Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/922733
41 Executive Briefing patient safety. Physicians find digital apps that improve work- flow efficiency, increase patient safety and improve diagnostic ability most appealing, according to a 2016 AMA study. Low-Code Evolution: Democratizing data across the health- care enterprise Low-code platforms help healthcare organizations address IT sprawl and take control of their internal systems, addressing major pain points of traditional enterprise software. In laymen's terms, low-code platforms are designed to allow nontechnical or "citizen" developers to easily build applications with point-and-click, drag-and-drop tools. This enables rapid delivery of business applications with minimal hand coding and upfront investment in setup, training and deployment. Low-code platforms can be valuable to healthcare organiza- tions for several reasons. By minimizing manual coding, these platforms speed delivery of apps that help to automate routine and/or laborious tasks, customize reporting and ease work- flows for improved productivity and user satisfaction. "Some applications will be consumer facing and others will help automate employee workflows and improve productivity," Mr. Haimberger says. "Some will be mobile-first experiences while others will address complex workflows requiring the integration of multiple enterprise data sources and external services. Many will address business processes that were developed around email and spreadsheets and never had formalized workflows." Low-code enterprise solutions come with another enormous benefit: the ability to scale as regulatory and business require- ments evolve. Organizations can add workflows and optimize business processes as needed without time-consuming recod- ing and IT assistance — helping IT staff stay focused on other projects while business users stay agile and make quick adjust- ments. These improvements drive value throughout the entire orga- nization, as staff and patients benefit from more accurate and timely information as well as accelerated business processes. Partnering with the right solution partner ensures organizations stay abreast of critical developments and software updates, making low-code platforms a future-proof solution in a fast- paced healthcare environment. Opportunities for Low-Code Platforms in Health Systems Mr. Haimberger discussed four opportunities for low-code plat- forms to enhance daily processes and catalyze digital transfor- mation across healthcare enterprises. 1. More sophisticated data integration. The Appian low-code platform uses the concept of data "Re- cords" to make viewing and storing data from disparate sources more seamless. A record aggregates data from different sys- tems into a single view within an app. Records are built on the notion of views and actions, meaning they are designed to ren- der information, whether that information is physically stored within the app or not. This allows end users to access data from third-party systems without directly copying data into the Ap- pian app, mitigating security risks to sensitive patient data if a user's device is stolen or lost. "Data doesn't mean all that much if it resides in silos," Mr. Haim- berger says. "But when a digital platform can help collect and integrate data in an app, then it is transformed into actionable intelligence that can improve the health of patients." 2. Reduced ownership costs. Low-code platforms give healthcare organizations the opportu- nity to create custom apps improving workflow efficiency and consumer experience without devoting significant time and re- sources to the development process. Traditionally, health organizations rely on contracting or hiring developers and programmers to create custom apps — a pro- cess that presents several costly downsides. For one, develop- ers are in limited supply and high demand across all industries, not just healthcare. As a result, developers are extremely costly resources to employ. Moreover, the app development lifecycle can take several months, if not years, infringing upon an organi- zation's ability to innovate and evolve quickly. "Platforms like Appian's allow organizations to make real-time changes to business and clinical workflows as needed which saves organizations on time and cost," Mr. Haimberger says. "Health systems are able to design and deploy innovations where normally they would have to hire a consultant to devel- op the app, then worry about the security and the compliance, which is a difficult process for organizations just trying to im- prove patient care. 3. Emphasize patient and clinician experience. Digital platforms with the ability to help citizen users develop custom, standalone apps aid IT leaders in moving the needle on patient experience and physician satisfaction. Specifically, low-code application development platforms en- able healthcare organizations to produce apps for clinicians, patients and nonclinical members of healthcare staff closely tailored to their unique workflow preferences and needs. By employing clinicians and citizens for front-end development, organizations are more likely to produce an app designed in a way that is appealing to similar users. Using low-code and no-code platforms in a healthcare setting can help clinicians be more accepting of applications, allow organizations to produce a higher number of consumer-and internal-facing apps, and save money on hiring experienced developers. Staying competitive in a digital landscape Data integration is becoming more complicated as rising vol- umes of data and disparate data sources continue to flood healthcare systems. Healthcare organizations are seeking flex- ible solutions that can quickly process and integrate data so it can actively be accessed and used to treat patients. Having a single software system that can provide for standalone app development, bridge disparate systems and provide a digital overlay for improved data usability will be key to healthcare systems' success managing populations and improving patient experience in value-based medicine. n Appian provides a leading low-code software development platform that enables organiza- tions to rapidly develop powerful and unique applications. The applications created on Appi- an's platform help companies drive digital transformation and competitive differentiation. For more information, visit www.appian.com.