5 Signs Your Healthcare Practice Needs a Tech Upgrade

Missed patient calls, lost medical records, slow computers, and faulty pulse oximeters—what do they have in common? These issues all relate to a lack of adaptability in a medical practice. If these concerns sound too familiar to your healthcare practice, it’s vital to identify the underlying cause before it shuts your business down. Many healthcare practices fall behind when it comes to adapting to medical technology. When your computer or scheduling systems remain in the past, you won’t be able to adjust to modern medicine and better patient care standards. There are a few predictable and common signs that a medical practice needs a technology reboot. If any of these sound familiar, you may want to revisit your approach to advancements in medical technology and research.

Frequent Scheduling Problems

Patients need to be able to successfully and easily schedule appointments with you. If your patients complain of a lack of availability or difficulty scheduling, it can ruin your practice’s success. Frequently missed, rescheduled, or forgotten appointments could prove an issue. Practices that have limited scheduling processes can create frustration for both staff members and patients. Technology has significantly improved the way healthcare practices schedule patients. There are online calendar systems where patients can choose their own appointment dates. Synchronized cloud calendars help staff, physicians, and patients see updated availability in real time. Digital check-in, reminder, and confirmation software can reduce concerns about missed, late, or forgotten appointments. 

Bad Reviews

While it’s common for a business to receive a bad review once in a while, frequent bad reviews over time indicate there’s a problem. Study bad reviews to find the recurring theme. Adapt more efficient processes to address those themes. Practices most commonly receive negative reviews for wait times, scheduling errors, and poor service. By implementing efficient scheduling, hiring, and time management technology, you can reduce the amount of negative reviews you receive. Responding to reviews and adapting to this feedback can help your practice improve; establishing yourself online is another great example of harnessing technology to apply helpful feedback.

Poor Patient Communication

Patients rely on physicians to manage their health safely and properly. It’s difficult to take care of patients without proper communication. If you frequently receive reviews or hear complaints about a lack of communication or correspondence, you’re going to need to improve. Patients feel heard and seen when they have reasonable access to communication with their doctors. Physicians who routinely reach out before and after appointments can manage patient health more efficiently. From telehealth to digital patient portals, medical communication has come far, thanks to technology. Consider offering telehealth follow-ups to keep communication up. Establish messaging software in your patient portal in case of any non-emergency health questions or concerns.

Common Equipment Failure

While most medical equipment is built to last, it won’t last forever. If you’re frequently experiencing troubleshooting errors or malfunctions with older equipment, you’re going to need to upgrade. The latest technology outfitted in medical equipment, from MRIs to simple blood pressure cuffs, is extremely efficient and can improve your practice’s quality and speed. While upgrading equipment can be a costly venture, it can help your practice reach new heights and quality standards. Patients won’t want to see that your equipment is performing subpar. Invest in your practice’s future, and you may be surprised at how impressive technology has come. 

Staffing Shortages or Quality Issues

Your healthcare staff is the backbone of your practice. Staff quality issues can significantly affect the performance and quality of your medical facility, regardless of how skilled a physician you are. If staff members are frequently late, absent, or reported for misconduct, there is a great chance you haven’t hired the best team. You may not have the best hiring technology. When you’re outfitted with the latest tech and software, you can conduct efficient performance reviews, background checks, drug tests, and interviewing processes to make hiring easier and better than ever. Utilizing platforms like PracticeMatch.com can help you find the best medical employees and employers out there who are qualified and suitable for your practice. Technology plays a major role in efficient hiring practices; take advantage of it!

Conclusion

Technology and medical care go hand in hand. A practice that can’t or won’t adapt to the latest changes in either field won’t see continued success. In order to prevent lapses in patient quality, be sure to attend conferences and training regarding updated medical technology and research. Similar to how you must continue your education on medical subjects as a physician, your knowledge of medical equipment, technology, and software must be updated as well. Medical technology conferences, training courses, and medical research papers are some valuable sources for training. Obtaining news from medical technology companies and social media platforms can provide additional insight. When you embrace and adapt to feedback and change in the medical field, you can enjoy a successful and future-proof career.