The cost of failing to invest in technology

My last column dealt with the implications for patients who experience digital exclusion – the problems that crop up when people can’t afford, access or use digital technologies.
 
That topic has got me thinking about how general practices can also get left behind by digital advancement.
 
There is a digital divide emerging between the general practices that have the resources to invest in and embrace digital technologies, and the practices that don’t.
 
We’re all aware of the ways outdated technologies can create security vulnerabilities in healthcare.
 
Data breaches can occur when outdated, insecure systems are exploited by cyber criminals.
 
But there are also less obvious ways that failure to invest in technology might affect your business.
 
From a clinical perspective, outdated clinical information software systems and other technologies can lead to incomplete records, missed recalls and reminders, or an inability to access current medicines data, such as MIMS updates.
 
Obviously, that could have knock-on effects for patient health outcomes, patient satisfaction, medico-legal complaints, and reputational damage to you and your practice.
 
Doing things manually takes more time – if you or your practice staff are entering data manually, you are going to spend more time on data entry.
 
For GPs, that can mean less consulting time or fewer consults. For practice staff, it means more time on appointment scheduling, scanning, and other admin.
 
Also check you are not doubling work because of people who communicate with you.
 
Receiving both faxed and electronic reports from pathology labs, imaging providers, and specialists doubles the work for staff and doctors, and clutters up the patient record.
 
Like us, patients are busy. They want efficient solutions: eScripts, telehealth availability, online booking systems, and an ability to pay securely online. They might choose to go elsewhere if they can’t easily book an appointment online or via an app.
 
There’s also a higher chance that they might forget their appointments if they don’t get an automated reminder, so again, there could be lost revenue here.
 
Our practice management and practice nurse colleagues want these conveniences too. It can make their work a lot harder and more frustrating if the digital tools they use every day aren’t up to scratch.
 
If you own a practice, you might find that over time, this takes a toll on your ability to attract and retain good staff. 
 
Keeping up with technology is expensive, and it is emerging as a threat to the viability of general practice ownership.
 
‘Maintaining electronic systems’ was flagged as a challenge that affects 35% of practice owners in last year’s RACGP Health of the Nation report.
 
The cost is not just about the financial outlay but also the need to invest time into implementing the systems and managing the changes associated with new workflows.
 
For example, the changes to Assignment of Benefit for bulk-billed attendances is going to require all GPs and practice staff to be aware of changes to workflows.
 
Likewise, the Federal Government has indicated that the ‘share by default’ legislation that currently applies to uploads of pathology and diagnostic imaging reports to My Health Record will at some time in the future apply to some outputs from general practice, such as care plan uploads.
 
Being left behind in these areas could have significant financial implications for GPs.
 
I can’t help with the expense. But I would say that one thing you can do as a GP or practice owner is to try to stay up to date with the technologies that can assist you with administration in your practice.
 
Don’t let these changes pass you by.
 
Explore your options for reducing the admin burden, because many of your GP colleagues are already using new technologies to their advantage.
 
You might find that failure to adapt has a significant cost.
 
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