Hospitals in the Asia Pacific region have yet to fully commit to digitalization, despite already seeing high levels of adoption of digital healthcare solutions.
FINDINGS
US-based management consultant LEK Consulting recently published its report findings from an annual survey of more than 600 hospital administrators in the region, including Southeast Asia, China, Japan, India and South Korea.
Based on that study, it was assumed that hospitals in the region use digital solutions at least 40% on average in six categories: online registration and scheduling; patient-accessible medical records; personalized information pushed to the patient; remote consultation; customized disease management programs; and portable personal health information between healthcare providers.
By region, China is the largest user of online patient administration and medical records (more than 50%); almost half of Japanese respondents say their hospitals use digital tools for remote consultation; and four in 10 Southeast Asian executives said their hospitals use technologies for patient administration and scheduling.
Each market has different reasons for implementing digital solutions, the report said. For Chinese hospitals, the value of technology is to increase staff efficiency and capacity; for Japan, it is its contribution to a value-based healthcare transition; and for hospitals in Southeast Asia, it aims to provide better patient care.
Those looking to respond to the region's demand for digital health technologies must consider the major concerns hospitals still have about implementations, including patient privacy, a shortage of talent to develop and implement digital health solutions, and compatibility of different solutions.
THE GREATER CONTEXT
APAC hospitals, especially in South Korea and Southeast Asia, are now expected to increase their technology spending in the coming years. About half of the respondents of the A LEK survey of public hospitals shows that they see a budget surplus in the next three years; nine in ten of their private hospital counterparts also expect high profit margins in the short term.
“Hospitals across APAC have largely recovered from the impacts of COVID-19 and are beginning to look ahead to opportunities for improved care delivery and operational efficiencies. Growing fiscal surpluses/profitability in the sector are expected to support necessary investments over the next three years,” the report said.