How Tackling IT Silos Can Improve Healthcare Operations

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Darach Beirne

This article is condensed and originally appeared on HealthTech.

Aside from providing excellent patient care, operating efficiently is consistently top of mind for the healthcare industry. Information needs to be shared across teams and disseminated to consumers, all while remaining secure and HIPPA-compliant so that employees can perform their jobs effectively while providing an optimal customer experience. Digital tools are an incredible resource that can enable these goals while ensuring employees can remain productive.

Healthcare organizations can adopt cloud-based communication tools to create connections and fuel information sharing internally and with partners, providers, and patients. Though more companies across industries have come to rely on cloud-driven resources, some decision makers still struggle with managing effective communication due to IT silos.

IT Silos Explained

IT silos are disruptive roadblocks that can occur when internal teams adopt multiple systems, apps or tools that aren’t compatible with each other. When working via siloed systems, teams can struggle to easily share information, which can negatively impact productivity and patient care. For example, different teams might manage different aspects of a patient’s health. Without the proper tools to communicate, each provider may not have access to the important context of recent interactions that the patient had with other providers. Siloed IT and communication tools can also lead to disorganization and general frustration. IT systems play an important role in the patient experience and managing critical data—and the impacts of disconnected systems can be detrimental.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.