Despite spending billions of dollars, many healthcare organizations (HCOs) are still in the early stages of their digital transformation journey. Forrester’s research on future fit and IT maturity levels in the industry indicates that healthcare lags behind other industries despite likely spending more on digital business initiatives in the past year.
One common pitfall for HCOs is the adoption of technology merely for the sake of being an early adopter or due to the fear of missing out. The risks associated with emerging technologies such as generative AI increase exponentially the chance of falling into the pit. In the face of a challenging financial climate, with higher labor expenses, increased care utilization, and rising medical costs, HCOs must also strike a balance between financial pressure and the push for innovation. It is now more critical than ever for HCOs to have the right digital strategy in place.
Give Your Strategy A Much-Needed Check-Up
The new year presents an excellent opportunity to assess the maturity of your digital transformation efforts and identify areas for improvement. Healthcare, like many other industries, faces unique challenges that slow down and complicate digital transformation. Although the pandemic accelerated healthcare’s digital future, many organizations are now grappling with duplicative technologies and a disconnect from their overall strategic vision.
To address these challenges, we have developed two tailored assessments that align with the current state of digital transformation in healthcare and consider the key industry trends and unique obstacles that HCOs face. Forrester clients can access these assessments here:
What Factors Play A Role?
Digital transformation goes beyond technology adoption; it requires delivering sustainable value to customers and employees. True transformation occurs at the molecular level of an organization, fundamentally changing the way it operates. In addition to technology adoption, transformation necessitates new ways of working, a culture that embraces learning and failure, talent strategies that attract and retain digital skills, and dynamic organizational structures. With this in mind, we have established criteria across six categories:
- Strategy and leadership. Healthcare organizations set a clear vision for their digital strategy, are driven by their mission, and lead with an outside-in focus, allowing the needs of patients, members, and caregivers to drive excellence in care delivery and quality, business agility, and operational efficiency.
- Culture. Healthcare organizations establish a strong culture that fosters open communication, collaboration, customer-centered care and experiences, continuous learning, and a commitment to quality and safety.
- Talent and governance. Healthcare organizations invest in individuals from diverse backgrounds, promote digital skill development, and hold leaders accountable for achieving goals.
- Customer experience and engagement. Healthcare organizations actively maintain a deep understanding of the customer, meeting evolving expectations, creating sustained engagement, and continuously improving the overall experience to achieve increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
- Technology, data, and innovation. Healthcare organizations actively tap into advanced and emerging technologies, conduct advanced data analysis, and foster a culture of continuous improvement to drive positive outcomes and advancements in care delivery, operational efficiency, and overall healthcare outcomes.
- Collaboration and partnership. Healthcare organizations collaborate internally and with partners to develop innovative solutions that address customer challenges, improve clinical outcomes, enhance efficiency, and optimize financial performance.
What Will My Results Look Like, And What Will I Do With Them?
We designed these assessments to help Forrester clients objectively understand their current maturity and uncover areas of opportunity. Together, based on your assessment results, we will partner with you to discuss the findings and create a series of analyst guidance sessions and next steps to ensure that your strategy is on the right path for 2024 and beyond.
Take the assessment today, and reach out to your account team to schedule a guidance session or inquiry.
