Overcoming the challenges hindering seamless digitalization in the healthcare sector is the first step toward the democratization of primary healthcare.

FREMONT, CA: The rise of digitalization across the medical sector has enabled healthcare providers to migrate their operations to digital systems. It has increased the number of consumer-facing doctor booking platforms around the world. Although modern approaches have experienced massive success, several challenges are hindering a seamless digital experience.

Doctor Discoverability

Many patients find it challenging to locate relevant specialists, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries due to limited awareness. Often, people experiencing symptoms in a particular organ region might visit general practitioners rather than specialists. Medical organizations can leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology to offer robust solutions which will enable patients to locate specialists based on patient input.

Data Privacy

As the number of hospitals and clinics relying on online appointment booking steadily increase, the cases of data breaches also experience a rise. Unlike the data generated on social media and other online platforms, medical data is considered high-risk information. The HIPAA revealed a shocking 2,546 medical data breach incidents across the US in the last decade alone, which has affected over 59 percent of the country’s population. Hence, it is imperative for booking platforms and healthcare providers to invest in robust data security, creating effective policies and frameworks to protect the patient information.

Payment Information

Many countries across the globe have made insurance mandatory for their citizens, which make it necessary for patients to seek medical professionals registered in their insurance network. It hinders the seamless operation of booking platforms, which will have to update their insurance information database regularly. Also, they will have to maintain contact with insurance providers as well as medical institutions so that they can reflect the updates in the portals.

Calendar Syncing

Patients find it difficult to book appointment time slots directly from the doctor’s digital calendar. Hence, it is imperative for medical institutions and healthcare providers to update their management software with every time-slot booked regularly. The integration of booking platforms with practice management software will enable medical providers to offer live calendars for patient appointments.

The rapid proliferation of digital healthcare products makes it imperative for organizations to overcome the challenges of hindering seamless digitalization. The healthcare sector needs to take adequate measures to facilitate the seamless booking, thus enabling prompt and efficient patient care. It will promote the democratization of primary care across the world, thus bringing in exponential gains in terms of patient access to effective healthcare.

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