Digitalization in healthcare – part 2: Buy or Build?

In their digitalization journey, many organizations face the same choice. They either use standard available software, or they opt for a custom solution. For healthcare organizations, which face regular changes in laws and regulations and therefore need to prepare their processes and applications for future changes, this is an important choice. How do they best set up their application landscape, and what should they take into account? In <part 1> of this series, we described the various system layers that make up the application landscape, with the choice of buying standard software or building it, especially in the Systems of Differentiation, often proving to be a difficult choice. In this part, we discuss the choice between buy or build.

Buy….
The Systems of Differentiation layer houses the applications that support a healthcare organization’s unique way of working, such as client intake or appointment scheduling. Depending on those processes, there may be suitable standard software available that can very well digitize these unique processes. In order to achieve optimal efficiency however, it is necessary that this standard software adjusts seamlessly to the specific work processes of the organization. This is often not the case, resulting in adjustments of the ideal and efficient process, just to fit in with the new system. The result, for example, is a new planning tool that relies on many Excel sheets, emails and calls to tie the process together, resulting in high inefficiency costs as well as security and management risks.

 …or Build?
The alternative is to build software that fully supports the specific work processes of healthcare organizations. However, when software is built in a traditional way, it also takes a lot of time, and changes and modifications can be costly. With low-code, some of those problems are solved: no more programming is required, allowing applications to be delivered faster. For this reason GGZ InGeest chose to let Bizzomate develop the entire digitalization process around the intake process, planning, flow and discharge of clients with low-code. With this choice they can continue to respond quickly to new questions, wishes and requirements within the organization. Charles Bronzwaer, partner at Bizzomate explains how low-code contributes to this: “With low-code, adjustments are easier to implement through the use of building blocks, and the visual way of working makes it easier to understand by non-IT personnel. This makes it ideally suited for building applications and getting quick feedback on them from the people dealing with a certain process. It allows for efficient development of applications that optimally support healthcare organizations with their specific processes.”

Choosing the right partner for maximum impact
When healthcare organizations choose to build applications, then low-code is flexible, secure and mature enough to make a difference in healthcare as well. Mendix research shows that nearly 70% of organizations across multiple sectors now consider low-code an important part of their organization. It is important to find a partner with the expertise needed to translate processes and challenges into concrete and future-proof solutions. This way, healthcare organizations can take the next step in their digitalization, ensuring great impact.

Read our earlier blog in which we explain what to consider when setting up your application landscape here, and download our white paper on digitalization in healthcare for more insights and real-life examples here.