Last Updated on February 16, 2021
Thriving in the era where nearly everything that surrounds you is technology-driven, going past them seems sturdy. As much as a user needs to be adept in using such modern technologies, companies, too, feel the need to restructure their infrastructure, turning them into ones that abide by the present-day innovative norms.
No doubt, industry 4.0 has revolutionized the entire world economy, and there isn’t a single industry that is not affected by the digitization wave. Healthcare is a huge yet sensitive sector also finds it essential to channelize their offerings in a manner that is far more optimized than the traditional ones. The rise in the economy, as well as the technology, compels the need of the healthcare sector to fine-tune their services while migrating to the digital infrastructure.
However, it is easier said than done. Definitely, technological transformations would enhance the healthcare services, but the implementation of the same opens up a plethora of challenges, companies need to deal with.
Top 10 Challenges Faced By Healthcare Company
No doubt, healthcare is one of those sectors that have never failed to impress all. Innovations have been the core of the industry, finding ways to cure diseases and in a way that is better than the existing one. However, despite such modifications, three industries still lag behind and struggle to map the existing digital scenario. Stating that professionals in the domain aren’t aware or do not consider it essential would be wrong. It is the challenges faced by the company experts that pull them back while trying to embed a whole of digital infrastructure.
While every expert has its own set of problems, here we outline the top 10 common changes, apparently each healthcare company needs to deal with when moving to the digital ecosystem
1. Efficient Data Monitoring
We are well aware of the fact that today, data holds enormous value. Data analysis is a trend, and every organization is working to integrate the idea so as to come up with better and informed decisions. When it comes to healthcare, the industry, though acknowledges the importance of data, lacks significant architecture that is capable of gathering data, sorting them, analyzing, and monitoring them. Converting raw data into a much more structured form helps analysts study & determine patterns, which further aid in informed decision making.
2. Ensuring Connectivity Across All Device’s
IoT is more of a need today. In terms of the UK Center for Healthcare Report, there are around 48% connected medical devices, and this figure is expected to rise to 68% in a span of three years. Having said that, it of huge importance that medical experts emphasize the integration of connected devices within their infrastructure.
From wearables to the smart system management software, everything is connected. In such a scenario, medical experts can remain connected with the patients for a longer time. However, for companies that plan to integrate, maintenance is a significant challenge as compared to the development and installations. And so, they need to be prepared for facing these challenges and also, to deal with them.
3. Dealing With Cost Conflict
No matter how efficient the healthcare system is, if one cannot afford it, they are as useless as a bin. Though there has been a tremendous upsurge in the manner patients are treated, the rising cost of healthcare services remains one of the most critical challenges.
The sector has experienced a considerable shift, integrating medical types of equipment and modern data machines but that is not enough. Of course, you need to have such a machine for better care, but it has to be cost-effective or one such that a human can afford. Higher prices prevent the patient’s from following up, and this is a significant drawback in the healthcare industry.
4. Security
As we saw that there is an urgent need to employ connected medical devices, such integration, if not done, skillfully might open the door for a new problem, cybersecurity. Yes, that’s right. Interconnected devices share data, and this is done on a massive scale. This data needs to be shared securely so as to prevent malicious attacks or intruder hacks.
The healthcare data breach has witnessed a sharp rise in the past decade, and it arises as a significant challenge for the healthcare companies to induce a system that is secured, safeguarding patient’s data and enabling total privacy.
5. Value-Based Payments
It is not just the medical sector that is pricey but also the pharma industry. The rising cost of medicines hinders a patient’s from being treated properly. Irrespective of the kind of disease, the middle-class people fail to afford the monthly medicinal cost, and so, it becomes essential for the industry to come up with digital payment models where patients are given financial incentives so as to cut down the higher cost of medicine as levied upon them for every purchase. One such model could be the option of paying in installments giving the patient’s the ease to pay as per their own convenience.
6. Operational Efficiency
The face of healthcare has changed. Today, professionals make use of robots to guide them or surgeries or use automated software to connect with the patient and then, deliver spontaneous care. No doubt that such an integration adds flexibility to the entire mechanism, and at the same time, enhances the quality of care rendered, but the implementation of the same is a huge challenge for the industry. Embedding a technological ecosystem means restructuring the existing one, and this requires tremendous efforts and a planned approach.
7. Mapping The Digital Ecosystem
Today, people across the globe are pacing towards a mobile-first economy. Need a cab or food or even a doctor; people prefer apps for all. Alongside the need to go digital has cut down the manual paper pen process, calling for digital documents. This again is not easy to implement.
Placing the healthcare sector under the lens, it’s time that the organizations embed automated software for patient’s data, devices for health monitoring, and wearables to keep constant track of the primary health units. Needless to state that such infrastructure comes along with a bed of features, though useful, are a challenge to implement.
8. Narcotics Management
Defining and developing strategies that help individuals fight their battle against addiction has never been easy for the healthcare industry, and challenges in this journey don’t seem to stop. With the inception of digital devices and automated systems, the need to manage opioids has dramatically risen, necessitating the need to adopt efficient ways to cope with the same.
9. Insufficient Funding
The last decade witnessed a shift in the demands of healthcare services. Meaning that the need is more than the supply, and given such a scenario, it becomes tough for the healthcare companies to adhere to the demand. In order to at least map the demand, let alone surpass, the companies need more resources. However, with limited money and a lack of sufficient funds, they fail to abide by the need and cannot render the required care.
10. Lack Of Skills
Undeniably, technology is pacing high, and so are the methods to treat diseases. However, the healthcare sector does not have skilled staff to use those technologically driven machines or devices. This creates a gap between the staff, boiling down to a challenge that the present-day healthcare organizations need to deal with.
Conclusion
Challenges though worrisome, are an opportunity for the company to work on and rise above them. They are just the roadblocks, and it’s time that the healthcare organizations move past these to upscale the industry and render better care. Leverage our custom healthcare solutions and development services to build HIPAA compliant software and products adhering to industry standards as per your geography.
