Healthcare Technology Management

One of the hottest topics in radiology today is cloud computing, in which enterprises leverage cloud technology to host applications and their sensitive data, ending the need for local hosting and the on-site hardware, software, and IT services it requires.

The healthcare industry generated more than 2,314 exabytes[1] of real-world data (RWD) in 2020 alone. Applying that to the real world, a single hospital environment contributes up to 40 petabytes of data per day.

Whenever new and complex technologies are introduced to the market, managing them is not easy. Particularly with AI, this process requires in-house hiring to acquire the right skills, training, and redeployment for existing staff—but even then, cultivating this experience can take years to bear fruit.

The healthcare industry is becoming more digitalized due to technological innovation. As a result, there is incredible demand for access to HIPAA and GDPR compliant Real-World Data (RWD). RWD provides the foundation for Real-World Evidence (RWE), which is crucial for validating clinical trials.

At present, there is a lack of a unified and canonical global definition for Real-World Data. The general consensus is that Real-World Data encompasses day-to-day data collection practices from patients in a medical setting. This could also include data collected in randomized or controlled clinical trial settings.

Hospitals, clinics, and individual medical practices are increasingly relying on e-commerce to procure their medical supplies. In 2018, hospitals made up over 53 percent of e-commerce healthcare buyers, and medical devices accounted for 34 percent of e-commerce purchases in the healthcare space.1

Amid COVID-19 and all its stressors, many operations leaders are asking whether they can afford to make healthcare technology management (HTM) investments right now. But the better question is—can you afford not to?

The world’s hospitals and health systems have stepped up in heroic and unprecedented ways to meet the challenges of COVID-19. As outbreaks have occurred across the United States (US) infecting millions of people,1 hospitals are treating hundreds of thousands of Americans in an effort to save lives and minimize the virus’s spread.