3 Ways Health Care Organizations Can Drive Digital Transformation

Digital tools adopted in health care bring exciting advances in convenience, efficiency, and outcomes. But the true digital transformation in health care remains elusive. Health care organizations can implement an overall transformation strategy, which starts with adopting the right technologies and empowering the right leaders with the skills needed to drive change.

In a commentary article in NEJM Catalyst, Stanley Shaw, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School (HMS) and John Glaser, PhD, discuss what health care leaders can learn from other industries when it comes to digital transformation. The article “Digital Transformation Success: What Can Health Care Providers Learn from Other Industries?” was recognized by the editors of the NEJM Catalyst as one of their top articles of 2022.

Dr. Shaw, the associate dean of executive education at HMS, and Dr. Glaser, an executive in residence at HMS executive education, share three major factors for success:

1. defining the transformation before choosing the appropriate technologies rather than allowing technology to dictate the transformation
2. innovating the business model to take advantage of new capabilities and
3. managing the process of organizational change.

Business leaders with the knowledge, tools, and strategies to design and implement technology-enabled change initiatives have the potential to dramatically improve the health care industry, ultimately alleviating suffering and improving health and well-being. These perspectives are integrated into the curriculum of the HMS Executive Education open enrollment program, Leading Digital Transformation in Health Care.