INTEGRATION: IT leaders know that poorly coordinated systems are inefficient, but they often lack sufficient resources to resolve these issues. Still, doing so is an essential first step toward other improvements and capabilities. Connecting EHRs with other clinical and administrative systems yields real-time access to patient information to enhance the quality of decision-making and reduce the likelihood of error. Among the key opportunities for this kind of integration are patient engagement and outreach, as well as assisted and augmented intelligence for clinical decision support and automated documentation.

Beyond clinical applications, integration greatly improves day-to-day efficiencies for staffers in all areas, from sharing patients’ dietary needs with the cafeteria to alerting custodial departments when a room needs to be cleaned. Ultimately, integration is a foundational change for clinicians and IT professionals alike.

CYBERSECURITY: The ransomware attacks on prominent healthcare organizations in early 2024 highlighted the far-reaching impact of even a single breach. Recent attacks have led to surgical delays, exorbitant financial costs and misuse of patient health records. As healthcare organizations integrate workflows and platforms, they must be aware of how these changes affect their security posture.

Optimization can strengthen security, enabling the deployment of automated threat detection and advanced identity and access management tools. Simplifying the IT environment increases visibility and control. At the same time, integration introduces complexity. If not properly managed, systems and applications with disparate security features and configurations can create gaps that increase risk. Organizations need appropriate data governance and the ability to track data flows and access holistically.

TRAINING AND ADOPTION: Asked to name their top challenge when planning new software investments, 42 percent of healthcare IT leaders cite staff acceptance and training. Many organizations are in a Catch-22: Inefficient systems contribute to clinician burnout and turnover, yet clinicians are so overtaxed that learning something new may seem daunting or impossible. Adoption is essential if organizations are to standardize and lower their overall technical debt.

Providers should involve clinicians in decision-making processes, solicit input about obstacles that may hinder adoption, clearly articulate why changes are being made and publicize resulting successes. Ongoing training and support ensure that users can leverage all of the relevant capabilities of a solution. Leaders should also be intentional in creating opportunities to provide feedback.

STAFFING: Twenty-five percent of healthcare executives say a lack of employee bandwidth or capabilities makes it difficult to manage and execute IT initiatives. Automation, AI and optimization strategies are part of the solution, but many organizations address these gaps by hiring short-term contractors (66 percent) or outsourcing IT positions (59 percent).

For broader support, managed service providers offer specialized expertise and robust experience in healthcare technology. Whereas a contractor typically focuses on a limited task or role, MSPs can offer continuous support backed by a full bench of experts in cybersecurity and other disciplines. As organizations embark on optimization initiatives, they should assess their IT staffing resources and augment them as needed to ensure they can accomplish their objectives.

PATIENT EXPERIENCE: In addition to improving clinical care and outcomes, workflow optimization is a powerful way to enhance the patient experience. Patients want consumer-oriented services and are willing to leave providers who don’t meet their expectations. Millennial and Generation Z patients are six times more likely to change providers than older patients. For all ages, a poor navigation experience is the top reason for changing providers.

This shift has expanded the role of healthcare marketers from simply publicizing providers to ensuring that patients’ end-to-end journeys, from scheduling appointments to accessing follow-up care, are seamless and personalized through technology. Including chief marketing officers in optimization efforts provides a valuable lens and increases the likelihood that solutions will help retain patients.

SAFER, BETTER CARE: Better workflows improve healthcare outcomes by enhancing clinical decision support. Care teams can access information faster, coordinate more effectively and make decisions proactively. Communication is streamlined when everyone consistently uses the same tools and has access to the same information. Optimization also tends to reinforce standardized processes around best practices, ensuring that clinicians follow appropriate procedures.

Modernized environments also empower providers to deploy limited staffing resources where they will have the greatest impact and to support them with AI and other tools that can augment patient monitoring and detect changes that clinicians must address quickly. Minimizing communication breakdowns and avoiding reliance on outdated or incomplete medical records also significantly reduces the likelihood of medical errors.

REDUCED COSTS: A primary goal of optimization is to maximize the value of existing IT investments by integrating solutions and streamlining workflows. These efforts are designed to increase ROI and reduce costly technical debt. By contrast, organizations that have not optimized workflows typically have numerous factors that increase cost: manual processes and lower productivity, fragmented systems, platforms with untapped capabilities, inability to leverage timesaving tools, and greater risk in IT and clinical operations.

These environments are more likely to experience costly medical errors and adverse events as a consequence of poor care coordination, overburdened staffers and compromised clinical decision-making. Finally, optimization improves resource utilization by eliminating redundant or unnecessary steps and enabling data-driven decisions about staffing, patient scheduling and other processes.