Abstract:

Technology has established itself as the engine that most often drives change in any business model. How can technology reduce healthcare costs? Here are 4 ways in which healthcare technology can be leveraged to improve medical service while enhancing medical coverage and efficiency of care.

4 smart ways to optimize operations and cut costs

In recent years, healthcare systems have witnessed a gradual increase in operating costs. Whether due to rising labor costs, demographic changes related to the aging of the baby boom generation, changing insurance payment structures, or an uncertain regulatory climate, the need to review new ways to reduce operating costs without sacrificing the quality of care has become evident.

In this scenario, technology has established itself as the engine that most often drives change in any business model. How can technology reduce healthcare costs? Here are 4 ways in which healthcare technology can be harnessed to improve medical service while favoring medical coverage and efficiency in care.

1. Automate administrative tasks for more efficient use of physicians’ time

Automating repetitive administrative tasks can reduce the number of hours physicians require to treat each patient. According to a study cited by The New York Times, physicians spend less than one-third of their time caring for patients; in fact, some physicians spend as much as one-third of their time making notes in patient records.

Medical software can automate common administrative tasks, easing the burden on doctors and putting patient care back at the center of their work.

For example, at IMEXHS we provide doctors with a voice recognition tool, which gives them the option of dictating patient diagnostic reports. There is also the option of pre-loading specific voice commands to pre-created templates with the most recurrent diagnoses encountered by the radiologist in his daily work.

• Optimize databases and platforms

Many medical centers work with several disparate systems and technologies that were adopted at different times as needed. This situation results in wasted time dealing with separate logins and constant attempts to get one system to communicate with another.

Ideally, all or most technologies should be accessible from a single platform, which saves support costs and allows physicians to focus on patient care and not on resolving a few technical glitches.

At IMEXHS, we are innovative in making available to physicians and administrative staff user-friendly platforms that provide a great user experience and are characterized by being end-to-end, which allows to manage from a single platform all processes from scheduling to reading and submission of medical reports. Additionally, our platforms are fully compatible and interoperable with the previous systems of the medical centers. 

• Implement AI algorithms to promote efficiency

AI algorithms alone cannot replace the intuition and experienced eye of physicians, whose specialized knowledge is vital when making diagnoses. However, AI has been able to optimize workflows by performing an initial scan of images, organizing and prioritizing them, making physicians’ work faster and more efficient.

At IMEXHS, we have a set of AI algorithms in the cloud, developed to help specialists in diagnosis. These tools allow us to sort studies by relevance, identify pathologies more easily and perform advanced analysis, providing quantitative data to support medical decisions. We currently have 5 different algorithms within our product offering: IMEXHS AI CHEST, IMEXHS AI COVID, IMEXHS AI LUNG, IMEXHS AI NEURO, IMEXHS AI BREAST.

4.            Eliminate the use of CDs or plates for medical imaging results.

100% cloud-based platforms have made CDs or radiographic plates largely obsolete. The technology has allowed medical center staff to stop spending valuable time printing images on CDs or printing them on plates. In addition, it also saves the time and money involved in distributing these results, either to the patient or to physicians who require them. It is estimated that the reduction in the number of CDs and plates allows savings of up to 90%.

Implementing a cloud-based platform facilitates the upload, transfer and exchange of medical images with just a few clicks. Using a secure, HIPAA-compliant cloud platform means that the medical center can be confident that their patient information will be stored securely and privately, while operating costs can be greatly reduced.

At IMEXHS we provide ease thanks to our 100% cloud-based platforms, which allows us to offer zero footprint solutions that eliminate printing or recording of diagnostic images, thus optimizing diagnostic times. In addition, cloud storage ensures that patient information remains securely stored until the medical center deems it necessary.

References:

1. Healthcare Weekly Staff (May 30, 2018) 5 ways technology can reduce healthcare costs. Extracted from: https://healthcareweekly.com/5-ways-technology-can-reduce-healthcare-costs/
2. Panner, M. (May 12, 2021) 5 tech-savvy ways to modernize imaging operations and cut costs. Extracted from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/371288
3. Shibli, A. (February 21, 2021) Smartier, Healthier, Cheaper: 6 ways technology is reducing healthcare costs. Extracted from: https://www.dr-bill.ca/blog/practice-management/reduce-healthcare-costs-through-technology/