Imagine a future where your full medical history is readily available to your care team — no repetitive questions, no lost test results, and no delays in care.
Anne Snowdon, RN, Ph.D., FAAN
Chief Scientific Research Officer, HIMSS
Joshua A. Wymer, D.N.P., RN, FHIMSS, FACHE, FAAN
Chief Health Information and Data Strategy Officer, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
Alexandra Wright, Ph.D.
Research Director, Office of Scientific Research, HIMSS
Imagine receiving care from a nurse or doctor who is not buried in paperwork, has time to engage with you, explain things fully and clearly, and truly listen. That is the promise of digitally connected healthcare, and that reality is closer than you may think.
Across the country, healthcare facilities are advancing digital tools to improve care. Digital health is about making health services work better for everyone: patients, healthcare workers, and the healthcare system. At its core, digital maturity is not about having more technology; digital maturity is about creating connected health systems that support every aspect of care, from specialists to laboratories to patients being able to manage their health and care. It means empowering clinicians with reliable tools and giving patients choices in how they access services. As health systems digitally mature, patients receive safer and higher-quality care, and care delivery teams are able to work more effectively in a high-quality work environment with better communication and support.
Safer, personalized, & more equitable care
The benefits of digital maturity are backed by evidence showing that hospitals with higher levels of digital advancement deliver better outcomes. Recent studies from the Office of Scientific Research at HIMSS show that hospitals with advanced levels of digital maturity are 3.25 times more likely to have better quality and safety outcomes. These hospitals report fewer infections, fewer preventable complications, and better results following surgery and emergency care.
In digitally mature health systems, patients have better experiences, report enhanced communication with their physicians and nurses, and feel more confident in their care. A study published in the Journal of Patient Experience found that hospitals with high digital maturity achieved significantly better scores in communication with nurses and doctors and in clearly explaining medications and therapies, critical elements of safe care. When treatment plans are well understood, patients experience fewer medication errors, faster recovery, and fewer return visits.
Digital maturity also helps address one of healthcare’s biggest challenges: workforce burnout and shortages. In digitally advanced care environments, unnecessary burdens on doctors and nurses are reduced. Clinical teams are supported by real-time data, predictive tools, and integrated data systems that make data accessible to inform decisions. These resources help detect early signs of deterioration, enhance timely decision making, and prioritize the time necessary to provide patients with compassion and quality care.
Not all hospitals in the United States have advanced their digital maturity to achieve these benefits. Nearly 74% of U.S. hospitals are only at very early stages of advancing digital maturity, with limited ability to share information across care settings. A study of over 2,200 U.S. hospitals showed that those serving communities experiencing very significant challenges, such as poverty, were more likely to lack digital infrastructure. In these settings, medical histories are not easily accessible, test results are difficult to find, and crucial care decisions often rely on incomplete information. Low levels of digital maturity mean that care teams and patients can experience very chaotic environments, and care teams may have limited access to critical data to inform decisions, which increases the risks associated with health disparities.
New pressures, new priorities
As healthcare systems and leadership teams scan the current environment for digital solutions that strengthen their technology footprint, data infrastructure, and capacity for successful innovation, the following priorities must be considered.
- Health organizations need to advance their digital maturity using a strategic roadmap to guide and inform progress towards that goal. Every digital journey begins with measuring where the organization is starting, using trusted, evidence-based models such as the Digital Health Indicator, used by hundreds of hospital systems worldwide, to help guide progress.
- Building digital infrastructure and advancing interoperability is key. Systems need to connect securely across health organizations, so no matter from which provider or in which setting a patient receives care, the care team will have complete health information needed to make informed decisions while enabling more timely and higher quality care.
- Workforce enablement and empowerment must remain a priority. Creating digital environments where the workforce is supported and wants to work ensures that technology investments result in reduced burnout, safer care environments, and greater support for patients and their care teams.
- Cybersecurity and governance are essential as cyberattacks on healthcare systems continue to increase. Through strategic implementation of these four priorities and leveraging internal and external partners to achieve them, healthcare leaders can improve care for patients, support their workforce, and create the foundation for their communities to thrive.
Digital maturity isn’t just a technology upgrade; it is how we move healthcare forward. As health systems face growing demands for care, workforce challenges, and rising expectations, digital maturity offers a practical, measurable path to better care and a more resilient future.
