Healthcare IT Challenges Run the Gamut

The healthcare industry is one of the most challenging for IT pros. Consider some of the issues:

• Huge amounts of data generated
• Regulatory and compliance requirements
• Consequences of breaches and system failure

These are just some of the most obvious ones. Healthcare changes as fast as any industry, and with the global population aging, all these challenges are accelerating.

ActualTech Media polled attendees at a recent webinar event about the Herculean task of keeping healthcare operations running smoothly. Their answers provide a small glimpse into what admins and others are facing now and in the future.

Responses were evenly divided among the group, with no single answer standing out. The top challenge organizations faced was “Managing and securing patient data against cyber threats,” cited by 26 percent of poll-takers.

This is no surprise, as cyberattacks, particularly ransomware, are a daily plague on healthcare systems. The attackers understand the importance of this data, and they seemingly don’t care if people die, as long as they get their money. This may also make healthcare providers more likely to pay the ransom.

The next two most-popular answers, both coming in just behind the leader at 21 percent, were “Allocating sufficient budget and resources for IT upgrades,” and “Ensuring compliance with evolving healthcare regulations.”

Budget, of course, is the eternal IT struggle, as leaders are continually tasked with “doing more with less.” And compliance is an ever-shifting challenge for healthcare, as new regulations are constantly being added and revised.

Can AI come to at least a partial rescue for healthcare? The enormous amount of data that must be secured and managed in this area make it an appealing new option for companies to try.