Top 6 Challenges for Digital Healthcare in 2024
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The healthcare industry is facing a growing number of challenges, particularly around data privacy, accessibility, interoperability, and more. Below, we’ll delve into the top challenges facing healthcare industries and how to overcome them.
The healthcare industry has undergone a massive shift in recent years as digital transformation has accelerated. This rapid shift has brought with it both opportunities and challenges, and they’re likely to continue as we continue to embrace more digital tools and platforms.
For example, recent changes to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) require state and local government services — which include health offices — to provide accessible digital content to individuals with disabilities. For many healthcare providers, this new ruling requires significant changes to their digital services and products to ensure they can be used by individuals with disabilities.
This is just one of the many new challenges facing healthcare facilities as the world becomes increasingly digital. Below, we’ll explore the top six challenges facing the digital healthcare landscape today and offer actionable strategies to overcome them.
1. Data Privacy and Security
As digital healthcare becomes more common, so do cybersecurity threats. Keeping sensitive patient information protected from breaches has never been more crucial. This is why government agencies are cracking down on data security laws, requiring strict compliance with regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), General Data Protection Regulation, Service and Organization Controls (SOC) 2, and the ADA.
For example, SOC 2 compliance was created by the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts (AICPA) that specifies the security measures organizations must take to protect customer data from unauthorized access. However, complying with SOC 2 can be difficult for organizations, particularly around aligning internal policies with SOC 2 compliance and maintaining continuous compliance.
To safeguard patient data and demonstrate compliance with regulations like SOC 2, HIPAA, and the ADA, healthcare organizations must adopt healthcare platforms, tools, or solutions that include robust security measures such as advanced encryption technologies and regular vulnerability assessments. This proactive approach to data privacy not only helps adhere to legal requirements (and avoid potential lawsuits) but also increases trust with patients.
2. Lack of Accessibility
The digital divide continues to widen — a trend that directly impacts individuals with disabilities. Many healthcare platforms fall short of providing an accessible, inclusive environment, leaving roughly 1.3 billion people with disabilities worldwide without access to healthcare services.
The disability community is growing with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting a 10% increase in the number of people between the ages of 16 to 64 as having a disability. That surge is only expected to continue, higlighting the need for healthcare facilities to prioritize accessibility. To do this, create and follow an accessibility plan that ensures your website or mobile apps are accessible to individuals with disabilities. Tools like AudioEye’s Web Accessibility Scanner can help you get started.
3. Costs and ROI
Developing, implementing, and maintaining digital health solutions often come with high costs. Demonstrating the return on investment (ROI) for these technologies is just as essential as the tool itself. Yet, the benefits of digital health solutions — such as better patient outcomes and enhanced operational efficiency — can outweight the initial costs.
To maximize your ROI, look for solutions that balance both performance and patient engagement and experience. For example, AudoEye’s Automated Accessibility Platform is designed to find and fix accessibility errors; however, fixing these errors results in a more streamlined, effective patient experience for people without a disability. This ultimately contributes to a more streamlined and effective patient experience, improving your ROI and boosting value in multiple areas.
4. Scalability and Sustainability
Every healthcare facility has a goal to scale their operations. However, when expanding healthcare services, facilities encounter both scalability and sustainability challenges — specifically around telehealth and remote patient monitoring.
For example, when a large healthcare network introduces telehealth services and remote monitoring, it can, at first, handle a small volume of patients efficiently. However, as patient enrollment continues to go up, so do technology demands, integration needs, resources, and training. This is in addition to sustaining the program, which involves addressing ongoing operational and financial challenges.
As patient needs, legal standards, and healthcare trends evolve, healthcare facilities must be adaptable to these changes. Consider developing business models that incorporate flexibility and future-proofing strategies. Designing systems that can grow and adapt to the changing landscape can bring facilities long-term success and sustainability.
5. Regulatory and Compliance Issues
Trying to navigate the ever-changing landscape of regulatory standards in digital healthcare can be a daunting task. With agencies like the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regularly updating regulations, you may find yourself struggling to keep up.
For example, earlier this year, the HHS finalized a rule strengthening protections against disability discrimination under Section 504 of the rehabilitation act. Put simply, the rule requires medical facilities to ensure their digital content is accessible and usable on desktop and mobile apps by individuals with disabilities.
Adapting to new rules — including the recent HHS rule — can complicate workflows and hinder the ability for your practice to scale operations efficiently.
To stay on top of these ever-changing rules, implement ongoing monitoring and conduct regular audits. Staying informed about the regulatory changes and maintaining a compliance strategy will help you better manage evolving requirements more effectively.
6. Interoperability
Interoperability — the ability for different systems and platforms to seamlessly exchange and use data — creates both opportunities and challenges for healthcare facilities. On the one hand, having all patient data in a central location makes it easy for providers to review information and create treatment plans. On the other, if electronic health record (EHR) systems aren’t seamlessly integrated with other platforms, it can compromise both care quality and the patient experience.
Additionally, a survey by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that 75% of patients are concerned about protecting the privacy of their personal healthcare data. As data flows between systems, it’s more prone to data breaches, data stealing, and potential misuse of patient information. Each of these are real risks that must be managed carefully.
Addressing interoperability challenges requires a multifaceted approach that includes adopting standardized protocols, ensuring robust data security, and selecting integrated solutions that facilitate secure, efficient data exchange. Focusing on these areas enables healthcare organizations to improve data integration between systems, enhance patient care, and safeguard sensitive patient data.
Master the Digital Healthcare Maze
Navigating and overcoming the growing complexities of the digital healthcare landscape requires addressing each of the challenges above — from data privacy and accessibility to regulatory compliance and interoperability. Overcoming these challenges starts with selecting the right tools and building strategies to create a secure, inclusive, and efficient digital healthcare experience.
Platforms like AudioEye play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges — particularly in enhancing accessibility, improving the user experience for all patients, and helping you meet compliance standards.
To see how AudioEye can transform your digital healthcare solutions, contact us to schedule a demo.
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