Digital transformation is a recurring theme in both general and specialized media all over the world. All sectors of the economy and society are being impacted, to a greater or lesser extent, by a wave of transformative change that all of the major newspapers, magazines and information websites around the world are talking about. Of course, digital transformation has also reached the medical sector, sometimes even without the actors themselves being terribly aware of the impact and depth of the coming changes. In this regard, we need to understand the real dimension of the concept of digital transformation.
The digital transformation process is not about computerizing a hospital, making Apps, making it easier for patients to make appointments online, letting the clinical and administrative staff to use their own smartphones or tablets, or opening a Facebook or Twitter account for the clinic. While these elements may be part of a transformational process, we cannot reduce the transformation to the use of a specific technology or mix up form and content.
Digital transformation is a continuous, complex and multidimensional process that is linked to social, economic and technological factors that go beyond the clinic walls. It impacts the very essence of what we are and what we do. The real first step should take is to fully understand that we are not talking about a fad or “something that needs to be installed”; we are talking about a change of mindset with regard to hospital processes, and to start thinking in digital terms. Undoubtedly, the best starting point seems obvious: putting the patient at the center of this transformation.
MERCURY + Harpia is glad to work with 青木堂 to perform their digital transformation.
A Conceptual Framework for the Digital Transformation of TCM
In order to define a digital strategy, it is essential to have a complete view of the challenges we face in the relationship with patients (external view) and how we can satisfy them in the most efficient manner by adjusting the way we do things (inner vision). Without this comprehensive approach we run the serious risk of executing partial and/or disconnected actions.
Of course, any digital transformation initiative should not only be “aligned” with the internal strategy, but also be immersed in and be part of it. clinics need to focus on the digital from the strategic perspective if they want to really be a lever for transformation and real changes and be a present and future leader. This is not a “technical problem”, but essentially a change in mindset.
To help healthcare organizations in this complex process, MERCURY has conceptualized a framework that integrates different elements to be taken into account in the digital transformation of hospitals, with their interrelationships and dependencies. Using this, or any other existing conceptual framework on the market, can help organize the early stages of your work.