The healthcare industry and the tech sector have made significant strides in improving patient care, but challenges remain as not all tech vendors that enter the healthcare environment do well, SC Media reported Aug. 22.
Three reasons why tech vendors fail, according to the article:
- Healthcare is unique: Vendors that identify inefficiencies then try to fix it for the healthcare sector often end in failed results as they didn't consider the nuances that drive healthcare decision making. Healthcare relies on legacy technology and a vendor must understand how to handle something that breaks, as well as putting patients safety top of mind.
- Product design and security: Vendors have failed to design products that consider provider feedback and security. Many device manufacturers aren't investing in security as they believe designing devices that are clinically safe isn't within their scope of responsibilities.
- Lack of specific contracts: According to the article, there needs to be emphasis on strong business associate agreements and contracts. Contracts with vendors should include how data must be stored and accessed, as well as the frequency of changes and reviews to business continuity and disaster recovery plans.