Survey: Self-Service Patient Scheduling Has Highest ROI in Digital Health

Self-service patient scheduling was described as having the highest return on investment among digital health solutions in a survey of 100 hospital and health system leaders

Panda Health released a report on perceptions about digital health adoption based on the survey conducted by in September 2023 by healthcare consultancy Sage Growth Partners.

Panda Health is a marketplace that connects buyers and sellers of digital health technologies. Through its marketplace, Panda vets and assesses digital health technologies across dozens of categories and invites those suppliers that meet its functional, technical, and service requirements to participate in the marketplace. Health systems using the Panda marketplace shop and procure the technologies that meet their needs, and Panda assists with the selection, implementation, and ongoing contract management.

The Atlanta-based company was established in 2020 by founding health systems Gundersen Health System, CentraCare, ThedaCare and development partner Fitzroy Health. The company’s second round of funding was led by Vizient and included healthcare providers Bellin Health, BJC HealthCare, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Ochsner Health, UW Health, Yale New Haven Health and technology partner CitiusTech. 

In February 2022, Panda and Sage surveyed 100 hospital executives and found that about half of hospital systems lack a formal digital health strategy, resulting in a slow and reactive procurement process. That process is hindered by the size and scope of the digital health market, which has thousands of solutions across multiple categories, the study found.

In addition to self-service scheduling having the highest return on investment, other findings of the 2023 survey report include: 
• Survey respondents indicated that Cybersecurity (84 percent) and Telemedicine (80 percent) are among the most commonly adopted solutions; whereas Virtual Nursing (13 percent) and Autonomous Medical Coding (11 percent) are the least adopted.
• Those surveyed said that Remote Patient Monitoring (86 percent) will have the most positive future impact on hospitals.
• It was found that Hospital at Home (40 percent) and Digital Care Navigators/Chatbots (42 percent) were solutions that had the lowest satisfaction rates among current users.