The healthcare industry certainly is top of mind for many of us these days, as it’s been one of the hardest hit industries during the pandemic. As of this writing, in the US alone there have been more than 3.6 million cases of the coronavirus,¹ and that number still is growing. Some hospitals are quite overwhelmed, and other primary-care practices have reported service reductions of up to 70 percent—as patients have postponed care that’s not deemed urgent.²  

Thankfully, healthcare has seen a huge increase in technological advances during the past 20 years. And many experts predict that, even during the pandemic, technology will continue playing a critical role in redefining its next generation. By providing medical workers with new ways to improve the quality of patient services, the state of global healthcare actually may improve in a big way.

As the global healthcare consortium HIMSS simply states, “The use of technology increases provider capabilities and patient access while improving the quality of life for some patients and saving the lives of others.”³ And now, more than ever, there’s a strong need for healthcare providers to shift to a patient-centered model—whether the patient chooses to receive care remotely via telehealth or in person—to provide comprehensive care and improve customer experiences for their patients.

We recently held a panel discussion led by Kyle DeWitt, our VP of Technical Services, and industry experts from three of our key suppliers—Paul Baratta from Axis, Garrett Russell from Code, and Phoebe Cresswell from Honeywell—about the current trends, opportunities, and challenges in healthcare. Key takeaways from that engaging panel are below. To access an on-demand video of the full discussion, please click the link at the end of this blog.

Mrs. Cresswell spoke about the importance, now more than ever, of safety and security in healthcare. Providers must ensure the safest possible experiences for their patients and staffs—to instill confidence and minimize the spread of disease. Preventing cybersecurity vulnerabilities is a key market trend, and healthcare is one of the top targets for these attacks. That’s why she says it’s important that medical providers secure, as much as possible, sensitive patient data.

While discussing technology buying habits in the new normal, Mr. Baratta said operational efficiency is key. He encouraged partners to help customers better utilize their current technologies to increase productivity and security and maintain their ROI and TCO. He also mentioned that, in hospital and clinical settings, creating a welcoming environment that has the right physical-security processes in place is essential, and Axis partners now are focusing on those areas.

Mr. Russell shared how facilities are leveraging technology to support in-person, pop-up clinics, as well as telehealth care. For example, mobility, protective cases, disinfectant-ready housings, and soft scanning solutions all are used as providers seek to support mobile care and reduce the number of devices located at in-person settings, to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Our panelists also offered partners valuable information about selling into the healthcare space during and post-pandemic. Mrs. Cresswell encouraged them not to fear innovations, and to leverage new partnerships with manufacturers and solution providers to create full solutions. Mr. Russell asked partners to remember hospitals are businesses, and to conduct research so they better understand their customers’ needs and budgets. And Mr. Baratta recommended that partners fully embrace their roles as trusted advisors by reaching out to their customers, listening to their pain points, and asking how they can help.

Many thanks to Paul Baratta, Garrett Russell, and Phoebe Cresswell for their time. We invite you to watch the entire video panel discussion here. And to learn more about how ScanSource can help you and your customers leverage technology to improve patient care and drive innovations in healthcare, visit our website and download our infographic at www.scansource.com/goRTO.

Sources:

1.     https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/us-cases-deaths.html

2.     https://healthmanagement.org/c/cardio/news/covid-19-and-its-impact-on-the-healthcare-economy

3.     https://www.himss.org/resources/technologys-vital-role-healthcare-and-society