Basic automation can help hospitals improve care

Globally, 70% of healthcare providers use data to improve patient services.

Hospitals can start with basic referral and equipment tracking to improve patient care and operations instead of spending big on advanced digital systems, according to an analyst.

“Even if your electronic medical record (EMR) adoption is at around 50%, that’s good enough to start with,” Ram Nivas, an associate partner at EY-Parthenon, told the Healthcare Asia Summit 2025 in Kuala Lumpur in April. “The question now is: How do I use data that we have to add value to the patient experience?”

About 70% of healthcare providers globally use data in decision-making, whilst 65% have deployed artificial intelligence (AI) models in some capacity, he said. Almost half are starting to focus more on outcomes and how to improve patient’s quality of life.

Meanwhile, most healthcare providers in Southeast Asia are integrating basic EMR and more integrated electronic health record (EHR) systems. “However, data diversity and completeness still fall short of what’s needed to maximise usability,” he pointed out.

“We begin with the patient journey,” Nivas said. “For instance, what kinds of referrals are you getting? Even basic referral data from your EMR can be useful.”

“Look at where patients stop continuing treatment. Is it from the emergency room to being admitted, or from outpatient to inpatient? Identifying these gaps helps target specific improvement initiatives.”

Nivas said hospitals should use a central team to track referrals, identify drops from sources like doctors or departments, and take action quickly.

“This team, including specific analysts, should collaborate with functional departments to incorporate insights and root cause analysis into daily and weekly discussions,” he added.

Nivas also said hospitals should consider how well they’re using the facilities and equipment they’ve invested in and ensure these are used enough.

“One strategy is to run promotional programmes in collaboration with the marketing team and relevant speciality departments, ensuring coordinated effort,” he said. “These are all actionable steps you can take even with moderate digital maturity.”