John Glaser, PhD, an executive in residence at Boston-based Harvard Medical School and former CIO of Boston-based Partners Healthcare (now Mass General Brigham), developed a list of five deliberations hospitals should consider before adopting new technology.
In a Nov. 12 article he wrote for Harvard Business Review, Dr. Glaser said hospitals should examine the following:
- New technology is irrelevant unless it aligns with your healthcare organization's digital transformation goals.
- A healthcare organization should be able to explain in one or two sentences why the new tool will bring important changes.
- Technology providers should be examined to ensure they are being transparent, can effectively explain what their tool does and will uphold their end of the contract.
- Pilot tests are essential. Assessing how new technology is being used in a healthcare organization before it completes the full launch allows inefficiencies and mistakes to be addressed before they create sweeping problems.
- Depending on the size of a healthcare organization, a person, unit or department should consistently review technologies to ensure digital transformation is on track.