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Healthcare Brew covers pharmaceutical developments, health startups, the latest tech, and how it impacts hospitals and providers to keep administrators and providers informed.
The job market for fresh computer science graduates may look bleak in Silicon Valley, but for everyone who struggled to learn Java during undergrad, don’t worry—there’s hope yet.
EY released its inaugural Health Pulse Survey earlier this month, which addresses a systemic shift in the healthcare industry toward digital solutions in hospitals and health systems—particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic became a “catalyst for the healthcare industry” and pushed health systems to pivot to a remote, digital environment.
“Healthcare as we know it is on the precipice of a revolution as more hospitals and health providers adopt digital health systems,” EY’s US Health Technology Leader Kaushik Bhaumik said in a statement.
Of the 101 administrative healthcare executives surveyed, 86% agreed that “digital health solutions” could lead to cost reduction.
But what are digital health solutions, and do they actually work?
Here’s what the survey highlighted:
Digital secretaries: About 90% of healthcare executives said digital administration has helped with time management, giving them more time to manage and prioritize the needs of healthcare providers. Bhaumik described digital implementation as having “a positive effect on operational efficiency,” which softens the effect of nursing shortages. Healthcare workers can then also focus on actual care rather than administrative tasks.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI): More than half (60%) of executives said they are investing in AI integration, with 96% of those respondents claiming that AI has significantly reduced “wasted time” and various costs. Aside from AI aiding administrative tasks, the report says there’s an ongoing effort to advance AI into clinical decision-making.
Tech workers not getting laid off, for once: Nearly 90% of executives are spending more on staffing digital health tech teams. Demand for tech workers is increasing, as 94% of executives surveyed agree that tech investment will improve the credibility of their systems. But despite all this investment—in AI, digitization, and workers—the report says that most healthcare execs are still waiting to break even.
Risk-reward: To date, some 70% of survey respondents have yet to see any return on investment after putting money into digital health solutions. Despite this, the majority of executives surveyed (96%) believe tech investments are worth the cost.