By Cesilia Faustina
In 2020, the healthcare sector is expected to face new profound challenges and trends. Fuelled by advancements in the digital health sector, digital transformation is surely going to be a major foundation for delivering a personalized future.
This will give way for the healthcare sector to be more innovative while promoting greater collaboration and coming up with cheaper and more direct tools for clinicians.
According to a 2020 Deloitte report, some of the challenges that the healthcare sector face today include financial operation and performance improvement, a care model strategy, digital transformation, and interoperability and shift of employees. These are some of the challenges faced by many clinics today, specifically due to the rise of technology.
Technological systems and tools are shifting the way healthcare institutions, such as clinics operate; thanks to healthcare software, many institutions are aiming for greater financial stability and less cost on operations, as well as using digitalization to personalize services towards their customers.
The shift of a digital process is driving more solutions from the software sector in order to face these challenges and be able to deliver to both the clinics’ and patients’ needs. Through it, we can see various emerging trends forming amongst software management, which is what we will be looking at this time around.
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| Healthcare challenges. Source: Deloitte Analysis |
Electronic Health Records
Electronic Health Records (EHR) or Electronic Medical Records (EMR) is a centralized registry for all patients’ health-related information. This includes detailed documentation of the patient’s general background, as well as their past medical records and prescriptions.
It is viewed through a digital format, which makes it easier when it comes to finding the right data and needing information directly. All healthcare institutions rely on an EHR/EMR now in order to get the job done. Healthcare services no longer depend on manual records and paperwork, instead making use of digitalization of workflows. It is an important element to maintain for clinics and other healthcare providers out there, which is why an EHR/EMR is one of the main components mandatory within a clinical information system.
A clinical workbench
A workbench is essentially a digital database of all your data and records, which in this case, is used to handle all administration and documentation activities, including any information on cases, referrals, visits, lab results, consultation orders, medical prescription and more.
Such a feature fits as a comprehensive database that is easily viewed and accessed. This makes all registrations and cases effortlessly manageable and accessed, which will save time, cost and increase efficiency.
One of the major points clinics and healthcare institutions, in general, are trying to face is financial sustainability and efficiency, which is exactly what having a tool like this can do. In addition, a clinical workbench will also make it easier to for patients to register themselves and have their cases reviewed, seeing as how the patients’ records are all documented within the workbench.
Revenue management
In order to reach financial sustainability, a fully digital platform is not only the case, handling finances digitally is also a must for this to succeed, which is why clinic management systems are acquiring a taste for a complete revenue management tool.
A module of this scale covers all billing activities, such as managing e-claims, invoices and insurance reports. A revenue management system, which would integrate with a financial management system can automatically generate any bills accumulated from the clinic and directly access and send it to the customers.
In dealing with patients’ cost, such a module will be able to integrate with an insurance management system which can automatically process and calculate any deductibles or extra costs from a claim made.
Processing claims and clinic billing instantly and digitally will make serving patients much easier by reducing all the complicated manual paperwork that usually needs to be done. It creates better service and customer satisfaction generally.
Smart Access
Another emerging trend amongst digital transformation is the various methods of access customers can take. We no longer live in a world of manual processing, most of us take care of business through a single click of a button or app from our phones. It is because of this that many clinic systems come with various portals and direct ways of access for those who need it.
Web Portals
These means of access includes personalized portals for payers, referrals and patients. Different users with different roles can directly log on to a web access that will allow them to do the job plain and simple. This means clinics can save up more time while reducing unnecessary and mundane processes.
Each portal will have its very own functionality that will allow a quick and simple process, making it easier for the clinicians and the patients, and everyone in between.
Mobile Apps
Other than portals though, as we are addicted to our phones, you know there must be something about apps in here. Most software has some version of an app, due to it being an essential way of life, it is important for clinics to cater this in order to provide the services that customers need.
Having an app is part of the digital way of providing the right services, financial stability and paving the ways for the tech-savvy generation.
Interoperability
What makes a software management system powerful and convenient is its ability to connect and integrate with other systems. This means everything will be nice and simple when dealing with multiple sectors of clinics, such as the financial sector and insurance sector.
Clinics management software need to have flexible integration capabilities to stay on top, such as its ability to integrate with insurance and financial systems for direct and accurate billing and calculations. In addition, some clinics systems also integrate with inventory systems to ensure all their stocks are fulfilled, as well as be aware of any low stocks before running out of the required product.
These systems have the ability to integrate with any required third parties they see fit, including adopting medical standard compliances, such as HL7 standards, or even integrate with any new or emerging technological developments. This will create an efficient workflow, which will in turn maximize services for patients.
Interoperability is an important aspect within a management system, especially when it comes to clinics, as the healthcare industry is constantly dependent on other third-party divisions; therefore, flexibility is key.
So, time to get on board the digital bandwagon!
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