November 27, 2019
According to the World Health Organization, “the safety and availability of specific health services is directly influenced by the availability and functionality of commodities needed to provide those services.”1 Among those key commodities is information technology (IT).
As technology advances, so must a health system’s IT infrastructure to not only take advantage of new capabilities, but to ensure continued stability and security. IT infrastructure improvements can also increase value in patient care, as well as help to attract and retain valuable talent for the healthcare system.
As the end of the calendar year approaches, many organizations are considering ways to use budget remainders before the end of the year or planning budgets for the coming year. IT infrastructure improvement should be part of the wish list.
Some things to consider when evaluating new infrastructure components or determining an area of focus:
Scalability: Will the solution be able to adapt to changing demands?
Data Integration: Can data be combined, analyzed, and transferred as needed?
Security: Will data and critical system performance be protected?
Connectivity: Are providers and patients able to connect to applications and information when and where they need to?
Performance: Can critical tasks be performed in an efficient and consistent manner?
When beginning the planning process it is critical to involve all stakeholders from beginning to end. The people who will build the solution, support the solution, and use the solution should all have an opportunity to share their needs and evaluate options. Also important is to identify internal strengths within your team and supplement with external experts as needed, for example, consultants may be needed for IT security, network design, or data analytics.
hc1 offers a suite of cloud-based, high-value care solutions that enable healthcare organizations to transform business and clinical data into the intelligence necessary to deliver on the promise of personalized care, all while eliminating waste. Visit www.hc1.com to learn more.
References
- World Health Organization. (2019). Infrastructure and technologies.
- Luxon L. (2015). Infrastructure – the key to healthcare improvement. Future hospital journal, 2(1), 4–7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6465866/
