Many of us have been there. We’re at a conference and sit in on a presentation on the latest technological innovation. The room is packed, standing room only. The subject is exciting, the possibilities are endless. It’s easy to think in these situations that our colleagues and board members will feel the same rush at the thought of all the new capabilities which can be added because of this innovation. Sometimes, when we return to the office and describe this incredible idea, we’re met with equal excitement, but often times, we haven’t asked the right questions: “How can this benefit our business and how are we going to alter our business process to make this impactful?”
Healthcare Innovation: The Perpetual Occurrence
Healthcare is awash with new, innovative ideas. From artificial intelligence, smart monitoring devices and robotics, there are many organizations working on new ways to enhance resident and patient experiences, improve employee retention, lower operational costs, and add stickiness to interactions. It is easy to get distracted by the “shiny object” and not focus on the bottom-line benefit to the business. The reality is that healthcare is trailing other industries in terms of innovation because of their conservative nature. While many innovative ideas can be applied to the healthcare industry and can provide significant business benefits, we must approach them with caution to avoid wasting growingly scarce human and financial resources.
Patient Engagement
Many new methods exist to engage with patients, not only related to their visit, but outside the four walls of the healthcare organization. Examples include delivering reminders to mobile apps, asking for feedback, providing real time patient education and sending information about upcoming events relevant to address both traditional healthcare as well as social determinants of health. The goal here is to create a more holistic solution to patient needs under one setting to provide better outcomes and optimize revenue capture.
Healthcare Robotics
Robotics can now support everything from food delivery and preparation, medication dispensing, to sanitation, to even concierge services. The robots are aware of their surroundings and can navigate around people, objects and through doorways. Food or package delivery, cleaning and wayfinding concierge services can all result in reduced staff effort, which can lead to increased staff satisfaction and improved retention while offering unique experiences for patients or residents.
Patient and Resident Monitoring
Healthcare is a data rich business, our bodies give off a plethora of information every second of the day. In and out of the four walls of our healthcare facilities and communities there is opportunity to harness this data to support the well-being of individuals as well as overall population health. There are a variety of monitoring tools anywhere from widely available items like smartwatches to those designed specifically to gather objective health data for conditions like diabetes, obesity and to keep a watchful eye on activities of daily living.
Senior Living Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence sounds like a complex term but what it really means is automating manual processes to improve operational aspects. From AI used in the staff recruitment process through the ability to compile information using automation this can truly enhance business processes given the current and growing lack of labor in the healthcare industry. More sophisticated organizations are trying to figure out the different applications as AI use keeps increasing in both scope and maturity.
Healthcare Reimagined
Consider a world where a resident goes down to the dining room for lunch and has a robot prep and another one serve their meal. Where instead of a nurse a machine can get vitals and blood sugar, compare them to norms and alert a doctor of any variation. Where patients and residents have access to their health information and education customized to them in a push of a button with little manual intervention. High tech, high touch organizations will be able to competitively differentiate to consumers and staff alike.
Contact Hartman to talk about how healthcare technology could help uplevel your organization
Innovative ideas must always be pursued in support of business objectives. Successfully integrating innovative ideas into the business requires effective communication with the participants, clearly defined goals that are based on business objectives, hard timelines, and opportunities to provide feedback. To discuss your business objectives and what healthcare technology could help you achieve them contact a Hartman to access the knowledge of our subject matter experts.