a new one A survey report in India assessed the stance of healthcare leaders on their use of technology to drive operational efficiencies, enhance service delivery and improve health outcomes. Strong.
More than 50 respondents, mostly executives of multi-facility hospitals based in metropolitan cities, were polled by Grant Thornton Bharat and the Service Providers Association. Healthcare Services (India) in the report titled “Technological Transformation for Future-Ready Healthcare”.
RESULT
The survey shows that about 8 out of 10 respondents are increasing their tech and digital budgets over the next 12 months. One key area of investment is 5G technology, which is recognized as having the potential to transform patient services, such as real-time telehealth and telehealth.
However, in the context of encouraging spending on this technology, cyber threats and data privacy are the main concerns. Two-thirds of respondents said they do not believe their technology infrastructure can withstand such threats while only four out of ten have the necessary capabilities to protect data privacy. patient data.
For those who have gone through digitization, or nearly half of the respondents, they have seen up to 20 percent efficiency gains from implementing the technology.
However, organizations have yet to adopt the technology to monitor compliance, regulatory compliance and litigation as only 42% of respondents said they have implemented such technology.
The survey report also found that most respondents are generating less than 5% of revenue from using their telemedicine services.
Regarding EMR, the majority of respondents or 62% have implemented them, however, 54% said the technology is not integrated with their payment system. A smart and integrated EMR can deliver “significant efficiencies in billing and enhancing the patient experience,” the report’s authors say.
Finally, the survey shows that most hospitals are still not using the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) platform; Only 28% of respondents said their hospital participates in this flagship government program that seeks to build an integrated digital health infrastructure that connects all stakeholders in the ecosystem. health care status of the country. Respondents mentioned major challenges when applying for ABDM, including difficulties in technology implementation or integration, data privacy, regulatory surveillance, and cyber threats.
WHY IT IMPORTANT
The report concludes that the transition to an intelligent and connected healthcare system is “not far away” with today’s technological tools, devices and instruments as well as digital solutions. More available both inside and outside India. “We believe that attractive healthcare market conditions, economies of scale coupled with fair competition will drive this trend,” it stressed.
It also emphasizes that the success of healthcare digitization depends on “early adoption, proper training and encouragement of clinicians, nurses and biomechanical professionals to effectively use results of technologies.” Another factor is the impetus needed to drive technology usage and adoption trends in the local healthcare sector.
“Creating a smart health system will help doctors do better at what they do while also improving the patient experience. The concerted effort and simple approach of all stakeholders. The main aim is to develop technologies and solutions that reach every level of the healthcare ecosystem that will facilitate the winning scenario for India in its journey towards digitization of healthcare infrastructure. their health,” the report said.
TREND TO BIGGER
A key finding of the report is that healthcare organizations need to invest heavily in technologies that address cybersecurity threats and data privacy issues.
Last year, the Indian healthcare industry encountered nearly 1.9 million cyberattacks, according to a simulation conducted by cybersecurity consultancy CyberPeace Foundation. Hospitals and medical facilities are easy targets for hackers as they are under immense pressure due to the global pandemic. Notable victims of last year’s cyberattack include two New Delhi-based hospitals, AIIMS-Delhi and Safdarjung Hospital, the Indian Council of Medical Research, and the Sree Saran Medical Center in Tamil Nadu. .
