The concept of digital health refers to the use of technology to support care delivery, management, and decision-making in healthcare services. In practice, solutions such as electronic medical records, scheduling systems, inventory control, and KPI dashboards help hospitals operate more efficiently and with less rework. These technologies reduce operational failures, streamline workflows, improve communication between departments, and improve the patient experience. Hospital management systems, in addition to organizing internal routines, enable the rational use of resources such as supplies, teams, and time—resulting in stronger cost control. In this article, learn the main challenges in hospital cost management and how to apply digital health in this sector. Explore it!
What is digital health?
Digital health is the application of information and communication technologies to optimize healthcare delivery, promoting greater agility, accessibility, and quality in patient care. The concept includes everything from health monitoring apps to electronic medical records, telemedicine practices, the use of artificial intelligence, and broader clinical decision support and management systems that integrate data and improve process management. With digital health, professionals and institutions can make more accurate decisions, while patients gain greater autonomy and easier access to information and documents overall.
Hospital cost management: what are the main challenges?
Hospital cost management is one of the greatest challenges faced by healthcare institutions, especially in a scenario of rising medical inflation. Balancing quality of care with financial sustainability requires consistent control of operating expenses and resource utilization. According to Aon, medical inflation in Brazil is expected to rise 12.9% in 2025, exceeding the projected global average of 10% by 2.9 percentage points. The increase in the country will be driven by rising costs and greater demand for healthcare services—factors that make it even more urgent to adopt innovative solutions and effective strategies to ensure the economic viability of hospital operations.
Digital health and cost reduction in hospitals
Applying the concept of digital health has transformed how hospitals operate, bringing greater agility to care delivery and internal management. Through technology, it is possible to automate processes, improve patient care, and generate savings. This has a direct impact on reducing hospital costs. Below, we outline the key positive drivers behind this reduction.
Reducing operating costs
By digitizing processes, hospitals can reduce expenses related to paper, physical storage, and workforce time spent on repetitive tasks. Automation also helps prevent human errors that lead to losses, enabling a leaner and more sustainable operation.
Eliminating manual processes and rework
Automating tasks such as scheduling, clinical recordkeeping, and exam delivery reduces the risk of errors and the need to redo processes. Professionals gain more time to focus on patient care, and the hospital saves on rework and corrections.
Efficient control of inventory and supplies
Digital solutions help monitor medication and material consumption in real time, preventing waste, expirations, and unnecessary purchases. With these data, the hospital can plan procurement more effectively. Tighter control generates savings and also improves logistics speed, accelerating replenishment.
Supporting financial planning and strategic decision-making
With organized and accessible data, management can analyze spending, identify bottlenecks, and make more accurate decisions. Technology forecasts scenarios and simulates resource allocation strategies, strengthening the institution’s financial planning.
Increasing team productivity
By eliminating bureaucratic tasks, professionals can dedicate themselves to patient care. Automation reduces time spent on administrative work, improves performance, and minimizes staff stress, resulting in a more motivated and productive team.
Optimizing internal communication
Digital platforms connect departments and healthcare professionals in real time. As a result, information about patients and routines flows more smoothly, reducing communication failures and accelerating internal processes. Teams operate in a more collaborative and faster way.
Greater agility in patient care
Technology facilitates access to patient history and e-prescribing, making care more agile, safe, and personalized. With fewer failures and greater accuracy, the patient experience improves—supporting faster diagnoses and treatments.
More transparency and patient access to information
Patients can track exams, treatments, and appointments via mobile phone or computer, increasing trust in the institution and promoting engagement in their own care. Transparency strengthens the clinician–patient relationship and reinforces the institution’s positive image.
Digital health applications in hospitals
Digital health innovations integrate data, automate processes, and support clinical decisions. Below are the main applications of this concept in hospitals:
Electronic health records with integrated and secure access
Electronic health records centralize and organize the assisted patient’s medical history, facilitating access to information across the entire care team. Exams, prescriptions, diagnoses, and clinical progress notes are available in real time. This makes it possible to reduce and even eliminate errors, avoid rework, and improve continuity of care. In addition, systems that use authentication and encryption ensure data security and privacy, in line with regulations such as Brazil’s LGPD.
Data-driven clinical decision support systems
With clinical data digitization, intelligent systems can cross-reference information and recommend clinical actions based on medical protocols and scientific evidence. This technology supports professionals in decision-making by providing alerts for drug interactions, differential diagnoses, and treatment adjustments. The result is more precise, safe, and agile care, with greater standardization of clinical practice across the institution.
Automated scheduling and service management
Digital scheduling platforms optimize provider calendar utilization and prevent time conflicts. These tools enable appointment confirmations and reminders, reducing no-shows and optimizing clinicians’ time. Automated management also streamlines registration and triage, ensuring smoother flow from arrival to care, improving the public’s experience and the hospital’s organization. Some of these solutions also use artificial intelligence to provide 24/7 responses to patients who get in touch, facilitating access to service.
Remote monitoring of patients and clinical indicators
Telemonitoring technologies enable remote patient monitoring, whether at home or in hospital beds, through sensors and connected devices. The care team continuously monitors vital signs, clinical progression, and risk alerts. This type of monitoring supports earlier interventions and improves clinical outcomes, while also generating data for analysis and quality-of-care management.
About Pixeon
Pixeon is the company with the largest software portfolio for the healthcare market.
Our solutions serve hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and diagnostic imaging centers, covering both management (HIS, CIS, RIS, and LIS) and diagnostic processes (PACS and Laboratory Interface), ensuring high performance and top-tier management in healthcare institutions.
The HIS/CIS software for hospitals and clinics, Pixeon Smart, is a complete solution that integrates the entire institution into a single system. It is also certified with the highest level of digital maturity by SBIS (Brazilian Society of Health Informatics).
We already have over 3,000 clients in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Colombia, serving millions of patients annually through our platforms.
Want to know if Pixeon’s technologies offer everything you’ve always wanted for your hospital or clinic?Request a commercial consultation and be amazed by everything our management system can provide!
