Navigating the digital transformation in health care: challenges and solutions

From intelligent wearable devices and telemedicine to electronic health records, digital transformation in the health care sector promises numerous benefits, including improving patient loyalty, promoting equitable access, and enhancing cost savings. It is no wonder, then, that 79% and 69% of health care and life science leaders intend to implement automation and AI in their companies, respectively.

Despite a willingness to innovate, the outcomes have been mixed, with 49% of industry CEOs stating that digital transformation has not met the expected benefits. In fact, a survey revealed that 55% of respondents believe the integration of new technologies has actually increased administrative burden.

Effective implementation of digital innovations in the health care sector has been spotty due to numerous unresolved challenges. Addressing data privacy concerns and tackling the technological skills gap will be key as the sector seeks to revolutionize patient experience in a meaningful way.

The importance of securing patient data

A central component of the health care sector’s digital transformation involves ensuring patients’ health records are accessible and shareable via the cloud. This initiative has been shown to improve patient outcomes and facilitate coordination and communication among practitioners.

However, the growing accessibility and integration of insurance information and medical records means that patient data is more appealing to ransomware attacks than ever. In 2022, health care organizations in the US experienced an average of 1,410 cyberattacks per organization per week, which marks an 86% increase from 2021. Rectifying each of these attacks incurred an average cost of $1.27 million.

Because of the very real threat that cyberattacks pose to the sector’s digital transformation, patients have been particularly cautious about fully embracing it. For example, 62% of Americans have expressed serious concerns upon learning that federal privacy protections do not extend to patient data stored on apps.

Much of the onus in building public trust in health institutions lies in digital solutions providers’ capability to counter ever-evolving cyber threats, but health care organizations have a role to play in this endeavor as well. For instance, they can be transparent with regards to how patient data will be collected, stored, and used. Compliance to data privacy regulations such as HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA must also be clearly communicated. Above all, trust should be cultivated incrementally, with patients being informed about the advantages of data sharing while retaining complete control over their data.

The need to overcome the technological skills gap

Digitizing processes can significantly enhance the convenience and effectiveness of health care, but realizing this potential relies heavily on human oversight. For instance, telehealth services, such as remote monitoring and omnichannel communication, would be ineffective if practitioners are not familiar with the supporting platforms. Likewise, the potential of AI-assisted procedures such as medical imaging would be largely squandered if medical professionals lack proficiency in implementing machine learning principles, including model training and cross-validation.

Another barrier to achieving the operational efficiency digital transformation can bring is the technological skills gap in the health care sector A survey of 1,800 of health care workers revealed that only 14% of respondents report having “advanced” workplace digital skills, such as data visualization, data science, and programming. This gap is not solely a generational issue; even 69% of Gen Z respondents feel unprepared for a digitally driven role in the health sector. Practitioners’ familiarity with generative AI is not much more promising, with only 15% of them having any experience at all with it in the workplace. Perhaps the most alarming statistic is that 76% of health care professionals are not learning the necessary skills to succeed in their evolving roles.

Given that the pace of digital transformation surpasses medical professionals’ capacity to keep up, it is unsurprising that the initiative has yet to consistently deliver the promised gains. Again, digital solutions providers can offer invaluable assistance by providing training to the practitioners who will be using the technologies being implemented. Some of these companies have even started to expose their software engineers to the health care sector to better collaborate with practitioners.

Reinforcing the partnership between digital solutions providers and medical professionals

For many leaders in the field, digital transformation has fallen short of its expectations. The concept of digitizing and disseminating health records across multiple platforms to drive superior patient outcomes runs into data privacy risks. Additionally, a widespread skills gap poses an obstacle to effectively leveraging the revolutionary technologies associated with the movement.

A stronger partnership between digital solutions providers, the drivers of digital transformation, and medical professionals, its beneficiaries, can make headway on both challenges. Regarding data privacy risks, continuous improvements in cybersecurity paired with transparent communication can help patients gradually come to terms with the benefits of data sharing. As for bridging the skills gap, digital solutions providers play an integral role in equipping medical professionals with guidance and education on cutting-edge technology and digital skills required.

Vanessa Justice is the Director of Account Executives at BlueCloud, where she leads her team in delivering client solutions in data, analytics, GenAI, and cloud transformation. With over 15 years of experience in strategic account management, Vanessa excels in fostering customer success and driving innovation. Before joining BlueCloud, she was an Enterprise Account Executive at Snowflake, supporting Fortune 100 companies in healthcare and life sciences. Her career also includes key roles at ADP, Alteryx, and Aerotek, where she honed her skills in sales, customer service, and business development. Vanessa is known for her dedication, mentorship, and ability to build strong client partnerships.