Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, today announced the results of its Future Health Index (FHI) 2023 report: Taking healthcare everywhere. Unveiled at HIMSS23, the eighth annual FHI 2023 global report shows healthcare leaders are increasingly prepared to invest in AI, recognize the opportunity virtual care offers to bring care closer to patients, and acknowledge the importance of building partnerships to improve care.

This year’s report shows healthcare leaders are prepared to invest in AI to alleviate this pressure on their workforce. In order to genuinely relieve that burden, it’s essential that new AI capabilities are interoperable and embedded into clinical and operational workflows.

Shez Partovi, Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer and Business Leader of Enterprise Informatics, Philips says: “Post Covid, demand for healthcare services has increased, but there are fewer healthcare professionals available to serve this growing number of patients. This year’s report shows healthcare leaders are prepared to invest in AI to alleviate this pressure on their workforce,” said Shez Partovi, Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer and Business Leader of Enterprise Informatics at Philips. “In order to genuinely relieve that burden, it’s essential that new AI capabilities are interoperable and embedded into clinical and operational workflows.”

Tackling staff shortages with digital innovation and automation

Planned investments in AI over the next three years show the biggest increase in critical decision support (39% in 2023, up from 24% in 2021). This was a top choice among cardiology (50%) and radiology (48%) leaders. The percentage of healthcare leaders planning to invest in AI for operational efficiency, including automating documentation, scheduling patients, and performing routine tasks, remained steady at 37%.

Bringing care closer to the patient, expanding access points and convenience

With moving care to new settings a key contributor to reducing staffing pressure, 70% of all respondents say virtual care has had the biggest impact on improving patient care or will in the next three years. The report also shows virtual care is moving into more areas of care, meeting patients where they are. 82% of healthcare leaders say that their facility currently provides intensive or critical care supported virtually (41%) or plans to in the next three years (41%). Virtual care also plays a vital role in attracting and retaining talent, with 44% of younger healthcare professionals indicating new care delivery models that connect different care settings are a top priority when choosing where to work.

Partnering across the healthcare ecosystem to expand the reach of care

One in three (34%) healthcare leaders are building partnerships outside their healthcare system to be able to provide the best possible care. Among their top choices of current partners are diagnostic imaging or screening centers (28%), ambulatory care centers (23%), emergency medical centers (23%), and retailers or pharmacies (22%) – all of which can also help in bringing care closer to the patient.