Information for Business from Lenovo
Contributor: Andrew Storrier
Enabling technology transformation in healthcare

Whether your hospital or practice needs better customer relationship management, faster diagnosis services or simply to gut the old server from 2003, it's time to build a list of what needs updating and create some priorities.

Healthcare technology can improve our lives in a multitude of ways, from diagnosis to treatment.

Omnifluent, for example, is a translation application that lets doctors communicate with non-English-speaking patients quickly and effectively to better provide their service. However, many healthcare facilities are plagued by outdated systems and lack the means or operational readiness to deploy newer tech, which can greatly benefit these organisations.

If you think it might be time to upgrade, here’s how your organisation can prepare for an overhaul.

Understand the problem

Research your organisation’s current infrastructure with the aim of discovering how it lags behind the market. Look for ways you can fill those gaps with the latest systems and technology. This includes understanding the technical requirements to support operations and what hardware and software will work with new systems.

Start overhauling people, not technology

In hospitals or medical practices, employees often work in silos – the nurses working together, and the doctors together – and may not have a complete picture of how a new, company-wide technology rollout will help patients and benefit the organisation.

Getting staff buy-in for major technology changes will ensure they engage with the new system, as well as understand the organisation’s vision for the future. Leaders who fail to adequately communicate this ‘big picture’ will leave personnel disenchanted and potentially ignorant of the transformation.

Also make sure you prepare patients for the overhaul so they will be better equipped to seamlessly integrate with the transformation when it occurs.

Think ahead

The biggest conundrum a healthcare technology transformation can face is the ‘Band-Aid versus overhaul’ situation. Band-Aid solutions are attractive because they’re often cheaper, quicker and easier to implement, however they typically fail to address the larger problems facing the organisation.

Overhauls, on the other hand, are time-consuming, expensive and difficult to implement but give the organisation a long-term and modern view towards technology. Band-Aids are useful in some situations, but if you believe an overhaul is the best solution then it is wise to start future-proofing the organisation immediately.

Don’t stop the rollout

Continuous advances in healthcare technology mean medical organisations can constantly improve the health and lives of their patients. Your overhaul should take the same approach, gaining momentum with the implementation of each new system or process. Use the data from user and system interactions to measure the impact the overhaul has on your business and to find ways to make the process more efficient for all stakeholders.

Venture capitalists are investing more and more into healthcare technology, and it’s important for your facility to improve its systems and processes so that you can improve your patients’ health.

Lenovo® ThinkPad® and ThinkCentre® products, powered by Intel® processors, are optimised for long, worry-free hours delivering  transformative healthcare. Speak with a Lenovo  specialist today to learn more.

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