The digital backbone of continuous care

Source: Economist Enterprise, Technology Resilience Index. Economist Enterprise survey data suggests that compliance and cybersecurity remain leading investment drivers. In addition, findings also point to a broader role for resilience in keeping workflows and patient-facing services available as technology becomes more interconnected.

Beyond protecting systems, resilience also means keeping information and services available as patients move between providers and care settings.

Making connected care work

When information can move securely across care settings, clinicians can spend less time navigating disconnected workflows. The potential productivity gains are particularly important in America, where spending on health administration is nearly four times that of comparable countries, according to an analysis of OECD data¹. Some of that burden reflects a fragmented, heavily regulated healthcare system, with thousands of health plans operating under different requirements and coverage limits.

One source of friction is the need to exchange information between providers and systems. A patient may move between a primary-care doctor, specialists, a physical therapist and a telehealth nurse. Even when those providers use separate systems, they need access to the same information to co-ordinate care. The same applies inside hospitals, where clinicians increasingly rely upon mobile devices and resilient voice and data communications to access information and co-ordinate with specialists as they move between patients and departments.

Greater interoperability also means connecting systems built at different times for different purposes. Ageing equipment and applications can force staff to use workarounds and make information harder to move between care settings. Healthcare organisations must increasingly connect legacy systems with newer cloud services, digital applications and AI tools. Patient care must be maintained throughout the transition.

“Modernisation is not simply a technology replacement,” says Mr Drygas. “Healthcare organisations often need to connect established systems with cloud, mobile and AI-enabled environments while keeping critical workflows available. That makes secure, resilient connectivity and thoughtfully designed redundancy an important part of the modernisation strategy from the start.”

Expertise is another constraint. Some 62% of healthcare professionals surveyed cite skills shortages as among their top three barriers to maintaining and recovering critical technology services, ahead of legacy systems at 57%.

With specialist IT skills in short supply, external partners can help healthcare organisations to plan, connect and manage increasingly complex environments, allowing internal teams to stay focused on clinical and operational priorities.

“Modernisation goals, cloud adoption, cybersecurity and the need to support new care delivery models are driving these partnerships,” explains Ramesh Prabagaran, vice president of R&D and innovation at AT&T.

Resilience needs will vary by setting. A major hospital, a specialty clinic and a remote-care programme may have different infrastructure requirements, but each depends on secure, reliable access to the communications, applications and information that support care.

Preparing infrastructure for AI

AI adds new data flows, dependencies and governance requirements to an already complex technology environment. As healthcare organisations explore AI-enabled clinical support, automation and patient engagement, they will need greater visibility into how data, applications and systems interact across distributed environments.

Shamus McGillicuddy, vice president of research for network infrastructure and operations at Enterprise Management Associates, describes an “AI gold rush” to develop applications. As organisations experiment, he says, IT leaders are asking questions about safety, security and compliance.

“There will need to be a lot of rigour around how AI strategies are implemented,” Mr McGillicuddy warns. “New AI centres of excellence and chief AI officers need to make sure that not only are the AI applications and agents resilient, but the resiliency of the underlying digital infrastructure isn't compromised by them.” 

Patients may never see the infrastructure supporting their care. They experience whether information is available, care teams are connected and services remain within reach. As care spreads across more settings and technologies, an adaptable digital foundation can help healthcare organisations to maintain continuity while supporting new models of care.