As the year 2022 wound up, industry experts shared their EHR predictions for the upcoming year, including those made in HealthCareITNews.com. The discussion there focused in part on the impacts of critical staffing shortages and inflation with the following statement made:
“The constraint on health IT to deliver immediate value has never been more severe, and the opportunity for technology to deliver value has never been greater.”
Because of shortages and rising costs, healthcare organizations must leverage technology to accelerate innovations and optimize operations. To maximize outcomes, the article shares, what’s needed is automation that streamlines work volumes, provides rapid insights, and otherwise automates workflows. The goal: to help ensure that every staff member receives the highest levels of training and has what they need to operate at maximum productivity to contribute to the facility’s outcomes.
Plus 2023 will continue the momentum of interoperability. Over the years, both patients and medical teams have needed to deal with siloed data—also called “islands of information”—across healthcare organizations. These islands developed through mergers and acquisitions, incremental technology advancements, and more.
The article also references a 2021 survey where almost half of the patients were comfortable with artificial intelligence being used to help their medical teams make enhanced healthcare decisions. The expert being interviewed notes that “widespread deployment is possible and must be prioritized.”
Another expert interviewed by HealthCareITNews.com shares thoughts about virtual healthcare in 2022 and what’s expected in 2023. In 2022, technologies designed to remotely monitor patient conditions and then the subsequent automation of care have both advanced—and, even better, the technologies are being used to help patients manage their health situations in between clinician visits. The article shares the rapid expansion of these technologies, praising them because they are cost-effective ways for clinicians to assist patients more frequently—and yet, there’s still so much room for further enhancements.
The year of 2022 was also one of “advancing the understanding that digital care is much more than videoconferencing.” It’s not just about where a patient receives care but also how—and it’s predicted that the relatively new physical-virtual interaction hybrid will transform into a physician-virtual-automated one.
When looking at 2023 and beyond: the data collected by digital health interactions will prove to be so valuable, it’s predicted, that they’ll go from a convenient feature that’s helpful to have to one that’s integrated into the care continuum.
EHRIntelligence.com, meanwhile, covers the topic of EHR optimization in 2023 with a MEDITECH vice president making this prediction. Health systems will either look for ways to further leverage their current investments in technology or will add onto their technologies to boost quality at lower costs and help patients to become further engaged and more satisfied.
Ways in which healthcare systems will more fully use their technologies in 2023, the expert predicts, include predictive analytics, revenue cycle/supply chain automation, and more advanced support for clinical decisions.
EHR optimization is crucial, too, to help prevent even bigger staff shortages. A KLAS report shares that clinicians who are “very dissatisfied” with their EHR plan to leave their healthcare system at rates that are three times higher. The other reason why people leave their healthcare workplace is burnout, which the automation described earlier in our post can significantly help to address.
As one more consideration, Deloitte predicts that, by 2030, EHRs will be much more advanced: “more convenient, efficient, and intuitive for both consumers and clinicians.” In a time of staffing shortages, though, who will implement, integrate, and optimize these applications to take full advantage of their capabilities?
Overcoming Healthcare IT Staffing Challenges
We’ve shared strategies in this article on healthcare IT staffing difficulties—and also highlighted the depth of the staffing shortage. A September 2021 survey from Gartner, Inc. revealed that talent shortage is the biggest reason (64%) why healthcare organizations don’t take advantage of beneficial technologies. The problem had grown exponentially from the previous year when only 4 percent of IT executives listed concern about the staffing issue.
Many experts believe this shortage will be long-term—fueled by COVID and the subsequent Great Resignation but not resolved once this situation more fully stabilizes. Why? Because population growth in the United States is lower than ever before and Baby Boomers (the first generation who worked in the IT field) are retiring.
Healthcare IT Solutions
When your healthcare organization needs people with just the right expertise for your EHR upgrades, implementations, optimizations, and more, a top-quality healthcare IT consulting firm can be just the partner you need—including in an era when it’s challenging to hire enough people for your in-house team. You can supplement your staff with IT professionals who have the niche specialties you require.
As part of our healthcare IT consulting services at HealthTECH Resources, our highly experienced leadership can help you to analyze your in-house staff’s skill sets and bandwidth. Through this analysis, it will become clear where your team needs to be enhanced to implement and otherwise leverage your technologies in cost-efficient ways to provide your world-class healthcare. Then, you can benefit from our deep and wide network of IT professionals, hiring the experts you need as consultants, contract-to-hire professionals, or permanent placements.
Contact HealthTECH Resources for Your Healthcare IT Services
We’re the experienced choice in providing healthcare IT solutions with more than twenty years of helping healthcare organizations like yours. We focus solely on healthcare IT/EHR/ERM technologies, and we’re the fastest, most knowledgeable, and most reliable recruiting team available today.
With our professionals working collaboratively with your in-house team, your healthcare organization can move ahead on projects that you either hadn’t started or that had stalled. To discuss your needs and how we can help, please contact our boutique-style healthcare IT consulting firm or call (602) 806-8949.
PRESIDENT/CEO AT HEALTHTECH RESOURCES
Larry has specialized in building strategic healthcare relationships for over 25 years, helping the nation’s top payors and providers solve some of their most pressing business challenges through an intelligent mix of staffing services, training, and consulting.