Technology alone is not the answer to the capacity crisis facing healthcare. But when thoughtfully integrated into care delivery operations, digital tools can help healthcare organizations rebalance workloads and stabilize patient access.
While patients are becoming increasingly comfortable with engagement technology, it is important that practices be inclusive of different generational levels of ability when deploying their suite of tools.
By reducing administrative burden and redesigning workflows around human needs, it creates space for what matters most: connection between clinicians and patients.
Healthcare workers are already navigating issues with lack of interoperability between systems, staff and providers, and concerns about patient data privacy and security. IT teams and healthcare systems can alleviate some anxiety by giving workers the best performing digital user experience, including physicians and other staff that share responsibility for patient care.
Before health systems can realize more revenue from telemedicine services, they need a technology foundation that enables deeper insights into operations and service expansion.
Not only do a majority of the top 20 hospitals on U.S. News & World Report's 2020-21 Best Hospitals rankings not offer online scheduling, but about 65% also do not provide new patients the option to schedule a virtual visit online, despite strong consumer preference for digital access to healthcare.