A survey by the HIMSS (Health Information and Management Systems Society) found that over 70% of medical organizations use legacy systems. These are outdated software or hardware that are still in use in spite of newer technologies available. Unfortunately, the phrase “aged like fine wine” does not apply to software information systems. When it comes to healthcare, such systems not only impact the efficiency of medical administration but also impede the quality of care. The cross platform approach to healthcare software development is a great way to address the problems caused by legacy systems.
Legacy systems in healthcare, like outdated EHR (Electronic Health Records) or obsolete data management systems, become obstacles to digital transformation. They are difficult and expensive to maintain and pose security risks. Healthcare CTOs often come under immense pressure to make the old work with the new and manage what’s called the “technical debt.” In this blog, we’ll explore how cross platform software development acts as a great solution to the problem of legacy systems in healthcare.
The Burden of Legacy Systems in Healthcare
Longstanding reliance on older systems has made it extremely difficult to adopt newer ones. The data stored on legacy systems, in addition to the workflows built around them, pose hurdles to modernization. Some of the problems caused in healthcare software development by legacy systems include:
Integration
Integrating two or more software systems enables them to exchange data seamlessly. This happens even if they are developed using different programming languages and tech stacks. Newer systems are developed with integration in mind and possess features that facilitate easy exchange of data. But older, legacy systems aren’t so adapting, creating data silos. For healthcare organizations, silos of data impede the flow of information between departments, which negatively affects day-to-day administration and patient care.
Maintenance
Maintaining software systems requires timely updates. However, as they get older, maintaining them requires staff with specialized skill sets and separate workflows. This problem is exasperated when other systems are up-to-date and must function alongside legacy software. In scenarios like this, updating becomes all the more difficult. The organization using such a legacy system would not only need to find the right kind of talent but also bear additional administrative overhead.
Data Security
Data security is one of the biggest concerns regarding legacy systems. Since they are older by definition, keeping them updated alongside new systems is difficult and expensive. Their incompatibility with newer systems makes data communication riskier as the information is vulnerable to being corrupted or accessed by authorized individuals. This increases the risk of data breaches and non-compliance, which in turn increases the liability of the organization.
Lack of Scalability
Legacy systems are developed around specific functionalities and can’t normally adapt to evolving requirements. As organizations grow and diversify, software information systems need to be able to handle the changes. Legacy systems are rigid and cannot be scaled to work alongside newer systems. As a result, organizations find it challenging to respond to changing market scenarios and regulatory requirements.
Rapid Advances in Healthcare Software Development Technologies
Advances in software have found their way into every industry, and healthcare is no exception. Some of them have the potential to transform medical workflows fundamentally. Let’s explore a few of them in detail:
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence is one of the most talked-about innovations in the software industry. AI-powered systems carry out tasks with little to no human intervention. The most significant applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare software development involve predictive analytics and personalized treatment. AI-based systems can process vast amounts of data with high accuracy and provide insights into patient health. These insights then empower healthcare providers to make better clinical decisions and improve patient outcomes.
Telemedicine
The popularity of telemedicine has risen rapidly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although the idea behind telemedicine is over a decade old, it took a global pandemic for the international medical community to recognize its benefits. Telemedicine uses digital and telecommunications technologies to disseminate medical services remotely.
It didn’t take long for companies involved in healthcare software development to recognize the benefits of telemedicine solutions and roll out innovative solutions. Telemedicine has been hailed by many as one of the biggest revolutions in the medical industry. It has demonstrated enormous potential to address inequities plaguing the industry. Some of them include unequal access to care, geographical barriers to access, problems in accessing care for aging seniors and people lacking transportation, and so on.
Cross platform software for telemedicine has also enabled people in remote communities to access specialist care without having to travel long distances.
One of the most prominent applications of telemedicine software is in addressing the mental health crisis gripping the United States. Research estimates that more than one-third of the people in the United States live in places without a single therapist. Healthcare software development for telemedicine that follows the cross platform approach can enable millions of people to access mental health care from the privacy of their homes with just a phone and an internet connection. This is one of the most promising technologies in the healthcare industry in recent times.
Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things (IoT) enables two or more devices with sensors and processors to communicate and exchange data with each other over a network. IoT-powered devices such as smartwatches, Fitbits, and other wearables collect real-time data about a patient’s health. This may include stats like heart rate, blood glucose levels, temperature, blood pressure, etc. These are then shared in real-time with healthcare providers and stored directly on secure databases.
IoT-based devices facilitate remote patient monitoring, which allows a medical professional to monitor a patient outside conventional healthcare settings. It is especially helpful for patients who might not need continuous clinical observation. Companies involved in healthcare software development have unveiled multiple IoT-powered solutions for providers and patients.
Big Data Analytics
Big data refers to data sets that are extremely large and cannot be analyzed using conventional means. Healthcare generates large volumes of data that contain a treasure trove of insights. Custom software development for healthcare big data analytics can help medical teams process big data and discern insights about patient health. This can enable them to know which patients might be at higher risk, the pattern of spread of disease, and others. Such knowledge can empower healthcare providers to make better decisions and achieve superior clinical outcomes.
Blockchain
Blockchain is another technology whose applications are being widely discussed in various industries, including healthcare. Blockchain has the potential to revolutionize data security, patient privacy, and data interoperability in healthcare. However, cross platform software using blockchain for healthcare applications is still some ways away from deployment. Companies large and small involved in healthcare software development have been hard at work building a suitable blockchain platform for the medical industry.
Challenges Presented By Technological Advances to Legacy Systems
Advances in technology are always promising from the broadest of perspectives. They accelerate the pace of things and bring about necessary changes in the long run. However, when it comes to the short term, these advances can be disruptive and present multiple challenges to medical organizations. Some of them include:
Investment Decisions
Deciding which new technology to invest in can be difficult for healthcare CIOs and CTOs (Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer). Decision-makers need to consider the tech stacks of existing systems and make things work within limited budgets. Compatibility with existing systems and the long-term viability of incorporating new technologies are significant factors in making investing decisions.
Staying Abreast of Advances
Healthcare organizations typically invest significantly in medical software like EHR (Electronic Health Records), hospital management systems, medical billing solutions, etc. The speed with which new technologies are emerging can make it difficult for hospitals to implement them. The existing workflows tend to become entrenched around legacy systems.
Staff Training
As new technologies are adopted, hospitals and other medical organizations must invest time and resources to train their staff. It is natural to face resistance from the staff as they would’ve gotten used to existing systems. Moreover, it is not uncommon for medical staff to struggle to adapt to newer technologies.
Compliance
Implementing new technologies into existing legacy ones will raise concerns regarding compliance. Regulations like HIPAA and GDPR stipulate stern data security and privacy measures for healthcare software development. Incorporating new technologies into existing legacy systems requires careful consideration by hospital CIOs and IT heads.=
Cross Platform Software Development For Managing Legacy Systems
As mentioned above, legacy systems are inherently resilient to integrating with newer systems. However, as healthcare witnesses the emergence of new technologies, existing legacy systems risk becoming obstacles to modernization.
Cross platform software development for healthcare can help organizations struggling with legacy systems. The cross platform approach for healthcare software development involves creating solutions compatible with multiple operating systems using a single codebase. Let’s talk about the benefits of this approach for custom healthcare software development:
Seamless Integration
Applications built using the cross platform approach for healthcare software development can communicate with other systems which may be legacy systems or newer ones. This prevents data silos from forming and facilitates the effective exchange of vital information at healthcare organizations. When medical teams from different teams can exchange data seamlessly, they can serve their patients better.
Cost-Efficiency
Developing cross-platform healthcare software is more cost-efficient than developing multiple platform-specific software. A single codebase lowers the time and resources needed for development, which in turn shortens the overall healthcare software development lifecycle. Additionally, maintaining such software through periodic updates is faster and uniform, as there is just one codebase. Any issues detected can be resolved faster as development teams need not make changes to multiple codebases.
Uniform User Experience
The cross platform approach for custom healthcare software development ensures that the solution delivers a consistent user experience across all platforms. This can be especially beneficial when multiple care teams need to coordinate to provide care.
Rapid Deployment
Since cross platform software has one codebase, its development and implementation are faster. Moreover, custom healthcare software development that follows this approach helps developers release new features and updates faster. In an industry witnessing rapid changes, the cross platform approach will help organizations stay ahead of the curve.
Future-Proofing
Innovations tend to have a disruptive effect on the status quo. In healthcare software development, incorporating the latest advances and changes is necessary to ensure quality care. Since cross platform software will be functional on multiple platforms and compatible with other systems, they enable medical organizations to future-proof themselves. In other words, the cross platform approach for healthcare software development can work with emerging systems and help organizations adapt to innovations.
Conclusion
The evolution of technologies is inevitable. The only way medical organizations can stay relevant and serve their patients is to adapt to the changes. That can only happen when hospitals free themselves from the shackles of legacy systems. Cross platform software development is a great way to stay ahead of the curve and adopt new technologies. It is how healthcare software development can lay the foundation for a more future-ready medical infrastructure.
