What challenges have you encountered when utilizing healthcare technology?
So, what are the main obstacles that providers and organizations face when adopting new healthcare tech? What are the Challenges Implementing Healthcare Technology?
Whether you’re selling a device or platform, or you’re a provider who sees its potential, the issue isn’t usually the tool’s value. People often see how it can streamline their processes and capture billable time. The BIG challenge is workflows! How do you connect the dots for clinicians with their own ways of doing things? Integrating new tech into existing steps is crucial. But extra logins, platforms, tabs/screens create friction points that may make busy clinicians revert to old methods.
Challenges Implementing Healthcare Technology
Today, healthcare providers and organizations are constantly seeking ways to improve their services by adopting new technologies and tools. These innovative solutions have the potential to streamline processes, increase efficiency, and ultimately enhance patient care. However, implementing these advancements can present significant challenges for both providers and organizations alike. In this article & video, I discuss some of the most common challenges implementing healthcare technology, including obstacles faced when integrating new healthcare technology into existing workflows.
Understanding Workflows: The Key Challenge
The main challenge in utilizing new healthcare technology is not necessarily finding a valuable tool or platform; often, clinicians clearly recognize its potential benefits. Instead, the primary issue lies in seamlessly integrating these innovations into existing workflows without disrupting established procedures that medical professionals are accustomed to following.
Clinicians typically have set routines for various tasks such as evaluations – reviewing paperwork, conducting assessments, writing reports – all steps they follow diligently to ensure successful outcomes. Introducing a new piece of technology or platform requires careful consideration of how it fits into these pre-established sequences while minimizing disruptions caused by additional logins or platforms that could deter users from embracing the change.
Finding Solutions: Streamlining Integration
To overcome these challenges and successfully implement new healthcare technologies within an organization’s workflow structure requires focusing on two key aspects: reducing friction points (barriers) and streamlining integration as much as possible so that clinicians do not revert back to old habits simply because they’re more familiar with them. Here are several strategies that may help achieve streamlined integration:
- Identify pain points: Start by identifying specific problems within current workflows where new technology has the potential to make positive changes. This process helps build a strong case for adoption while highlighting areas where improvements can be made.
- Involve end-users: Engaging clinicians in the decision-making process from the outset ensures their voices are heard and allows for a better understanding of how new solutions can be adapted to suit their needs. This collaborative approach results in more effective integration and increased likelihood of adoption.
- Simplify access: One key barrier to successful technology implementation is user frustration caused by having to navigate multiple logins or platforms. Streamlining this process, perhaps through single sign-on options or centralized data access points, can significantly improve overall experiences and increase the chances of successful adoption.
- Provide training & support: Introducing new technologies often involves significant changes to established routines; therefore, it’s crucial that adequate training and ongoing support are provided for all users. This not only helps build confidence but also demonstrates commitment from leadership towards facilitating positive change within an organization.
Moving Forward: Embracing Change
Integrating new healthcare technology into existing workflows presents unique challenges for providers and organizations alike. The key to overcoming these obstacles lies in streamlining processes while minimizing disruptions so that medical professionals do not revert back to old methods simply because they’re easier or more familiar. By focusing on reducing friction points, involving end-users throughout the decision-making process, simplifying access requirements, and providing robust training & support structures – organizations stand a much better chance at successfully adopting innovative healthcare tools that ultimately benefit both staff members as well as patients receiving care.
As we continue moving forward in our technologically driven world – embracing change becomes increasingly important across all facets of life including healthcare practices where innovations have immense potential for enhancing patient outcomes when seamlessly integrated into existing systems.
What ways do you think that technology can help streamline the process of care?
For more content like this, check out our Insights Page and check out The Better Outcomes Show. Or if you want to humanize healthcare through your business or organization, learn how Rehab U Practice Solutions can help here! You can also schedule a call with Rafi to discuss your company’s positioning strategy and brainstorm a business development plan here. Check out Rafi’s latest book, Better Outcomes: A Guide to Humanizing Healthcare, on Amazon!
Rafael E. Salazar II, MHS, OTR/L (Rafi) is the Principal Owner of Rehab U Practice Solutions and the host of The Better Outcomes Show and the author of Better Outcomes: A Guide to Humanizing Healthcare. His career trajectory includes 10+ years of experience in healthcare management, clinical operations, programmatic development, marketing & business development. He even spent some time as an Assistant Professor in a Graduate Program of Occupational Therapy and has served on numerous boards and regulatory committees. He has worked on projects ranging from patient engagement initiatives to marketing communication campaigns to a multi million dollar project assisting the State of Georgia's Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities transition individuals out of state institutions to community residences. His work on Telehealth has been discussed in Forbes.
Today, Rafi helps innovative healthcare companies like technology startups, platforms, and SaaS companies develop effective positioning strategy and business development plans through his consulting work. He also leverages his experience as a professor and academic to speak and train on the topics around humanizing the healthcare experience. In addition, Rafi also owns and operates ProActive Rehabilitation & Wellness, a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic treating patients with musculoskeletal pain.
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If you are an innovative healthcare company looking to humanize healthcare through direct service delivery, technology, a device, or software, then reach out. We'd love to talk with you about how Rehab U Practice Solutions can help.
What we can help you do:
✅ Clarify your product, service, or organization's positioning...
✅ Identify what is most valuable and least valuable to your targeted healthcare stakeholder...
✅ Develop a Market Penetration Roadmap to align your company's value proposition with your targeted healthcare stakeholder to develop a bottom up marketing strategy...
We help you not only craft your positioning strategy, we help you identify your highest value offer for your target audience, align that value with your market, and help you develop a business development system that leverages insights from market data & industry-specific resources to enable your business development team to effectively drive business for your organization.
In short, we help your whole organization become focused on the most important thing in healthcare: people – the people who work for your organization, and the people who your organization treats or serves.
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