As VP and CTO of NTT DATA Services,
Kris leads client innovation programs, and the IT Strategy Consulting Practice.
Follow Kris @KFitzCTO.
Months into the
pandemic, we're continuing to adapt to a new way of life. We're not only
keeping our distance from friends and co-workers, but we're altering the way we
conduct almost every daily activity. Despite the economic devastation created
by mass quarantining, many digital companies have flourished during this time,
as the vast majority of consumers have turned to contactless online services to
meet their every need. Meanwhile, primarily brick-and-mortar establishments,
such as restaurants and entertainment venues, have pivoted their business
models and upscaled their online capabilities.
In some cases, the
crisis is pushing old-school practitioners to actively embrace technologies
that have been around for years (web-based forms and sign-in kiosks at clinic
entrances come to mind). On the other end of the spectrum, the more progressive
institutions are breaking new ground with radical digital innovations. Across
the board, there's a rising tide of technological advancement that will lift
everyone.
Telehealth Goes
Mainstream
Perhaps the most
obvious example of the digital shift taking place among health care providers
is the exploding use of videoconferencing technology to provide
"telehealth" services. After all, most other businesses have
discovered the value of connecting with colleagues and customers virtually, so
what's to stop doctors and nurses from seeing patients over the internet?
Indeed, an April survey of physicians reported that at
least 48% are now using telehealth techniques, compared to only 18% in
2019. Concurrently, health care insurance organizations, both governmental and
private, are making changes to better incorporate telehealth into their
reimbursement plans, helping more patients get the medical guidance they need
without an office visit.
Irrespective of the
pandemic, all indications are that telehealth will become the preferred way to
see your health care professional from now on. For consultations where hands-on
treatment isn't required, a quick online chat is often more convenient and
efficient for patients and providers. Providers that take advantage of
technology to optimize multitasking and queuing of work could use telehealth to
reduce overscheduling and wait times for patients who do need to be seen in
person.
For those reasons,
we're starting to see some providers actually require a telehealth appointment
before a face-to-face one is allowed.
Rethinking
Everything
Telehealth is only
one piece of the digital health care universe, of course, but its sudden surge
and success is prompting providers to ask, "What else could we convert to
digital?"
In many cases,
serving patients requires no human interaction at all. Following the lead of
other industries, more health care organizations are employing content-rich
websites, digital apps, chatbots, virtual agents and other self-help
tools to provide information, deliver test results and check in on patients. It
keeps people safe at home and allows health care workers to focus more time on
critical patient care.
In the physical
world, robotics are increasingly used to augment
the health care workforce or alleviate dangers to people, such as disinfecting
areas with ultraviolet light. Even drones are playing a role, monitoring crowds
in public spaces or delivering medical supplies with no human
contact.
Using data to
combat the virus, artificial intelligence, analytics and machine
learning are already at work to track the spread, build predictive models,
optimize the use of hospital beds and ventilators and redirect health care
resources to vulnerable areas.
It's a safe bet
that when the worldwide quarantine is over, all of these high-tech helpers
won't just disappear. They'll continue their work and be put to use in
countless new ways to promote good health and save lives.
More Work To Be
Done
While the health
care sector's technical advancements are encouraging, many of them could be
compared to putting Band-Aids on serious wounds. To adopt these technologies as
more than a temporary workaround, providers will need to go back and
rethink/redesign their scheduling and models.
To maximize the
long-term benefits of telehealth and other digital solutions, companies will
have to integrate these technologies into their ongoing operations seamlessly.
That will likely include tying the new solutions into existing systems in IT
and HR, creating clean links to health care payers and other heavy lifting in
the back office.
Health care
personnel may need to adjust as well, adapting to new standards for how they
schedule their days and perform their duties. And, as the transfer of sensitive
information occurs more regularly online, cybersecurity will become an even
greater challenge than it is today.
Three Keys To
Success
As the crisis
continues to reshape normal, the organizations that flourish will be the ones
that accept change and run with it. Here are three important takeaways health
care providers should take to heart:
1. Resist the urge
to go back to the way things were. Digital interaction is the way of the
future. Just as educational institutions have increasingly moved toward online
learning, health care companies must move toward online healing.
2. Prioritize data
— gathering it, managing it and understanding it. In health care, data affects
nearly every aspect of the business, from research, education and patient care
to consumer privacy and cybersecurity. Yet in a recent study by NTT DATA, the health care sector ranks data
first in its lack of data literacy skills — about a fifth (21%) of respondents
report they don't know how to read their data.
3. Adopt a consumer
mindset. In the digital era, consumers have more power than ever to comparison
shop, access ultra-convenient services with a few clicks and make informed
decisions about how they spend their money — including on health care.
Providers must continue working to make their services easy and safe to use, or
consumers will find another company who can.
A Better Future
Awaits
As a society, we're
far from realizing technology's full potential to improve the health care
system. But troubled times have a way of bringing people together to serve the
greater good, and this year's ordeal has certainly put wind in the sails of
progress. Health care is accelerating its way to a digital-first future.
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