Why Great Technology is not Enough

The Becker Hospital Review author addresses why providers and producers may not achieve remarkable changes after their huge investment in installing digital technologies. Sometimes they add complexity and confusion by adding software’s IT services to their work processes. According to a 2020 estimation, healthcare providers have spent $136 billion on IT in 2020, up 4.8% from 2019, with software and IT services spend growing at 10%. This is a tremendous amount of money, yet far too often, the return on that investment comes painfully slowly, or not at all. In fact, the study found that U.S. organizations wasted $30 billion on unused software over the course of four years, an average of $259 per desktop.

The article suggests orientation around patient engagement values and professional health system considerations rather than the technology. In practice, healthcare organizations have their own health-related, clinical, and organizational masteries should be reflected in the value proposition and philosophy behind technologies. This might reveal the root of cultural barriers, technical denials, and lack of improvement in engaging physicians or patients with technology-induced by IT developers.

• Intrinsic understanding of the customers is a key to client success management, that’s why solution developers should include preventive health and clinical professionals who know the nature of health services in their teams when develop the software and customize software with special needs of customers when make contracts with provider or producer teams.
• Before contract and after-sale supports and services guarantee alignment with clients’ entire value journey in a direction to solve the real issues.
• Investment on the right people, proper values, and continuous evaluation of changes before and after technology usage ensure investors about return on investment through improved products and services. Expected improvements could be noticed in the formal contract material.