How will you respond to clinicians sounding the alarm on unsustainable care delivery models?

Digital transformation will play a huge role in solving the problem, but the clinician voice is critical

Health organisations can seize on digital transformation to clear the obstacles from clinicians’ days.

“Digital is seen as a cost centre, not a value centre,” said Rachel Dunscombe, CEO of OpenEHR, who has worked extensively in creating digital clinical programs for England’s National Health Service (NHS) and elsewhere. “We really need to reframe it as being the operating model that allows more productivity while keeping our clinicians a lot happier in the work.”

In EY interviews, clinicians say they see value in some digital tools that have been introduced, especially in voice dictation software and tools that allow them to view images, scans or medical records remotely. However, they disliked siloed apps and platforms that require them to log in multiple times per patient and they asked for better surfacing of the information they need from the Electronic Health Record (EHR). Still wary and frustrated by EHRs that have them lost in multiple click drop-down boxes, clinicians were more sceptical about the role of technology in changing the care delivery model than executives.

The costs of not pursuing digital strategies that will help attract and retain clinicians is high as well, with the consequences of burnout including costly turnover, increased medico-legal risk and financial costs. Loss of workforce supply is significant, given the costs of training with government contributing more than $320 million in 2020 to support tuition and clinical training costs through the Commonwealth Grant Scheme and individual’s bearing substantial personal study and tuition cost burden as well.¹

Dunscombe says health systems need to familiarise clinicians with the technology and free them to create the experience that is right for them. Another challenge to unleashing the power of health data is “the lack of tooling for the clinicians to actually interrogate the data,” she said. “One of the most powerful things we can do is allow the clinicians to understand the population.”

None of the clinicians interviewed by EY said they had access to analytic insights on their patients. Clinicians even expressed frustration with swimming in too much data at times, not being able to find what they need. In fact, a recent report by The World Bank estimated that some countries use less than 5% of health care data to improve health.²

Health organisations must advance towards digitally enabled hybrid care models to address continuing workforce challenges

Newer models that seamlessly integrate remote and in-patient care can help relieve care demand, expand preventative care and improve patient and clinician experience. Data insights can help identify the appropriate time, site and mode of care for patients. More effective virtual triage options and virtual primary care can help reduce the burden, while smart remote patient monitoring devices and apps can enable exception-based interventions and help create more consistent touch points with patients.

Six key actions will help executives move health systems towards digitally enabled hybrid care models:

1. Prioritise time between clinician and patient. Health systems should support clinicians through digitally enabled care models and tools to manage their workload making time available for patients who need longer consultations or more time spent.
2. Activate the data that clinicians are collecting throughout the day by pulling out insights about their patient population. By equipping clinicians with actionable insights, they can better improve outcomes and experience.
3. Develop more precise and consumer-friendly communication strategies to help patients feel more seen and heard. When patients are waiting for test results or appointments, anxiety can build. Communication strategies can help assuage those worries, better manage expectations and keep them connected to the health organisation.
4. Educate the public about what quality care looks like and their role in it. Many may still believe quality care only occurs in hospitals. How can health organisations help the public to understand what high-quality care in hybrid models looks like, and empower them to take a more active role in their care. Clinicians also indicated more needs to be done to stop the abuse of health care workers by patients and to rebuild trust.
5. Collect real-time feedback from employees. Health organisations need a better understanding about what’s working for employees in the moment so they can drop what’s not working and remove obsolete policies or benefits that are not adding value for employees.
6. Focus talent strategies on supporting the move towards new digitally enabled care models. As health systems shift care to preventative models and towards the home, Human Resources (HR) will need to be ready for the new roles that will be necessary to carry care through to the home, such as consumer health techs to connect home health devices. Health systems will also need to work with governments and education systems to enhance digital clinical worker skill sets and pipeline.