How to Overcome the No. 1 Obstacle to Healthcare Innovation

Hospitals and health systems will always be in demand, but that doesn’t make them immune to the effects of consumerism.

Today, patients have more choice than ever before. With online rating tools and greater focus on the patient experience, competition among healthcare providers has reached unprecedented heights.

Hospitals must innovate to gain a competitive edge.

Execute your innovation effort with ease.

CIOs are typically the ones who drive healthcare innovation initiatives. Most have already realized the differentiating power of new technology for strengthening the hospital brand.

However, many barriers to innovation stand in the way.

Successful technology adoption is a persistent challenge

In addition to enhancing the hospital brand, the adoption of new technology is integral to all aspects of the business strategy.

New tech is critical for improving the quality of care and operational efficiency, both of which influence patients’ perception of the care experience.

The possibilities to integrate digital tools are virtually endless. But unfortunately, the successful implementation of new digital tools continues to evade many hospital tech leaders.

Only 23% of healthcare CIOs foster innovation effectively

50% of healthcare CIOs are responsible for leading innovation in technical/IT matters within their organization, while 31% are tasked with leading innovation across the entire enterprise, according to findings from the 2017 Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey.

However, just 23% of healthcare CIOs said their organization is “very effective” at fostering innovation.

Less than a quarter of those surveyed—16%—say they are “very effective” at using digital technologies to advance business strategy, according to the report.

What are the biggest barriers to healthcare innovation?

Many obstacles have the power to derail innovation efforts.

According to the CIO survey, the three most significant barriers to the successful implementation of digital capabilities in healthcare include:

• Overcoming resistance to change (45%)
• Managing issues with legal and regulatory compliance (39%)
• Achieving adequate ROI (37%)

Resistance to change is the most profound challenge for healthcare leaders when it comes to adopting new digital tools. We saw this when hospitals began to adopt electronic health records—the effects of which are still visible.

Despite the potential for innovative technology to improve care and the patient experience, clinicians often see the implementation of new technology as disruptive.

1. Doctors and nurses tend to be evidence-based thinkers—unless they see concrete proof that a proposed change will bring value, they will most likely resist it.

2. They don’t want technology to interfere with patient interactions.

3. They are extremely busy. Ask a room full of clinicians who has a few hours to spare for a software tutorial, and you’ll probably be hearing crickets.

Don’t let resistance to change stifle healthcare innovation

The solution lies in finding the right change management tools.

A Digital Adoption Platform (DAP), is the ideal change management solution for innovative hospitals and health systems because it remedies all of clinicians’ apprehensions about technology adoption.

A DAP provides on-screen, contextual guidance right at the moment of need, so users can complete any task with ease. It drastically reduces software learning time on any platform and eliminates the “forgetting curve.”

For CIOs who oversee the implementation of new digital tools, a DAP provides detailed insights into where users experience friction or drop off. This can be invaluable to refining training and improving usability.

Planning a healthcare innovation initiative is exciting. Executing it is an entirely different story. But with a DAP, clinicians will be more willing to embrace change and use new digital tools.

The end result?

Happier, more productive clinicians, a more seamless patient experience, and a stronger organizational brand.

Discover why CIOs turn to a DAP when it’s time to innovate.