Innovative digital health solutions have the potential to improve health outcomes and lower healthcare costs. However, investing in the right digital health solution is everything. You need one that makes sense for your patients and their healthcare challenges as well as your organization’s strategic goals.
As a healthcare CIO transitioning from traditional information technology (IT) manager to digital transformation guru, you must take a mindful approach to ensure investments promote solutions that are effective, sustainable, and equitable.
In this blog, here are 10 questions to consider as you embark on the journey toward healthcare digital transformation.
- How does the digital health solution demonstrate value? And what is the expected digital health return on investment (ROI)? For example, will the solution improve clinical outcomes? Reduce the total cost of care? Increase operational efficiency? Improve the patient experience? Assist in developing publications and patents? Stakeholder alignment on digital transformation is critical, and as healthcare CIO, you can help lead the charge.
- Is there a solid business case for implementing the innovative digital health solution in your organization? What paint point does the solution address, and what innovation does it bring to clinical and/or business units? Does it align with your organization’s digital priorities and overall digital transformation? Will a digital health intervention be sufficient, or are there non-digital approaches that you should consider as well?
- How does the digital health solution collect, manage, and use patient data? And how often do data backups occur?
- How does the digital health solution protect patient data? Does it adequately address data integrity, privacy, and security, including cybersecurity?
- Does the digital health solution integrate with your organization’s health information system? Does it support interoperability and promote data exchange for digital transformation?
- Do your organization’s current IT infrastructure and governance structure support implementation of the digital health solution? Or should you opt for a less complex digital health implementation until you’ve enabled a more mature foundation for digital transformation? This is an important question for every healthcare CIO to consider.
- How many end-users can the digital health solution accommodate simultaneously? What is the vendor’s largest implementation? And how does that compare to the desired implementation at your organization? Can the vendor support what you envision for healthcare digital transformation?
- How does the innovative digital health solution promote health equity? For example, what languages does the software support? What processes does the vendor follow to ensure that algorithms, decision support, checklists, messages, schedules, and other operational components of the health content align with evidence-based recommendations and best practices?
- Does the solution include the most important functionality as identified by end users? Does it also meet the needs of other key stakeholders?
- Are there processes in place for maintaining the hardware and software? How will updates to the software be pushed out to the end-users?
Looking ahead
Choosing a digital health solution for your patients is no small task. However, asking the right questions and aligning stakeholders on healthcare digital transformation can help you invest in innovative digital health solutions that will help promote value-based care. Learn how Panda Health can help.
