To reach a well-founded decision on choosing a solution for digital healthcare, the first step is to pinpoint the needs of your business. On the same level, it’s critical to have in perspective the future expectations and demands of the society and your operations and which directions they could take. There are many technological approaches and models of digital health: One-off platform purchase, developing your own, add-ons to conventional communication platforms. However, to develop a future-proof digital transformation that responds to your requirements, a SaaS solution is a safe, cost-effective and flexible option.
What is a SaaS solution?
SaaS (Software as a Service) is a cloud-based software and delivery model that is usually offered as a dynamic licensing model.
5 advantages of a SaaS solution:
1. It is a low-risk investment
Developing your own platform takes a lot of resources – specialised knowledge and expertise and months – if not years of development. With a SaaS solution, you can be up and running quickly and with a minimal start-up cost. In addition, you don’t have to worry about upgrading and maintaining the system or installing it to every device as you would have to do with a one-off platform purchase. Your users can log in from any workstation, as the solution can be accessed by a web browser with no local installation required.
2. You get started quickly
Buying and owning – or even developing your own platform can sometimes seem tempting when the requirements are as specific as they are in healthcare. However, as mentioned, the time, cost and manpower that goes into such an approach should not be taken lightly. In addition, there is the risk of missing out on innovative development that is unfolding almost every week in technology. By choosing an established SaaS solution used by other healthcare providers, you can focus on your main operations and get started with offering your patients digital healthcare faster.
Read our guide - 5 tips for choosing the right digital health tool
3. Continuous development
A tested SaaS supplier often works with many customers in adjacent businesses where everyone is involved and contributes to the development of the service. This option keeps you in the loop of innovation and helps you avoid developing digital pathways in an echo chamber. It gives you access to the development, as well as the opportunity to add new functions as they are integrated into the service. This will ensure that you always and continuously have a system that meets the existing market requirements.
4. Operation and maintenance are included
Since the system provider handles operation and maintenance, you never have to worry about it; instead, you can focus on delivering care to your patients. Upgrades are also managed centrally by the supplier, which means that you do not have to spend time upgrading the system at local workstations or reserving resources to update an internally developed platform.
5. It is scalable
Since SaaS services are often offered as a license-based model where you pay per active user, it is easy to start on a small scale and gradually grow. This gives you flexibility and the opportunity to test and evaluate the system and the new working methods without requiring a large investment. When you then want to scale up, more licenses can be added as needed.
