new capabilities, accelerating market entry, and optimizing capital and operational efficiencies.

Customizing technology solutions

Simply overlaying technology on flawed processes, as seen with electronic health records (EHRs), fails to deliver value. To benefit from healthcare technology, it's essential to rethink and standardize clinical workflows and care models. For instance, optimizing workflows to delegate tasks better could save 15 to 30 percent of net time per 12-hour shift, potentially reducing the nursing shortage by up to 300,000 inpatient nurses.

You can also benefit from the available Hospital Information Management System (HIMS) solutions. The HICAMP Solution Platform offers capabilities beyond the typical features of standard HIMS. While standard HIMS solutions are designed to manage a single hospital's administrative and clinical processes, HICAMP, with its patient-centered approach, focuses on patient safety and quality.

İnnova presents HICAMP to the healthcare industry as an innovative and enriched service, setting it apart from traditional methods. İnnova provides comprehensive turnkey services to hospitals with HICAMP, assisting them through project design, installation, and operation phases with its team of experts. İnnova can engage in projects from the construction phase, tailoring its design services to meet the specific needs of hospitals.

Modernizing with cloud technologies

Health systems are increasingly leveraging cloud-based environments to enhance data accessibility and quality. By using cloud-hosted platforms focused on end-users, such as patient or clinician apps, systems can integrate various applications to streamline interactions and improve user experience.

Moreover, you can create your own cloud system with Cloudworks, which offers a comprehensive solution for digitizing your business.

Experience the pinnacle of digital transformation with Cloudworks:

• Cost savings: Eliminate traditional licensing fees, hardware purchases, maintenance, and operational expenses.
• Round-the-clock support: İnnova’s dedicated support teams are available 24/7 to address all your questions and needs.
• Scalable flexibility: Easily adjust your resources to meet your needs with flexible workload management.
• Continuous accessibility: Ensure your employees and customers have uninterrupted access to all services anytime and anywhere.

Transforming operations

Operating differently involves significant structure, talent, working methods, and technology changes. This includes adopting flatter, cross-functional teams, acquiring new skill sets, focusing on outcomes, and utilizing modular architecture and cloud-based systems. These changes can yield tangible value within six months and foster a digital culture that supports ongoing transformation.

Careful adoption of generative AI

Generative artificial intelligence could impact various aspects of healthcare, from patient care continuity to corporate functions.

Health systems should integrate business-savvy legal automations with AI and data science teams and develop a comprehensive strategy.

Generative AI presents numerous opportunities to add positives to various facets of healthcare, ranging from enhancing patient care continuity to optimizing corporate functions:

• Improved patient care: Generative AI can assist in developing personalized treatment plans, predicting patient outcomes, and providing more accurate diagnoses, thereby elevating the quality of patient care.
• Operational efficiency: AI can streamline administrative tasks, automate routine processes, and optimize resource allocation, leading to increased efficiency and reduced operational costs.
• Data-driven insights: By analyzing vast amounts of data, generative AI can uncover patterns and insights that might otherwise go unnoticed, helping to inform better clinical and business decisions.
• Enhanced patient experience: AI can improve patient engagement through personalized communication, virtual health assistants, and automated appointment scheduling, making healthcare more accessible and user-friendly.
• Innovative research: Generative AI can accelerate research and development by simulating clinical trials, predicting drug interactions, and identifying potential new treatments, driving innovation in medical science.
• Advanced security measures: AI can also enhance data security by detecting anomalies and potential breaches, ensuring the safety of patient information.