By Anshuman Magazine
Over the centuries, the Health care The industry thrives on technological advancements. Better equipment, software, data storage programs, etc. are life-saving resources – especially important to the medical community.
Contrary to popular opinion, COVID-19 It did not lead to technology adoption in departments—instead it changed professions’ perspectives and patient expectations for healthcare delivery, services, and health office operations. Unfortunately, despite the dynamic healthcare ecosystem, long-term capital assets such as real estate and supply chain management (SCM) protocols continue to fall short of expectations.
What is needed now is the rapid adoption of new design trends that encourage healthcare facilities and offices to incorporate flexible spaces that allow the implementation of anticipated or future technology.
The tech identified today will help healthcare players make informed decisions in the near future. Some of these include:
Electronic Medical Records (EMR) technology
Adoption of the “cloud” has increased in recent years. Because of this, the infrastructure itself needs to be reimagined keeping in mind the complex data and technologies that are deployed in today’s processes and even more advanced and thereby finding synergy with the needs of complex technologies like Internet of Things, AI and remote procedural. robotics
With the services and tools available today, the healthcare sector can become more effective and efficient when it comes to managing records and enabling enhanced data security. These tools help archive data quickly and reduce paper-based workflows that enable efficiency in an organization’s operations.
With an EMR, health systems can easily share patient updates from one facility to another without the hassle of a physical paper trail. Deployment can help reduce the need for large administrative spaces in medical offices – healthcare players can make better use of floor space.
Transition Non-clinical workforces that may work partially or fully remotely (including finance, legal, marketing and other back-office functions) can be moved to flexible/shared workspaces.
the speed of Patient care
Advances in technology have significantly improved patient procedures. Experiments with surgical robots and artificial intelligence are now allowing physicians to perform surgeries remotely, serving patients in areas that do not have access to specialized medical care.
Short patient treatment and recovery times dictate that those facilities do not need the space they used in the past. Instead, health systems may focus their efforts on multiple smaller facilities or more specialized facilities in a wider area. Micro-hospitals, “medtel” facilities, and outpatient clinics are just a few examples of this type of healthcare real estate trend.
Telehealth
Technology is enabling disinvestment of underutilized assets – helping to move operations to smaller facilities while optimizing floor space. In fact, the integration of telehealth into real estate makes perfect sense—it makes it more efficient and financially viable to provide services and methods of care than others.
Effective implementation can enable healthcare players to re-prioritize service lines and otherwise non-revenue generating segments – reconfiguring real estate needs, reducing or eliminating office space needs – while allowing players to manage lease periods more effectively.
While medical office buildings will not disappear but will undergo a definite shift. Likewise, when it comes to building and developing healthcare properties, a diverse perspective will drive purchasing and development trends – disrupting the healthcare space.
Tech-driven redesign
The Covid-19 pandemic created an environment that required rapid innovation and will forever change how healthcare facilities are designed and built. Health systems are evaluating how future facilities will be designed to build flexibility into their platforms in the event of another pandemic. Flexibility in the hospital of the future will require additional capacity, temporary hospitals, personal protective equipment and the ability to maintain alternative procedures.
A redesign driven by tech integration is something that needs to be considered when evaluating an investment. If done right, tech integration can really maximize productivity per square foot for healthcare providers.
Telehealth, AI, and voice recognition technology have positioned healthcare real estate not only to survive the pandemic-induced economic downturn but to develop into one of the strongest sectors of the commercial real estate sector.
Leapfrog into a better world
Current healthcare infrastructure still operates in silos, with disparate legacy devices limiting functionality and interoperability with new infrastructure. To adapt to future demand and help with this transition, the most important thing for healthcare providers is to focus on the right technologies that will help plan for future customer needs and expectations.
Taking all this into account, we must realize that not only how healthcare is delivered – but how it can all be delivered requires change. Change how geographic location, static location, or economic conditions stop restricting access to good quality healthcare.
Technology is what is driving this change. The onus is on us – not just to provide technology but also to innovate for all.
By Anshuman Magazine, Chairman & CEO India, Southeast Asia, Middle East & Africa, CBRE
(Disclaimer: The views expressed are solely those of the author and not necessarily subscribed to by ETHealthworld. ETHealthworld.com shall not be responsible for any loss directly or indirectly caused to any person/organization.)
