The past two years have been a time like no other. Among the widespread COVID-19 lockdowns and health & safety measures affecting every aspect of interpersonal and professional life, organizations worldwide have found themselves dealing with a new reality virtually overnight.
At this year’s edition of HIMSS, we had the privilege to share some of the biggest challenges in healthcare relative to the global epidemic, as well as brainstorm possible solutions. Unsurprisingly, the conversation mostly revolved around one of the more pressing issues in our sector: the inevitable digital transformation of healthcare delivery organizations.
Below, we have gathered the discussion’s main points for your consideration.
The Importance of Interoperability in Healthcare
The global health crisis has fast-tracked the digital transformation of recent years. As the healthcare industry becomes more dependent on network and wireless solutions, one of the main challenges is to ensure the functionality and reliability of wireless infrastructures, devices, and applications.
Reportedly, many healthcare organizations have discovered the benefits of interoperability software. Among other advantages, these solutions allow for a safe, scalable, and reliable system integration. Moreover, secure messaging platforms such as clinical communication and collaboration (CC&C) have proven particularly helpful in enhancing workflow, improving health data exchange, and promoting teamwork.
As the internet continues to play a pivotal role in the healthcare sector, HIMSS participants have expressed their desire to create a seamless online customer care experience for their patients, focusing on patient safety, privacy and security.
The Rapid Transformation of Digital Health and Telemedicine
With the patient overflow and personnel shortages characteristic of recent times, telehealth is gaining considerable traction. In fact, data shows that the pandemic fast-tracked its acceleration by nearly a decade.
Whilst we still cannot be sure of what the New Normal will look like for the healthcare sector, it is safe to say telemedicine is bound to play a pivotal role well beyond COVID. This is because - in a society still affected by healthcare access disparity - virtual care offers the opportunity for low or no-cost medical appointments for all.
During the HIMSS 2021 panel discussion, participants pointed out that higher demand for wireless services calls for improvements in infrastructure - meaning broader areas of internet coverage and additional devices. Check out our article about the future of WiFi6E for more information on that.
Another hot topic has been the increasingly relevant role played by data & analytics in the industry. It has become apparent that - along with improving health outcomes - data can help identify and mitigate gaps in coverage that can potentially get in the way of patient care. Not only that - data and AI might even play a pivotal role in the diagnostic and prediction of potential epidemics in the near future.
Finally, many organizations agree that scalable telemedicine strategies offer the opportunity to serve more people more quickly.
The State of Cybersecurity in Healthcare
With the upheaval in healthcare cybersecurity of pandemic times, the importance of boosting protection cannot be underestimated. In an effort to mitigate this security crisis, many healthcare delivery organizations (HDO’s) are looking into leveraging blockchain. This feature can be implemented to develop a security protocol as well as ensure encryption for private messaging between two or more parties. Due to it being a fairly new solution, the implementation of blockchain in healthcare is the object of intense discussion. Notwithstanding, there are reasons to believe that the industry will be soon leaning in that direction.
Whilst general cybersecurity software provides the healthcare sector with some level of protection, industry leaders understand that the stakes are too high. For this reason, more and more organizations are investing in security tools that are specifically designed for healthcare.
Clinical Mobility helps design tailored cybersecurity solutions to Healthcare Delivery Organizations to provide the highest cybersecurity standards at the lowest possible cost. We’re here to help you optimize what you already own, not sell you on new boxes and licenses. Consult with a member of our team today at +1 (925) 871-2704.
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