With the Covid-19 outbreak, we have been shaken awake to the limitations of being mostly analog within the healthcare system. The abrupt digital changes made it very evident certain business sectors were not ready for the quick adjustment due to reliance on daily interactions with people. Healthcare was one of those sectors. In fact, many rural healthcare facilities had already started the shift towards telehealth and increasing digital capabilities before the pandemic because resources and access to the medical field were already so limited. This caused rural areas to see little to no change in their programs since they were already utilizing a distant operations model.

In a recent New England Journal of Medicine article the authors state, “In a very real sense, the spread of Covid-19 is a product of the digital and technological revolution that has transformed our world over the past century. Unlike the ‘Spanish flu’ of 1918, which became an international epidemic over the course of a year, Covid-19 has spread to every inhabitable continent within weeks, outpacing our health system’s ability to test, track, and contain people with suspected infection. To continue functioning, private companies and institutions of higher education have made an abrupt transition to remote videoconferencing and other digital solutions.”  

The digital need thrust upon us in the workplace has only solidified the need for this revolution. Since most of the healthcare industry has now adjusted their operations to a limited model, opportunities have presented themselves like: reducing costs by closing offices, allowing staff to work remotely, expansion of telehealth, and increased networking within the medical field.  Some healthcare areas that have formerly resisted change are now being provided a clear roadmap of what is required in the future and how automation will benefit their departments with limited resources. The digital age is upon us and will only continue to expand in the future.

The digital revolution is also affecting non-clinical areas within the hospital. The expectation is to still provide the same services but with limited staff. To be effective, this requires the use of digital automation. Hospitals and their engineering departments are making the transition to automating tasks to allow for quick responses to changing standards. Automation also allows facility managers and engineering teams to update and implement changes as they occur, reducing the amount of time staff utilize to research, identify, and input changes. Work orders get sent in real-time directly to the appropriate inbox. Reports are now automated, built & sent in a matter of minutes at the end of rounds. No more need for 3-4 hours needed per report. Each responsible party gets instant access via email & through the application in a matter of seconds. When accrediting agencies arrive to survey, documentation is ready to be reviewed.

Soleran has been ahead of the digital transformation curve in facility compliance. It has become an industry leader of a cloud-based platform for automated compliance management, specializing in healthcare. Soleran’s emeditrack is the only cloud-based platform designed specifically for managing your hospital’s physical environment. It was built and designed by hospital facility managers, safety officers, and experts who survey for The Joint Commission, DNV, and HFAP.  As a former Joint Commission surveyor with 17 years of healthcare experience, I recommend taking a look at Soleran and identifying additional digital possibilities for your staff.

If we have learned anything from Covid-19, technology is king! Digital capabilities and automation are here to stay especially for healthcare.  As a leader, you should already be speaking with your staff about additional digital transformations within departments to minimize time. Before speaking with your staff, research some of the applications available. I think you’ll be intrigued by what has been designed specifically for healthcare facility compliance teams, as well as the ease of transition. Once you realize the possibilities of what automation can do for your team, you will be questioning why you did not become part of this digital cultural shift earlier.

To learn more about Soleran's emeditrack (automated facility compliance platform), click here.

For additional information on the New England Journal of Medicine article referenced above, refer to the link below:

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2005835

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