As physicians increasingly rely on digital technologies to streamline the delivery of patient care, it’s become essential for those tools to integrate into existing workflows, provide robust security, and improve patient engagement.
Recent research from the American Medical Association (AMA) revealed that an increasing percentage of physicians feel there are advantages in leveraging digital health solutions. Specifically, 85% of physicians in 2016 said that digital health tools were an advantage for patient care; that number jumped to 94% of physicians across all ages and specialties in 2022.
Further, adoption of new technology in healthcare through the use of digital tools has grown significantly among all physicians regardless of gender, specialty, or age, with the average number of digital health tools in use by a physician growing from 2.2 in 2016 to 3.8 in 2022. The top factors influencing physician interest in digital health tools included improved clinical outcomes and work efficiency, as well as the ability to help reduce stress and burnout, according to the AMA.
The key technologies health systems and physician practices are investing in include:
- Self-schedule and self-service capabilities to boost patient access
- Telehealth offerings to increase patient and provider satisfaction
- Single-source electronic health records (EHR) systems that consolidate patient information on one platform
- Analytics infrastructure for clinical operations, research, and innovation
- RCM tools to prioritize workflows and reduce bad debt
- Remote work tools that boost collaboration
- Robot process automation and artificial intelligence to counter staffing shortages and escalating labor costs.
Implementing new healthcare information technology projects
Investing in healthcare information technology can help organizations improve the safety, quality, and value of healthcare. To provide exceptional care and service to their patients, it’s essential that healthcare organizations successfully implement new health IT solutions that simplify processes for clinicians, staff, and patients.
Tips for successful adoption and implementation of new technology in healthcare include:
- Ensure solutions align with existing workflows. Project leaders should consult with practicing clinicians and staff members to ensure the new systems enable safe, effective clinical processes and complement efficient workflows.
- Find an experienced implementation partner. Vendor partners should be consultative, supportive, and responsive, offering solution-engineering expertise. TrustCommerce features an experienced team that has implemented patient payment solutions at hundreds of health systems over 20 years, gaining the knowledge to deliver smooth implementations and the awareness of pitfalls to avoid.
- Focus on security. Many patients feel wary about the collection and use of their sensitive medical data. As a result, companies that operate in the healthcare space must continue to build trust with patients by ensuring patient data is kept secure. TrustCommerce is HiTrust-certified, PCI DSS-compliant, and offers solutions such as tokenization and validated point-to-point encryption that safeguard patient payment data and reduce providers’ PCI exposure.
- Always consider the end-user: As humans we are often resistant to change, even if we know that the end result will ultimately be better. Understanding and planning for the human element helps ensure that any piece of new technology can be fully realized to maximize the return-on-investment.
For physicians, greater adoption of digital health tools brings the possibility of more productive and enjoyable work, but also the risk of additional disruptions. To ensure the adoption of technology in healthcare and its implementations go smoothly, providers should seek out solutions that align with existing workflows and are supported by knowledgeable, seasoned partners that focus on promoting security while improving the end-user experience.
Consider TrustCommerce as your seasoned partner in patient payment solutions for your healthcare organization. For more information, contact TrustCommerce for a free demo.
