Are you equipped to deliver the healthcare of the future? In our new blog series, we explore key areas of consideration to help you make the decisions that will improve the lives of patients, doctors, and nurses.
Whether it’s the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), virtual reality, AI or blockchain, new technology promises to revolutionize healthcare from the ground up.
To stay competitive, implementing these technologies is no longer optional for providers, it’s a requirement. But, saying and doing are two different things; digital transformation is not that straightforward.
As we discussed in our previous blog, Can your cabling support the demands of the future, wireless networks – and the infrastructure working in the background – are a necessity to support the latest medical technology. Added to that are four huge challenges for healthcare providers looking to adopt new tech.
Interoperability
In her 2018 study published in BMC Health Services Research, Anabel Castillo, a researcher from Carnegie Mellon University, found that “without interoperable systems, the full potential benefits of adopting electronic health records cannot be achieved,” adding that “patient-centered treatment requires collaboration, coordination and accountability.”
Whether it’s patient-facing technology or back-office operations like supply chain, finance or HR, the ability for systems to ‘talk’ to each other are crucial to the adoption of new technologies. This demand isn’t solely on healthcare organizations, of course. Third party software providers need to fall in line, allowing data and information to flow between their solutions and others. Interoperability needs to be friction-less to truly improve operational efficiency and patient experience.
Upkeep of old technology
Digital transformation is not an overnight solution, it’s a constant evolution, driving organizations towards innovative ways of working. This means new technology inevitably must work side by side with the old, and legacy systems still need care, attention and investment to keep them operational in the short to medium term.
Often these older products still work well and have been integrated into the facility’s workflow over several years. As time goes on, however, the original vendor may no longer support the tool or develop patches for it. As systems get older and support dries up, it becomes more expensive to keep these systems fit for purpose. Investment in new tech, then, also needs further investment in the old.
Culture
Tech solutions don’t replace staff, they’re there to help them. But all too often, transformational decisions are made from on high and cascaded down to a front line that hasn’t been involved in any decision-making or testing of new tech.
In Deloitte’s “Future of risk in the digital era” report, Carey Oven, a partner with Deloitte Risk and Financial Advisory, says: “Technology is definitely a part of digital transformation, but unless leaders can ‘win hearts and minds’ throughout the process, efforts can stall or not be as successful as they could be.”
Perhaps the biggest challenge for digital transformation in healthcare is getting staff to embrace new solutions and use them to their full potential. Fail, and that investment will barely see a return.
Cabling
There is no digital transformation without physical infrastructure, and the cable plant of many hospitals is simply unable to handle the demands of new healthcare technologies.
Organizations won’t enjoy the full benefits of expensive software and hardware upgrades if they don’t consider the strength of the cable plant that supports them. A transformational program can leave hospitals with cost overruns and quality of service issues if attention isn’t paid to both the physical and digital demands of the changes.
Choose an agile, future-proof partner
The partner you choose for your infrastructure design will directly impact the success of your future technology investments. As time goes by, technology vendors may no longer support products that have been integrated into your facility’s workflow over the course of several years. This can result in a ‘rip and replace’ situation, which can be costly and highly complex.
Panduit and their fully vetted and trained ecosystem of installers, integrators, and specifiers have collaborated with numerous organizations to achieve near-perfect reliability, which is critical in healthcare environments. They can help organizations quickly scale up to accommodate additional users, computers, and new technologies. The powerful network provides standardization across the networking environment, and a foundation for continuous technological advancement.
Constant evolutionary change requires a foundation with the ability to evolve with you and a partner that can facilitate those changes.
To discover more about how ‘Generation Data’ is shaping the future of healthcare IT, download our new healthcare eBook.
