The DigiMTM Digital Maturity Model
Damo Consulting’s DigiMTM Digital Maturity Model framework is transforming the way health systems view their progress in digital transformation. The model serves to guide health system leaders in prioritizing their investments based on a structured and objective benchmark of their progress against their peer group systems. Healthcare organizations can leverage the maturity model at any point in their digital transformation journeys.
Damo Consulting’s DigiMTM Digital Maturity Model is a framework that describes the different stages of digital maturity in the specific context of health systems. It is a 4-stage model, with Model 4 being the highest level of maturity. It is important to note that each stage in the DigiMTM Maturity Model builds on the previous one. The framework is supported by an online evaluation tool that scores individual health systems’ digital programs and provides benchmarks to drive incremental investments and roadmap execution priorities.
Figure 1: The DigiMTM Digital Maturity Model
Model 1: Health systems in Model 1 are focused on maximizing the value of their EHR investments. An example is improving patient access through a simple scheduling functionality in an EHR system. Health systems that embrace this model also prefer to rely on their EHR vendor’s product roadmap to guide their digital roadmaps. Many regional or community hospitals that rely primarily on core EHR platforms for digital health initiatives fall in Model 1.
Model 2: Health systems in this model have committed themselves to virtualize their care delivery through telehealth, remote monitoring, and online self-service tools. The key attribute for health systems in Model 2 is that they look beyond the core EHR platform to identify best-in-class standalone tools for digital enablement. Model 2 health systems design online experiences for healthcare consumers that increase convenience, improve the overall experience, and offer multiple communication channels between patients and their caregivers. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems across the board have invested heavily in telehealth and digital front door initiatives, often tapping into emerging technologies
such as voice and harnessing digital health innovation from big tech firms and startups.
Model 2 health systems tend to drive digital initiatives as part of an IT or telehealth program within the enterprise.
Model 3: Digital transformation programs are governed by a dedicated digital function in Model 3 entities. The digital function may be driven by individuals with additional responsibilities for other organizational functions. Digital leaders in Model 3 entities are often practicing clinicians focused primarily on the enablement of online access and communication for ambulatory care to improve utilization and broader telehealth adoption by patients and caregivers. Internal innovation groups drive digital initiatives in some health systems, responding to internal demand on a case-by- case basis. Digital executives in Model 3 entities typically do not have ownership for technology architecture and infrastructure needs at the enterprise level. Instead, they tend to focus more on workflow, training, and user experience to increase the adoption of digital health tools.
Model 4: Health systems in Model 4 are the most mature enterprises in the DigiMTM framework. Health systems at this level have a comprehensive enterprise-level digital strategy that considers stakeholder priorities across functions and departments. Digital transformation leaders in Model 4 organizations look beyond standalone digital front door applications and consider digitalization opportunities across the front and back-end functions, including administrative operations. They evaluate strategic IT enablers at the infrastructure and application levels needed to support digital health programs, all of which go into securing funding commitments for multiyear digital transformation roadmaps in line with enterprise priorities. Health systems in Model 4 typically commit to a handful of strategic technology platform partnerships in addition to EHR. They also have structured internal programs to evaluate and onboard innovative startups for driving enhanced experiences with digital health.
| Model 1 | Model 2 | Model 3 | Model 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Health systems in Model 1 are focused on maximizing the value of their EHR investments. An example is improving
patient access through a simple scheduling
functionality in an EHR system. Health systems that embrace this model also prefer to rely on their EHR vendor’s product roadmap to guide their digital roadmaps.
Many regional or community hospitals that
rely primarily on core EHR platforms for digital health initiatives fall in Model 1.
|
Health systems in this model have committed themselves to virtualize their care delivery through telehealth, remote
monitoring, and online self-service tools.
The key attribute for health systems in Model 2 is that they look beyond the core EHR platform to identify best-in-class
standalone tools for digital enablement.
Model 2 health systems design online experiences for healthcare consumers
that increase convenience, improve the overall experience, and offer multiple communication channels between patients and their caregivers. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems
across the board have invested heavily in
telehealth and digital front door initiatives,
often tapping into emerging technologies
such as voice and harnessing digital health
innovation from big tech firms and startups.
Model 2 health systems tend to drive digital
initiatives as part of an IT or telehealth program within the enterprise.
|
Digital transformation programs
are governed by a dedicated digital function
in Model 3 entities. The digital function may
be driven by individuals with additional responsibilities for other organizational functions. Digital leaders in Model 3 entities are often practicing clinicians focused primarily on the enablement of online
access and communication for ambulatory care to improve utilization and broader telehealth adoption by patients and
caregivers. Internal innovation groups drive
digital initiatives in some health systems,
responding to internal demand on a case-by-
case basis. Digital executives in Model 3 entities typically do not have ownership for technology architecture and infrastructure needs at the enterprise level. Instead, they tend to focus more on workflow, training, and user experience to increase the adoption of digital health tools.
|
Health systems in Model 4 are
the most mature enterprises in the DigiMTM
framework. Health systems at this level
have a comprehensive enterprise-level
digital strategy that considers stakeholder
priorities across functions and departments.
Digital transformation leaders in Model
4 organizations look beyond standalone
digital front door applications and consider
digitalization opportunities across the
front and back-end functions, including
administrative operations. They evaluate
strategic IT enablers at the infrastructure
and application levels needed to support
digital health programs, all of which go into
securing funding commitments for multiyear
digital transformation roadmaps in line
with enterprise priorities. Health systems
in Model 4 typically commit to a handful of
strategic technology platform partnerships
in addition to EHR. They also have structured
internal programs to evaluate and onboard
innovative startups for driving enhanced
experiences with digital health.
|
The DigiMTM Digital Maturity Assessment is an online assessment tool that evaluates health systems based on responses to questions covering four dimensions as described below. Individual responses are assigned a numerical score, and a final score is computed using a weighted scoring model for the various dimensions.
Learn more about the DigiMTM Digital Maturity Model and how taking the assessment can help you develop and optimize your digital strategy.
How to use the DigiMTM Digital Maturity Model and Assessment
Health systems executives may use the DigiMTM Maturity Assessment to:
- Compare and benchmark their maturity relative to competitors in their markets to make investment decisions. Our analysis of the highly competitive New York City market for one of our clients enabled them to develop a highly focused roadmap with a clear set of near-term priorities. The health system had to deploy telehealth platforms and stand up several digital patient engagement tools in the immediate wake of the pandemic. The DigiMTMÂ assessment enabled them to understand where they stood relative to their peer group systems. Using the assessment, they identified the opportunity areas and developed a set of investment priorities. Damo Consulting also assisted the organization with an internal stakeholder survey to identify high priority needs and solution partners using our DamoIntelTMÂ digital health intelligence platform.Â
Explore the potential of DigiMTM Digital Maturity model in designing your digital strategy and roadmaps 
- Engage in further discovery and exploration to validate their relative maturity levels and accelerate their transformation journey with focused investments and technology partnerships. One of our clients, a regional health system, used the maturity model along with an internal needs assessment to target their investments in high-impact patient engagement and virtual care programs. Based on the analysis, 12 different focus areas were identified, each with a set of possible solutions/features that could be implemented to transform the patient experience. Damo Consulting assisted the system with a further evaluation of high priority areas such as remote monitoring and chatbot deployments for further investment. The client was able to identify a range of possible use cases and possible solution providers using the information in our DamoIntelTMÂ digital health intelligence platform to help deliver the solutions.
