Does System Choice Matter? Influence of Hospital Information Systems on Digital Maturity

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Information Systems Research
• Digital Transformation in Healthcare

Background:

• Hospitals invest in digital infrastructure, with Hospital Information Systems (HIS) as a core component.
• The HIS provider market is fragmented, potentially hindering hospitals' digital transformation efforts.
• Limited empirical evidence exists on the relationship between HIS choice and digital maturity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between Hospital Information System (HIS) provider characteristics and hospitals' digital maturity.
• To identify specific HIS provider features that influence a hospital's level of digital advancement.
• To provide evidence-based recommendations for strategic HIS procurement and system improvements.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from over 1,600 hospitals in the German-wide DigitalRadar (DR) project.
• Derived four HIS provider features: module utilization, integration ratio, external provider variation, and maximum hospital size coverage.
• Applied k-means clustering and multivariate linear regressions to analyze the relationship with digital maturity scores.

Main Results:

• K-means clustering identified four distinct clusters of HIS providers.
• Higher module utilization (β=6.87, p<0.05) and integration ratios (β=14.35, p<0.01) were significantly associated with greater digital maturity.
• External provider variation and maximum hospital size coverage did not show a significant association with overall digital maturity.

Conclusions:

• The selection of a Hospital Information System (HIS) provider is linked to a hospital's digital maturity.
• Broader module coverage and stronger system integration by HIS providers are key factors for higher digital maturity.
• Strategic HIS procurement, system/organizational enhancements, and policy incentives are crucial for accelerating digital transformation in hospitals.