Hospital and health system C-suite executives say digital care will be their biggest budget increase this year and expect to expand IT hiring as a result, a March 2 study by consulting agency Guidehouse found.
Forty-three percent of the leaders said they expect tech adoption and integration to positively affect their 2023 growth strategy, according to the Healthcare Financial Management Association survey of 182 hospital and health system executives. Three out of four said they planned to boost hiring in health IT and coding.
"With growth in labor and supply costs, many leaders are turning to purposeful artificial intelligence, automation and digital care strategies to improve engagement and efficiency," Thomas Zenty III, a national advisor for Guidehouse, said in a company news release. "Successful organizations are reevaluating their digital connectivity capabilities to ensure patients and caregivers know how to access and use patient portals, EHRs and other technologies, as well as to streamline corporate and nonclinical services."