How public health and social services can deliver better care with secure digital solutions

The mission of Public Health and Social Services organisations is to provide the right services to the right citizens at the right time. But how can that be achieved against a backdrop of increasing regulation, growing demand for services and shrinking budgets?

That’s the challenge that the IDC white paper ‘Transforming Public Health and Social Services’ seeks to address.

And recently the challenge has grown. Even before the onset of COVID-19, more families were relying on multiple health and social programs. That demand has now risen further, as have the practical pressures on delivering care.

The white paper explains how organisations can respond by digitally transforming themselves: fully engaging and connecting with citizens, modernizing the workplace and enhancing services.

Overcoming the internal obstacles to transformation

To complete that transformation, it’s necessary to overcome internal organisational challenges. These revolve around process and structure limitations that span personnel, IT infrastructure, siloed data and services.

It’s often the case that care programs exist in silos of isolation and duplication due to disconnected systems and manual processes. This can cause delays in enrolment, verification and benefit delivery, as well as errors in benefit administration.

Based on real life stories of how agencies have achieved success, the white paper provides step-by-step guidance to unifying operations and applying the latest technology.

Looking at the bigger picture of process and strategy

Starting with the needs of beneficiaries and employees, it explains how to create strategies and a road map. How to deploy an ecosystem-based service delivery strategy and unite the appropriate government agencies and private service providers.

And if feasible, how to develop models for data sharing agreements. It’s vital to dynamically share information by engaging in multidirectional communications with other government organizations, NGOs, service providers and beneficiaries.

It’s also important to see the bigger picture. To look beyond localized data points, such as the case management system of a single agency, and collaborate across internal government departments, external government agencies, and non-profit organizations.

Solving old problems with new technological solutions

The cloud is at the heart of any digital transformation. Deploying cloud-based access portals and end to-end case management will optimize benefit management, meet regulatory compliance, tackle fraud and reduce disruptions in program benefits.

By providing mobile access to data and applications, beneficiaries and caseworkers can manage applications and benefits, wherever they are. The system can be made secure with identity and access management. And with the right analytics software, it’s possible to store, access, transform, model and track valuable information.

Understanding the holistic approach

The steps may be many but the vision behind them is singular: digital transformation uses technology to gain a complete, actionable view of everything that an organisation is, does and knows.

Adopting that view will empower you to “replace legacy practices with an outcome-focused future state based on a holistic understanding of the citizens you serve and the technology they leverage.”