Healthcare Digital Transformation

 In the past several years, the Healthcare industry has been going through a technological transformation. All hospital service lines have moved from paper charts to electronic charts. Electronic Medical Records are leading the way in this transformation. From physicians to nurses, you see workstations on wheels and ipads in the hands of clinical staff. Many hospitals are moving to Epic to centralize that patient healthcare record data and take advantage of patient portals. Patient portals provide seamless access for patients to medical records anywhere. The fact is that the patient owns their medical records and needs to have access quickly for follow-up appointments. In the old days, you needed to go to the hospital patient record depart and request that your patient files be printed.

As computer networks grow in speed and security, more healthcare organizations move medical devices to their networks for patching and security hardening. Many organizations have commented on building their cloud networks and moving healthcare applications to the cloud, significantly reducing in-house Information Technology staff to reduce operational overhead. Some argue that this eliminates jobs. However, the skillset is shifting to cloud technologies, and opportunities to learn new skills are available. 

The Healthcare workforce must be literate in basic computer technology and clinical application. My organization has invested heavily in training and workshops to empower the staff to navigate around the clinical applications. Hospital operations are vital to staff's willingness to use the new technological applications and continue driving Healthcare organizations through their digital transformations.