KPMG: Healthcare’s Approach to Evolving AI & Tech Adoption

Healthcare services are facing increasing pressure, with longer life expectancy and aging populations.

According to KPMG, 58% of healthcare executives are often or frequently impacted by market, regulatory and/or technology shifts.

KPMG has published its Global Tech Report for the Healthcare sector, which delivers insights that could help transform the industry, covering the growth of AI and how technology can benefit medical professionals.

Pressure facing executives

KPMG’s report reveals that the majority of healthcare professionals prefer to be a fast follower of new technology rather than an early adopter.

In addition, 90% of executives say that they take a long-term approach to investment rather than a reactive approach.

Many healthcare systems around the world are modernising their technology and operations, allowing them to make more accelerated progress.

This involves opportunities for the sector to adopt predictive care, intelligent operations and a truly connected patient experience.

Beccy Fenton, Global Head of Healthcare at KPMG, says: “Many healthcare organisations are focusing on steady, incremental improvements to their technology. But while other sectors are modernising at speed, this approach risks leaving healthcare behind.

“What’s needed now is controlled acceleration: align data, governance and operating models so digital investment translates into real clinical and financial benefits. Technology belongs at the heart of care – the question is how quickly we can build trust, scale it safely and govern it well to improve equity, access and outcomes.

“This is the opportunity in front of healthcare leaders today.”

Changes in investment

The report also covers how healthcare organisations can receive greater ROI.

It says that many organisations have invested in digital capabilities but have not yet reshaped their data foundations or operating models.

KPMG says that leaders must make deliberate, enterprise-level shifts that allow technology to rebuild care delivery and workforce models.

Jonathan Di Michiel, Partner, Digital Health Practice at KPMG Australia, says: “Public health operators run large and complex systems with high levels of legacy tech. This creates challenges because to really take advantage of new technologies, you need interoperability and connectedness between systems.

“Breaking down the divisions caused by legacy tech is therefore the first obstacle. Secondly, we often see that modernisation takes the form of a lot of small POCs – many of these produce amazing results, but it’s hard to scale them up to apply across whole systems.

“Modernise your core platforms and connect them through the data layer so that you’re AI-ready. ROI will likely leap markedly when upgrades are focused on whole system change.”

AI adoption in healthcare

KPMG’s research reveals a significant growth in AI activity, with 66% of executives actively deploying AI use cases.

This level is up 32% from the previous year.

More than three-quarters of healthcare professionals expect to be deploying AI at scale within the next 12 months, which is the highest percentage of any sector surveyed by KPMG.

This is fuelled by the wide range of potential AI applications within the sector, as it can be used for patient administration, procurement, HR and treatments.

Chris Gibbons, Partner, Digital Health Solutions and AI Lead at KPMG in the UK, says: “Onboarding staff can be a complex and time-consuming process, but with AI this could be massively improved. 

“The current average length of time to onboard staff from point of offer can be up to 64 days, due to a combination of pre-employment checks, repetitive mandatory learning and other administrative tasks.

“There are huge gains that could be realised through greater AI-enabled automation; getting staff in front of patients more quickly whilst improving the experience for the workforce.”