Large-scale transformation is confronting healthcare. With providers striving for better outcomes at lower costs, the first half of this century will be seen as a turning point in the worldwide development of efficient, outcome driven, and more personalized healthcare service delivery.
In a new survey of 613 global health systems executives and consultants conducted by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services and sponsored by Siemens Healthineers, 91 percent said that great opportunity lies ahead for healthcare because of the disruption offered by new technologies and new business models. These disruptions hold the promise for providing better outcomes and more value, the respondents said, while changing the dynamics of healthcare.
Over the next three years, these healthcare leaders said digital technologies will have significant impact on their organizations Which tools and capabilities will prove disruptive? Mobile devices/patient apps were cited by 75 percent, advanced analytics by 66 percent, and unified communication/ collaboration tools to improve communication and treatment adherence by 59 percent.
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Providing better outcomes was the key driver for adopting these new technologies and business models. Seventy-two percent of respondents said patient engagement levels can and should be increased by these new tools because they create better outcomes. New technologies also hold the promise of reducing expense by improving the quality and quantity of patient data, and increasing workforce productivity, they said. More than half of the executives strongly agreed that the healthcare industry currently creates avoidable waste and doctors spend too much time on the tasks that could be fulfilled by lower-level providers and/or by automation.
But this transformation is not without its challenges. Nearly three-fourths of the respondents said that the healthcare industry as a whole lags behind other industries in its capacity to adapt. And only 43 percent believe that their own organizations are able to transform as quickly as their competitors. Creating a culture of innovation and risk-taking will be essential to improving healthcare quality, the respondents said: Only 22 percent said their organizations are now innovative. Transformation also demands new investments if organizations are to operationalize new technologies. Old hierarchies and traditional healthcare service delivery models, as well as a lack of effective change-management process are also barriers to change, respondents said.
What else will the future look like? Nobody has a crystal ball. But at Siemens Healthineers, we believe the future of healthcare—given today’s market dynamics— will mean that:
- Medicine will be more precise and affordable. Therapies tailored to the individual will move us closer to the goal of “the right treatment for the right patient at the right time.”
- Value will be at the heart of care delivery. Reducing costs without sacrificing outcomes will require dedicated teams working collaboratively across the full continuum of care.
- Patients will be treated as consumers. As patients continue to bear more financial responsibility for their own care, the search for better value will be the driving force shaping decision making.
- Healthcare will be digital. Digital technologies and big data will continue revolutionizing our understanding and treatment of disease and the very nature of wellness and healthcare.
Healthcare transformation calls for less expensive and excellent care. That is why it is our mission at Siemens Healthineers to enable healthcare providers to achieve better outcomes at lower cost by expanding precision medicine, transforming care delivery, improving patient experience, and digitalizing healthcare.
To learn more about the survey, read the full report by clicking here.