Why healthcare workflow must evolve
Clinicians live in their EHR. They don’t have time to toggle between tools or retype patient data. If a physician needs to reference an A1C value, the system should already know it. That’s the power of context-aware integration. Clinical nudges, such as alerting a physician of a change that impacts decision-making or highlighting results from other areas of the patient chart a physician might not have seen, are the next level of subtle, non-invasive alerts that can surface relevant insights without adding cognitive load.
Years ago, clinicians tolerated clunky workflows. Today, they expect consumer-grade experiences. The new generation of providers entering the workforce won’t accept anything less. If a tool requires onboarding or a user manual, it’s already failed. That’s the challenge – and opportunity – for solution developers.
The story is no longer just about "streamlining workflows" or "integrating systems." It’s about creating a consumer-grade, intuitive, and delightful experience that empowers clinicians, improves patient outcomes, and delivers measurable ROI. For UpToDate, delivering on an enterprise-level commitment of having the best available evidence and being the industry’s most trusted resource is not enough. It’s about moving from integration to intuitive design, where technology doesn’t just support workflows but actively enhances them by working in the background.
Workflow’s impact on the bottom line
Intuitive workflows do more than delight, they drive real financial and operational value. When clinicians operate at the top of their license, care becomes more consistent and high-quality. That reduces variability and improves outcomes.
If a clinician only has 30 seconds before the next patient, they need answers fast. If we deliver that, they’ll come back again. That’s how adoption grows, and that’s how ROI builds.
AI-enabled clinical decision support now unlocks speed. If a clinician used to check UpToDate for two patients a day, maybe now they check for 10. Each successful interaction builds trust, drives usage, and helps connect more clinicians access the best available evidence — without compromise.
The UpToDate vision: Connected care without compromise
UpToDate is committed to empowering hospital systems with trusted, evidence-based solutions. Our vision for care delivery includes optimizing resource use to drive ROI. As we innovate, we’ll continue to prioritize transparency, clinical trust, and user delight.
We reject the idea that users must choose between speed and rigor. The onus is on us to deliver both. And we’ll keep pushing toward that vision – because connected care shouldn’t come with compromise.
Explore the UpToDate vision for care delivery in our paper, “Driving healthcare forward.”
