Executives Report EHR, Health IT Solutions Stifling Innovation

Despite the rapid evolution of the digital health transformation, current health IT solutions – including the EHR – may be stalling innovation, according to research conducted by Sage Growth Partners on behalf of Lumeon.

The researchers found that less than one in five healthcare executives are satisfied with their current digital health solutions; 19 percent are satisfied with their remote patient monitoring technology and 14 percent are satisfied with the existing technology for care journey automation.

The research revealed that 68 percent of healthcare leaders seek a customizable digital transformation solution. Currently, just 16 percent of care organizations can customize their EHR to meet the facility’s individual transformation needs.

More than half (57 percent) of executives reported that health IT solutions should span many use cases.

Moreover, 84 percent of executives agreed that a real-time view of each patient’s care journey is key to success. However, just 27 percent of leaders reported having that capability.

The report authors outlined several points of action to improve the usability and adoption of digital health solutions.

First, they noted that instead of adding more digital touchpoints, providers should aim to automate and digitally sequence care team tasks around the needs of each patient.

“While it is tempting to focus solely on increasing the volume of digital touchpoints, in order to truly move the needle on patient experience and close gaps in care, providers need digital solutions that offer better coordination and transparency into the consumer care journey,” the report authors wrote.

Next, the authors called for health IT executives to integrate digital health solutions that provide the most up-to-date information on a patient’s care journey. Without real-time patient health data, care coordination is challenging, and providers lack access to vital information needed for clinical decision support.

Additionally, the researchers called for healthcare leaders to blend clinical and administrative teams for organization-wide care coordination.

“Optimizing the care journey around the needs of the patient means joining up siloes between clinical and administrative teams, using technology that can coordinate both aspects of care,” the report authors wrote.

As the industry recovers from the fallout of COVID-19, providers need access to digital health solutions that promote interoperability and care coordination.

“A workforce taken to the limit of its resilience needs a fresh way of working and reassurance that flexible, adaptable technology will be a help – not a hindrance to meeting these goals,” the authors wrote.