Challenges in Integrated Healthcare SystemsOrganizations have to follow a good articulation of steps in order to regulate integration of healthcare systems. The primary aim of any healthcare organization is to provide a good medical facility to its patients and thereby increase its profits. The integration of healthcare organizations is a rapidly growing area. It is a viable option to provide best facilities to the patients. It makes their medical visits hassle free as the system brings all the specialties under than one roof and delivers it to the patients as a single package. Hospitals can also reduce the costs significantly by this approach. So, this is a win-win situation. But there are a lot of challenges involved in the integration process.
1. Initial cost too high:
The organizations can expect a long term benefit. The cost invested in integrating the health care systems will be too high. Organizations will take some time to realize the return on their investment.
2. Increased workload on medical experts:
Doctors won’t just remain doctors. They have to do additional functions like feeding in the data, monitoring the reports, which will be a burden for doctors. The integration of heath care organizations can lead to a change of priority.
3. Employing too many people:
Managing an integrated system will need many people working for the organization. As a result, the organization has to employ a lot of people. The resource should be at the organization’s disposal. Even if the organization employs a lot of people, the costs involved in their salary will be high.
4. Reduced importance to healthcare:
The healthcare industry will be very much reliant on technology that, the importance of healthcare can go down while that of technology will prevail. Reduced importance to health care is an aberration from the primary goal of healthcare.
5. Varying levels of importance given to ailments:
Different ailments attract different medical attention. But this approach may not follow this principle. Experts may not be able to give a grave problem the time it deserves.
6. Interface between the organizations:
The interface between the organizations has to be fool-proof as it is hospital’s duty to protect a patient’s privacy. It is an important feature as the entire integration depends on the interface.
7. Compatibility between systems:
The information being processed and transmitted by one organization should be easily received and subjected to further processing without much trouble.
8. Need for high accuracy:
Since this healthcare, errors are not acceptable at all. So the data entry has to be done with high precision. A small error can cause huge problems.
