The implementation of efficient and flexible processes is fundamental to successful and sustainable digitalization. They also play a big part in positive developments such as increased patient wellbeing, greater employee satisfaction and motivation, and faster response times in emergencies. Agile methods have been used with great success across a wide range of areas for decades, but hardly at all in German hospitals.
HOW AGILE IS YOUR HOSPITAL?
- Does your hospital have interdisciplinary teams with the authority to make decisions?
- How flexible are you when it comes to setting your budgets and choosing your financing options?
- Does your hospital have an open and positive no-blame culture?
Agile approaches in German hospitals
In the context of hospitals, agile means organizing traditional structures and processes geared toward absolute safety, transparency, and central control in a way that enables flexibility and intelligent networking. The characteristics of agile methods in a hospital environment include forward-looking, adaptable strategies for the use of technology and medical innovations, a lean organization capable of swift decisions, and an ongoing review of the opportunities on offer.
Positive effects of agile structures in hospitals
Agile structures in hospitals offer significant advantages. Not only does staff morale improve but patient wellbeing also benefits from ways of thinking that are geared toward continuous improvement. Knowledge is shared more freely within agile teams, and agile organizations can react more quickly to sudden events. Another key benefit is that the silo mentality, which is still prevalent in hospitals and hinders many processes, is broken down. This also helps to smooth the process of digital transformation.
“In the context of digital transformation, agile methods and principles can harbor previously underestimated potential to actively involve people in change processes in times of transition and uncertainty. This can boost the acceptance and use of digital technologies.”
Agile financing models can overcome the investment backlog
If you ask experts about the most urgent issues that hospitals need to address in the digital transformation, the investment backlog caused by chronic underfunding is often at the top of the list. Policymakers are actively countering this trend with the Hospital Future Act (KHZG), which came into force at the end of 2020 and provides funds for increasing the level of digitalization. But is it enough to make more grants and subsidies available without changing the way in which investment is carried out?
Find out in our latest white paper, ‘Are you ready for tomorrow? How agility can be a factor in the success of digital transformation in German hospitals’, which explores how agile methods can improve the day-to-day running of hospitals. It also provides useful checklists, and presents agile financing and lifecycle management models that can permanently reduce costs and risks while improving a hospital’s ability to plan ahead. Get ready for tomorrow!
