Technological Advancements in Healthcare Administration
We often think of technology’s role in health care as it relates to medical care. After all, cutting-edge tools and treatments are resulting in less pain and quicker healing for patients.
While advancement in medicine deserves attention, it presents only one aspect of technology in health care. New technological tools and systems are also transforming the administrative side of health care. These technologies offer welcome change for the healthcare administrators responsible for the day-to-day operations of health organizations.
Here are some of the technological advancements improving healthcare management.
Electronic Medical Records
Electronic medical records, or electronic health records, help healthcare managers achieve goals around transparency, cost saving, and patient-provider relationships. An electronic record contains a patient’s medical history and important clinical data relevant to the individual’s care, including demographics, health problems, medications, and lab tests.
The electronic format of these medical records allows for automated access to patient information and creates a more streamlined workflow for clinicians. Through various interfaces, electronic medical records can support care-related activities such as evidence-based decision-making, quality management, and patient outcomes reporting. Additionally, the records save healthcare providers time and money by reducing the duplication of tests and procedures.
Cloud-based electronic health records offer an even simpler centralized system. More savings come from using the cloud, which decreases maintenance costs and the needs for IT staff. Cloud-based systems also offer flexibility and scalability.
Customer Relationship Management Technology
Customer relationship management (CRM) technology automates business processes, reducing waste and optimizing workflows while doing so. Within health care, a CRM can also be called a patient relationship management tool. Through automation, patients are supported across multiple channels for appointment scheduling, communication, care coordination, and other patient-driven activities.
Healthcare administrators manage a wide variety of functions, ranging from accounting and facilities management to operations and human resources. A CRM system can tie together healthcare management, clinical practices, compliance, marketing, and finance—making it easier for healthcare administrators to connect all activities to patient care.
To summarize, a centralized healthcare CRM helps healthcare administrators’ strategic efforts focused on:
- Collecting detailed patient information, including frequency of hospital visits, consulting doctors, medical history, and follow-up communication.
- Identifying the best channels to communicate with prospective patients.
- Tracking the effectiveness and return on investment (ROI) from marketing campaigns.
Data Analytics
Leaders and stakeholders in today’s healthcare environment need data to make accurate decisions. Data analytics provide insights to accomplish business goals by revealing the patterns and trends related to health care. Data from many aspects of health care, including patient demographics and preferences, facility usage, and physician satisfaction, can provide a holistic view of a healthcare organization.
Within health care, an enormous amount of data is being collected, stored, and analyzed using a variety of tools and systems. This data can fall into three main categories: descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive. Descriptive analytics are recognized as part of the first step in turning data into actionable insights by quantifying events that have happened. Predictive analytics estimate the likelihood of a future outcome based on patterns in historical data. And, prescriptive analytics goes a step further by actively suggesting how an organization can take action on an expected event.
Many experts expect data analytics to continue to enhance the quality of care and improve patient and employee satisfaction.
Your Role in Healthcare Administration
New technology is shaping the future of health care. Healthcare executives and administrators must be prepared to harness the strengths that technology provides while also focusing on other responsibilities. An advanced education offers professionals the knowledge and skills needed to lead the changes in health care. Choose William Woods University’s Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree and gain the competency skills needed for an evolving healthcare industry.