Between investment and bankruptcy
IT is omnipresent
"Our field of application is limited to IT, but it is used everywhere. Be it planning work processes, building services or technical maintenance of medical devices. With a project like this, we are on the road in all departments. We exchange ideas with the employees and get an insight into the daily processes. Our experience is consistent with the hospital rating reports of recent years: Small budgets, bad investments and outdated IT make life difficult for employees." Rico Barth, managing director cape IT.
The authors of the Rating Report include well-known doctors and scientists from the health sector - their forecasts are an important source of development trends. If there are no extensive optimizations in the structures and processes of the hospitals, around three quarters of all clinics would lose money by 2022. This could at least happen after the “restart” scenario in the current report. German clinics have long been in an economic downward spiral. One of the main reasons is that outpatient therapies are preferred and hospital stays are shortened. The medical services of the health insurance companies demand this, but the shortage of skilled workers also does the rest. Due to the steady decline in the number of patients on the wards, small hospitals in particular are often no longer able to work profitably.
German clinics have long been in an economic downward spiral. One of the main reasons is that outpatient therapies are preferred and hospital stays are shortened. The medical services of the health insurance companies demand this, but the shortage of skilled workers also does the rest. Due to the steady decline in the number of patients on the wards, small hospitals in particular are often no longer able to work profitably.
Invest sensibly in modern IT software
One reason for this is that small hospitals invest their IT budget in outdated systems or repair patches. Especially when money is tight, those responsible should deal with the requirements and get intensive advice from experts. After all, every new medical device has to be integrated into the system and serviced. Rico Barth: "We see again and again that this often doesn't happen. If we are called to such a request, we often find outdated software or unnecessary programs. Of course, they have to be kept up to date, which only costs time and additional money The aim should always be to offer smaller hospitals options that are standard elsewhere."
Even in smaller hospitals with a manageable budget, the technology and IT must function smoothly at all times, because vital decisions can depend on the patient information system alone. And these clinics could make a big difference in just a few steps. In most cases, those responsible opt for our free system at the beginning. This initially ensures a better overview and structure of the IT teams. You can use it to see where there is a lot of work to be done or where disruptions occur frequently. The diverse tasks of hospital IT teams can thus be better prioritized and standardized. Planning!
Plan IT project and implement it successfully
Consultations over several days are part of a project. In this way, not only the IT managers can familiarize themselves with the system, but also the users such as nurses, carers and assistants. After the handover, the IT team can then adjust the system as required. The first measures usually include inventory management and fault reports, which is already an enormous help for the staff on site.
If those responsible would like to incorporate additional functions such as automatic inventory, device management or a maintenance plan for IT devices, you can also choose a Pro version. This means that medical and building technology, for example, can also be integrated into the system. Such a management system is then a decisive help, at the latest with the regularly pending certifications and audits. All malfunctions, maintenance, changes or updates are documented there and are available at the push of a button. This saves a lot of time and money in the end, especially in small hospitals.
Open Source is the future
"If we want to remain competitive in Germany and Europe, there is no way around open source-based systems. This shows the comparison with the USA or Asia. With GAIA-X, the first step has been taken to improve IT in hospitals, as well in the entire economic sector, to strengthen it with open source. It is now up to those responsible to implement this." sums up Rico Barth.