To focus on that kind of work, healthcare organizations can leverage ServiceNow to simplify and optimize IT operations by merging core operational functions into a single platform. The platform enables not just the standardization of processes but also the ability to share data in support of shared applications.

This empowers health IT teams to work in a service-oriented fashion, operating not as a cost center but as an integral element in the delivery of modern, mobile-friendly services that clinicians and patients can access at any time. ServiceNow tools allow health IT teams to function more like a business than a technology provider, able to forecast demand and focus on the delivery of core services.

“If you’re not thinking about services and products, and you’re not talking about services and products, and you’re not able to articulate what services and products you’re supporting in IT, you’re not going to be able to have conversations about digital transformation, because that’s where the transformation is taking place,” Landowski says.

How Healthcare Organizations Rely On ServiceNow

A wide range of healthcare organizations have turned to ServiceNow to improve clinician efficiency and patient engagement.

For example, Miami-based hospice provider VITAS Healthcare has expanded its ServiceNow footprint over time, after turning to the platform several years ago for one purpose: to manage the mobile devices it provides to its staff in 14 states. The move saved $70,000 on one month’s phone costs alone. It was so successful that VITAS began using ServiceNow to enable staff to onboard new patients using Apple iPhones.

In 2020, Phoenix-based HonorHealth turned to ServiceNow to deploy a simple chatbot that could handle the flood of pandemic-related queries that threatened to overwhelm nurse call lines. Visitors to the healthcare organization’s website could use a COVID-19 symptom checker or chat live with a nurse.

Most organizations have shared network and infrastructure capabilities but lack services with clear value, Landowski says. Often, IT teams deploy those shared capabilities but are not engaged with the business or mission areas of the organizations.

“Good organizations, and organizations that have a modern operational environment, have services that provide value back to the business,” he says. “They understand what it is and what they’re getting, and they pay based on what they consume.”

UP NEXT: Learn how ServiceNow supports digital transformations in healthcare.