The symplr 2024 Compass Survey highlights some key challenges that  healthcare organizations are grappling with – and its findings suggest a need for systemic change. 

One of the biggest revelations is 85% of clinicians and the majority of respondents in all three functional areas report losing more than an hour each day to administrative tasks. That's time, of course, that could be reduced or eliminated, and redirected to patient care, with help from technology. 

The survey also reveals the three groups – clinicians, IT leaders and operational executives – have quite different priorities. IT leaders (40%) now say cybersecurity is their organization's top threat, while clinicians (51%) and operational leaders (43%) cite burnout and staffing challenges.

We interviewed BJ Schaknowski, CEO of symplr, a healthcare operations tech and services company, to unpack those and other findings from the new survey.

Q. What were the major findings of your 2024 Compass Survey, and what do they suggest for the future of healthcare?

A. The disconnect between the leaders' priorities is contributing to inefficiencies across healthcare organizations, with 81% of IT leaders reporting unvetted "shadow IT" purchases – technologies acquired outside formal processes, sometimes due to unmet needs or perceived gaps in current systems.

Our findings paint a clear picture: The healthcare industry is dealing with fragmentation. An abundance of systems and vendors, paired with limited alignment, has created silos of inefficiency – a longstanding issue that is challenging to resolve, particularly as cybersecurity demands increasingly compete for attention. This level of disconnect doesn't just hurt the operational flow – it directly impacts the quality of care patients receive.

The Compass Survey data suggests to create a future-ready health system, organizations need to focus on consolidating systems and aligning leadership across IT, clinical and operational departments. Only by working together to streamline workflows and improve technology integration can we solve the systemic inefficiencies.

What this means for the future is simple: We need fewer tools and more collaboration. The technology is there, but the alignment of how we use it will determine how effective it becomes.

Q. You say streamlining workflows is critical to help deal with clinician burnout and survive in today's healthcare landscape. Why and how?

A. Streamlined operations is no longer a luxury – it's a necessity for healthcare organizations to survive the current landscape. Clinician burnout is largely driven by administrative burdens and difficulties in managing multiple disconnected systems. And these inefficiencies aren't just about wasted time – they lead to frustration, burnout and eventually staff turnover.

A reported 900,000 nurses, almost one fifth of the total number of RNs in the U.S., plan to leave the profession by 2027. Hospitals reported the average staff RN turnover rate was 18.4%, resulting in a loss of $3.9M to $5.8M in 2023. The McKinsey report also shows a steady rise in healthcare resignations, from 400,000 per month in 2020 to 600,000 per month in 2023.

Integrating workflows is about reducing the number of redundant tasks and eliminating the bottlenecks caused by using too many disparate systems. When hospitals and health systems can consolidate their technologies into more integrated platforms, clinicians can focus more on patient care and less on administrative work.

It also helps improve staff morale because it signals that leadership values their time and is actively working to remove barriers to effective care.

But the key to streamlining workflows goes beyond just reducing manual tasks – it's about creating systems that are intuitive, aligned with clinical workflows and designed with the end-user in mind. The right technology should act as an enabler, not an obstacle. We must rethink the role that IT plays in healthcare settings.

When designed and implemented correctly, streamlined systems can drastically reduce the time spent on nonclinical tasks, lower frustration levels, and, most important, improve patient outcomes. The future of healthcare depends on prioritizing the clinician experience just as much as the patient experience.

Q. You say there are problems for hospitals and health systems with "shadow IT" and fragmentation across technologies. Please describe these problems and what provider organizations can do about them.

A. The issue of shadow IT is that while it may provide a short-term fix, it creates long-term risks like cybersecurity vulnerabilities to data inconsistencies.

At the root of the problem is the sheer volume of technology being used. Many healthcare organizations are juggling more than 150 different solutions, many of which don't communicate well with each other and make it more difficult to have a clear, unified view of operations. It also leaves hospitals more vulnerable to cyberattacks, as multiple unintegrated systems create more potential entry points for security breaches.

To solve this, healthcare organizations need to take a more holistic approach to technology management. Consolidation is key. By streamlining their technology stack and reducing the number of vendors they work with, organizations reduce the likelihood of shadow IT popping up in the first place.

It's also critical for hospitals to involve clinicians in the technology selection process. Our survey found 72% of clinicians want more influence in software purchasing decisions, yet many operational and IT leaders are hesitant to give them that input. Clinicians are the ones using the technology every day – they need a seat at the table to ensure the tools chosen actually meet their needs.

Addressing disconnected processes and shadow IT is about creating a unified, secure and efficient technology ecosystem. Organizations need to perform regular audits of their existing systems, align leadership across departments and create a more collaborative approach to software selection. Only then can they move toward an integrated, protected and patient-focused future.

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Email him: bsiwicki@himss.org
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