Hospitals are under pressure to undergo digital transformation – but success in this field requires more than shiny new tools. It requires cultural readiness, first-tier buying, and a keen view of success.
In a panel discussion at the Nashville Reuters Digital Health Conference on Monday, health system executives shared what they learned about changes when implementing new technologies.
Pia Banerjee, director of cancer innovation transformation at the American Cancer Society, said hospitals need to evaluate their changes ready before launching new technology projects.
“It’s both a psychological factor and a technical factor, so it’s trying to assess the impact of the organization and the appearance of the culture,” she said.
She also noted that technical plans are successful only if the organization has a deep understanding of the “why” behind the efforts.
“When you do any large-scale digital transformation, you’ll find that it will start to increase all the efficiency of all departments you work in.
Banerjee said hospital leaders may want to set up certain checkpoints in time so they can evaluate how they are heading towards their goals.
Reed Smith, chief consumer officer at Ardent Health, pointed out that hospitals should regularly measure pilot results. That way, if it is obvious, they can undoubtedly not bring about the expected results.
“I think being able to close the problem is a good proof of the organization. ‘Hey, you know? We’re serious about it.” I think it’s part of the communication and change management part at some point. ” Smith said.
Overall, he stressed the importance of clear indicators and the willingness to end invalid projects and keep moving forward.
Smith also stressed how important it is to early participation of frontline workers.
“Our CEOs have been talking about this all the time – changing with you, not changing them to you,” he said. “Try to bring people in – helping them become part of the solution. Because honestly, they are people who work day-to-day and in many cases, they will have a better view.”
Another panelist – Charlene Hope, chief pharmacy quality and safety officer at Uchicago Medicine, encourages hospitals to design solutions with frontline users to ensure relevance and adoption.
She also encouraged the experiment, saying she recently encountered a program launched by the Healthcare Institute, which centered on “violating healthcare rules.”
“You interview patients, nurses, and doctors and ask ‘Can you break the rules, which rule do you break?’” hope explains.
Her organization also has one Shark TankShe noted, – Style plans for quality improvement projects.
“We have different people leading quality improvement projects, and they are implementing their plans, which makes it fun. It also makes it possible to do things quickly and think creatively, too,” Hope explained. “And I think it’s an activity that we’re starting to build a culture-like type of activity in the healthcare industry that will help providers and partners make this kind of innovative change more comfortable.”
Photos: boonychoat, Getty Images
