Right from the time we harnessed the power of fire …to the time when surgeries are performed using robotics, humans have made progress. We have learnt how to unleash technology to make our work easier. Technology is evolving at the blink of an eye and innovative methods of doing mechanical tasks are in vogue. The future belongs to artificial intelligence, and healthcare segment is also catching up in this ground-breaking transition.

Healthcare segment faces a large lacuna of skilled professionals. The caregiver to patient ratio is disturbing. This is especially true in an over- populated country like India when the populace is burgeoning and resources are limited. Digitalization of healthcare is the only way forward to deal with the escalating healthcare needs of the masses.

How can Healthcare be Digitalized?

1. Appointment booking

Patients get frustrated by the tedium of appointment booking with a healthcare professional. This manual task can be easily digitalized with website appointments or appointments booked through apps. Live tracking of appointments, sending reminders to the patients about the appointment are all possible with ease.

Appointments for procedures like lab tests, MRI scans, CT scans etc. can also be booked digitally. Time slots can be dispatched to the patients, thereby averting long queues at diagnostic centres.

2. Case history gathering

Before the physician meets the patient face-to-face, a plethora of information has to be gathered like height, weight, temperature, family history, dietary habits, medicines taken, exercise pattern etc. This preview is usually taken by a junior doctor or a nurse. In these days of manpower shortage, this job can be delegated to a digital kiosk which will run on Artificial intelligence and list down earlier medical history of patients in a systematic and organized manner. This will save time and energy of the residents or nurses and at the same time eliminate any human error.

3. Doctor’s notes

Physicians are busy people with hectic schedules. They have a multitude of patients to help in a limited time. Due to this time constraint, their written summary of the case and prescription may sometimes be in illegible handwriting. Digitalization can put an end to this manual entry. The doctors can directly type their perception and diagnosis and recommendations in easy-to-read digital formats, leaving no scope for error in understanding.

4. Record keeping

A hospital generates tons and tons of documents like reports, doctor’s notes, scans, prescriptions, insurance details, bills, receipts etc. If a hospital uses a digitalized hospital information management system, all this paperwork can be converted into electronic records and collated in an e inventory for easy retrieval. This will dispel the need for piles of records and save paper, space and time of manual entry.

5. Decision making

An electronic healthcare system will compile all the health events at different

stages of the patient’s lifespan and get it on one screen at the click of a finger. This dynamic representation will help doctors make medical decisions with ease and speed and determine right course of treatment.

6. Information sharing

Digitalization will help the patients and their physicians share data across departments, across hospitals and across countries with ease so that they can make informed decisions. This can save time in critical situations and also unnecessary complications.

7. Collaboration between different specialities

 Some conditions necessitate intervention by several specialists. This requires a lot of coordination as every healthcare professional has hectic schedules. Getting them all together at the same time and then discussing a particular case may be next to impossible. This will become possible with digitalization. Having access to digital data can aid specialists from different disciplines collaborate and take a common decision in the best interests of their patient.

8. Monitoring and Follow-up

Some chronic conditions require monitoring at regular intervals. They might not require specific one-to-one consultation with the physician every time. Digitalization can help in monitoring such patients from a distance through the practice of telemedicine.  Telemedicine can help elderly, disabled and movement-restricted patients receive expert medical advice from the comfort of their homes. Telemedicine can prevent overcrowding in hospitals for routine follow-up and save time, money and needless commuting.

9. Billing

Patients dread the long wait to collect bills and make payments. Digitalization can wipe away this humdrum wait by providing e-copies of bills and by accepting payments through web transfer.

10. Insurance claims

The collection of health insurance is a truly massive undertaking as it involves a pile of form-filling and correspondence. If there is a single mistake in a manual entry, the family members have to run from pillar to post to address queries. All this needless hassle can be avoided if there is digitalization as every bill and receipt generated in the hospital can be collected with a click.

11. Patient support

Digitalization can help hospitals send electronic reminders of appointments, medical refills, tests etc. They can also receive educational information about their condition like lifestyle

changes, nutrition and exercise guidelines etc.

To summarize, digitalization will benefit your hospital tremendously at every stage right from the time of appointment booking to the time of follow-up. Your hospital will undergo a miraculous transition and become more advanced and digi-smart. The convenience, comfort and speed guaranteed by digitalization will enhance patient experience and will build your hospital’s image as an advanced healthcare institution. If you need any help in digitalising your healthcare set-up, be sure to consult Hospertz, a leading healthcare consultancy firm of India.

Blog has been written by Dr. Vishal Jadhav, a veteran in the field of hospital consultancy with a rich experience of more than 20 years and founder of the Healthcare Consultancy Firm, Hospertz.

Dr. Vishal Jadhav, Director

Linkedin: Dr Vishal Jadhav
hospertz@gmail.com
+91 9867712705/ 9820833149