Healthcare systems will need a ‘digital backbone’ to remain sustainable in the face of increasing demand, rising costs, uneven quality and misaligned incentives, a survey by consultants PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) indicates.
The third PwC Healthcast sought the views of more than 580 executives of hospitals and hospital systems, physician groups, governments, medical suppliers and employers in 27 countries around the world including the UK.
IT was seen as an important factor in the drive towards creating sustainable systems able to temper costs while balancing the needs to provide access to safe, quality care.
PwC’s report says: “The vast majority of Healthcast 2020 survey respondents viewed IT as important or very important to integrate care (73%) and improve information sharing (78%). But IT is not a solution in and of itself. A smaller percentage saw IT as important or very important for improving patient safety (54%) or restoring patient trust (35%).”
A ‘digital backbone’ is seen by the report’s authors as one of seven key features of a sustainable system offering the opportunity to use technology and interoperable networks to accelerate integration, standardisation and knowledge transfer of administrative and clinical information.
Other factors include quality and safety standardisation, strategic resource deployment and the creation of a climate of innovation.
PwC urges leaders in health systems to think globally and look for solutions around the world, contradicting the commonly held view of healthcare as a local industry facing unique cultural, economic and regulatory hurdles.
Despite the differences, the challenges faced by different health systems are remarkably similar, argues PwC.
“Transferable lessons are emerging. The variety is astounding yet so are the commonalities. Around the world and across all sectors of the industry, healthcare leaders are exploring many of the same solutions,” says the report.
The common approaches identified by the report include a trend towards collaboration between healthcare organisations to foster standardisation and the adoption of technology and process changes.
“They are teaming to enhance access and portability of healthcare services. They are coming together to realign incentives to accomplish mutual goals.”
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