Healthcare organizations are often under resourced, meaning IT budgets are constantly scrutinized. The estimated $911 billion in cuts to Medicare over the next decade further complicates IT budget planning, with many rural healthcare providers at risk of closing or dramatically decreasing services. As challenges for healthcare organizations mount, healthcare providers will increasingly be looking for ways to cut costs without impacting the quality of care they’re delivering. One very effective strategy that can accomplish these goals is to take a holistic approach to digital transformation that includes moving beyond legacy Windows devices and adopting lower priced laptops.
Moving from legacy hardware solves a couple of rising IT-related costs by decreasing the maintenance burden on IT teams and provides a simpler, seamless user experience for healthcare workers. As part of larger digital transformation initiatives, the adoption of ChromeOS enables organizations to decrease costs while providing a more integrated approach to delivering healthcare services. Not only are direct costs reduced, but healthcare workers can save time by receiving instant access to EHRs, billing systems, document imaging scanners, and more, without compromising security or compliance.
Time is equally as important as saving money when staff and resources are limited. It’s not just private healthcare organizations facing the strain of cuts, the Department of Veterans Affairs has lost thousands of frontline healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, impacting the already strained organization’s ability to care for a growing number of veterans.
The rapid state of change facing the healthcare system may sound dire, but it has faced and overcome challenges in the past. It’s time for healthcare CIOs to embrace agility and accelerate their digital transformation initiatives to employ highly integrated systems that run on inexpensive, but dependable, user friendly and secure ChromeOS-based laptops.
IT Integration is Vital to Better Care Delivery
In the fast-paced healthcare environment, when every second counts, providers’ ability to care for their patients depends on accessing correct patient information quickly. This is why IT system integration – including hardware, software, EHRs, among others – is so imperative to meeting quality care and patient safety objectives. The ability to instantly view a patient’s complete medical history, medications, allergies, and test results can mitigate the risk of errors and increase treatment accuracy. The free flow of information between primary care providers, specialists, labs, pharmacies, and hospitals ensures all front-line workers are in alignment on next steps.
Integration also leads to increased efficiency across teams that translates to cost savings. For example, automated workflows reduce duplicate tests, double data entry, paperwork, and administrative delays can significantly lower operational costs and reduce insurance claim rejections.
This is why by deploying simple, smart, and secure ChromeOS laptops, equipped with Citrix, will make meaningful progress towards true digital transformation in frontline healthcare IT environments.
Citrix, virtualization software that enables users to access applications, desktops, and data from anywhere, hosts the actual healthcare applications, which may be Windows-based EHRs, imaging tools, or billing software, in a secure data center or cloud. When a healthcare worker logs into the ChromeOS device, Citrix delivers a virtualized version of the EHR or other application to the screen, eliminating the need for local software installation.
One major benefit of using the combined ChromeOS and Citrix solution is no patient data is stored on the device, so encryption is enforced both while it’s in transit and at rest in the Citrix backend. This ensures HIPAA compliance and data security policies. Virtualization also decreases costs and the burden on busy IT teams because healthcare applications only need to be maintained within Citrix versus on every endpoint – which could number in the hundreds or more.
Hackensack Meridian Health, a group of 18 hospitals employing more than 36,000 in New Jersey, is a good example of a large provider that is using ChromeOS to support its digital transformation goals. The organization uses Chromebooks across ambulatory exam rooms and mobile workstations. They also rely on Citrix for access to its legacy applications, giving workers at home the same experience they have in the office.
Simplified Healthcare Record Digitalization
Healthcare organizations already leverage document imaging scanners for a wide range of tasks, from front desk and admissions, where patient IDs are scanned for insurance billing purposes and intake forms are scanned directly into the EHR. Medical records departments regularly digitize old paper charts for archiving and retrieval in the integrated health record, while specialty departments, such as lab and radiology, can instantly attach lab requisitions, consent forms, or external reports to the patient’s file.
Scanning via ChromeOS and Citrix keeps workflow paper-to-digital without breaking HIPAA compliance because documents aren’t stored on ChromeOS devices, rather, scans go straight into the secure Citrix/EHR environment. This speeds up patient processing by eliminating the need to scan on a separate machine and upload manually.
The Era of Holistic Digital Transformation Is Here
Current trends impacting healthcare systems, including regulatory mandates (like interoperability rules), rising patient expectations, and the operational need to reduce costs while improving care, highlight the imperative of true digital transformation. As a result, providers are moving from siloed legacy systems toward integrated IT solutions that connect EHRs, imaging, lab systems, telehealth, and patient engagement tools into unified workflows. The future of healthcare delivery success relies upon an ecosystem where integrated IT isn’t just about connecting systems—it’s about making them securely and reliably available across diverse devices, locations, and care settings, ultimately enabling the vision of connected, patient-centered healthcare.
The author, Scott Francis, Technology Evangelist at PFU America, Inc., brings more than 30 years of document imaging expertise to his position where he’s responsible for evangelizing Ricoh’s industry leading scanner technology.