No Digital Health Strategy? What gives?

In recent years, digital health has become an increasingly important area of focus for healthcare providers worldwide. With the rise of new technologies and the increasing availability of data, hospitals and other healthcare organizations can now take advantage of digital tools and strategies to improve patient outcomes, streamline operations, and enhance overall efficiency. However, digital health is not expanding fast enough, and this is happening for a few reasons. Let’s get into it.

The Why

Digital health adoption has been slow in hospitals due to the complexities inherent in a healthcare system. Digital health strategies rely on access to reliable data, connectivity that supports advanced technologies and processes, and secure patient privacy and authentication networks. Many hospitals lack the infrastructure necessary to integrate digital health strategies into traditional healthcare systems due to prohibitive costs or limited resources. Additionally, implementing digital health systems requires specialized personnel and expertise, which we don’t currently have, and the talent gap is growing. These reasons alone may explain why 48% of hospitals still have no digital health strategy, despite their potential for generating significant cost savings and improving the quality of care. Let’s look at the stats.

1. In a recent survey, 34% of health system leaders say attracting and keeping an IT workforce is the biggest obstacle to establishing a digital health strategy, indicating the growing competition to provide healthcare services.
2. Another 32%, meanwhile, say the biggest challenge is a need for more industry consensus on the definition of digital health, which affects business planning and reimbursement.

The Importance of Digital Health Strategy

The primary goal of any hospital or health system is to provide high-quality patient care and optimize the patient experience. A well-designed digital health strategy can help achieve this goal by improving patient outcomes, increasing operational efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing the overall patient experience.

Digital technologies such as electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine, mobile apps, wearables, and artificial intelligence (AI) can all play crucial roles in achieving these outcomes. However, implementing these technologies without a clear strategy can lead to fragmented solutions that fail to fully meet the organization’s needs.

Despite this, many hospitals and healthcare providers are still struggling to adopt digital health strategies that can help them stay competitive in the rapidly-evolving healthcare landscape. According to recent statistics, around 48% of hospitals have no digital health strategy, leaving them at a significant disadvantage when delivering high-quality care and improving patient outcomes.

So why is it so important for hospitals to have a digital health strategy? Here are just a few of the key reasons:

Improved Patient Outcomes

One of the most significant benefits of a digital health strategy is improving patient outcomes. By using digital tools and technologies to monitor patient health, collect data, and analyze trends, healthcare providers can gain valuable insights into patient health and develop more personalized, effective treatment plans. This can lead to better outcomes, reduced readmission rates, and improved overall patient health.

Increased Efficiency

Another key advantage of a digital health strategy is increased efficiency. By automating specific tasks and streamlining workflows, healthcare providers can save time and reduce costs, allowing them to focus on providing high-quality care to patients. Digital tools like electronic health records (EHRs) and telemedicine platforms can also make it easier for healthcare providers to collaborate and communicate with one another, improving overall efficiency and reducing errors.

Enhanced Patient Experience

Finally, a digital health strategy can also enhance the overall patient experience. Healthcare providers can improve patient engagement, communication, and satisfaction by providing patients with digital tools and resources, such as patient portals and mobile apps. This can increase patient loyalty, better patient outcomes, and a sound hospital or healthcare organization reputation.

How can hospitals formulate a digital health strategy given current obstacles?

Formulating a digital health strategy for a hospital can be challenging, especially if the hospital has limited resources such as competent staff and high budgets. However, there are several steps that hospitals can take to create a digital health strategy that is both effective and feasible within their limitations. And yes, I’ve done the legwork, and I’ve been working with facilities to plan and execute digital health strategies since 2014.

1. Identify key stakeholders: The first step in developing a digital health strategy is to identify the key stakeholders within the hospital who will be affected by the strategy. This may include clinicians, IT staff, administrators, and patients. Each stakeholder group may have different needs and priorities to consider when developing the strategy. Clinicians need to be included in the planning and execution for two crucial reasons; they need to be able to work seamlessly with the digital expansion to lessen the burden placed on them, and they are the most patient-facing professionals who can help patients navigate and build the trust of the system.
2. Conduct a needs assessment: Hospitals should conduct a needs assessment to determine what digital health solutions are most needed and where resources should be allocated. This assessment should consider the hospital’s current IT infrastructure, staff expertise, and budget constraints. It’s been my experience that many systems don’t possess the knowledge to complete a comprehensive needs assessment, and if that is the case, it would be a sage decision to hire a consultant. This will save you a lot of money in the long run.
3. Prioritize solutions: Based on the needs assessment, hospitals should prioritize the digital health solutions that are most important and feasible, given their resources. For example, if the hospital has limited IT staff, it may prioritize solutions that require less maintenance and support. This is not a best practice, but do what you must.
4. Leverage existing resources: Hospitals should look for ways to leverage existing resources, such as electronic health records (EHRs), to support their digital health strategy. For example, EHRs can improve clinical decision-making and patient outcomes.
5. Partner with vendors: Hospitals can also partner with digital health vendors to access solutions that may be too expensive or complex to develop in-house. Vendors may be willing to provide discounts or other incentives for hospitals willing to pilot new technologies.
6. Train staff: Hospitals should invest in training staff to ensure they are competent in using digital health solutions. This may involve training on specific technologies and broader training on digital health trends and best practices. Training is the most undervalued part of a digital health strategic plan, yet it yields the highest ROI when sustained.
7. Monitor and evaluate: Finally, hospitals should monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their digital health strategy to ensure it meets its goals. This may involve collecting data on patient outcomes, clinician satisfaction, and cost savings.

Hospitals can develop a digital health strategy tailored to their specific needs and resources by following these steps. While it may take time and effort to create and implement a successful strategy, the benefits of improved patient outcomes, increased efficiency, and cost savings can make it well worth the investment.

To conclude, digital health is becoming an increasingly important area of focus for hospitals and healthcare providers worldwide. With the right digital health strategy in place, hospitals can improve patient outcomes, increase efficiency, and enhance the overall patient experience, all while staying competitive in the ever-changing healthcare landscape. So if your hospital doesn’t already have a digital health strategy, now is the time to start thinking about developing one.

As always, let me know your thoughts. How can we help hospitals develop digital health strategies?