Impact over hype: Transforming aged care with digital that works
Arthur Shih of Humanetix (now part of Provider Assist) shared valuable insights during his presentation “Impact over hype: How to ensure your digital transformation actually works” at the Ageing Australia National Conference last week.
It’s a critical time for aged care providers as they face new regulations, workforce shortages, and rising expectations. A recent survey showed that over 60% of providers have had at least one digital project fail or get abandoned in the last three years, not because of flawed technology, but due to a lack of understanding around what needed to change. Digital transformation in aged care seems more urgent yet overwhelming, and true progress doesn’t come from chasing the latest trends or flashy tools. Instead, it’s often the smallest projects that yield the biggest impacts.
Learn how Humanetix and the Provider Assist team explore digital transformation in aged care via Ageing Australia’s Aged Care Today Spring edition below.
Impact over hype: Transforming aged care with digital that works
Digital transformation in aged care has never felt more urgent, more talked about, or more overwhelming. New regulations, funding pressures, workforce shortages and rising expectations to do more with less are putting pressure on providers to modernise, automate and systemise to survive. The sector is flooded with vendors pushing platforms powered artificial intelligence (AI) and the ‘next big thing’, creating a significant amount of digital noise as well as a fear of missing out. But what’s often missing is the clarity of impact.
Why digital projects fail
According to a 2023 survey conducted the Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council (ACIITC), over 60 per cent of providers said at least one digital project in the last three years failed or was abandoned. This was not due to bad technology, but because the implementation wasn’t rooted in a clear understanding of what needed to change and why. Instead of starting with ‘what features do we want’ and ‘is AI the answer’, providers should be asking ‘what problem are we solving’ and ‘how will we know if it worked’?
If the noise feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. Providers have spent hundreds of thousands on platforms only to walk away from them within 12 to 18 months – not because the technology was bad, but because it didn’t meet real needs. We’ve been there – our own customer relationship management rollout 20 years ago was a classic ‘big bang’ gone wrong. It taught us the hard way why clarity and sequencing matter more than scale.
Low-cost, high-return
Providers making real progress don’t start with hype or shiny promise; they start with their goals. The most impactful AI and automation is often achieved with modest, smart and practical changes. The following low-cost, high-return wins are what real impact looks like:
■ integrating existing rostering systems and payroll systems to cut manual administration and reduce errors
■ tweaking workflows to keep clinical information up to date and audit-ready
■ automating retrieval and storage of residential care fee letters, freeing up time for accurate billing, family queries and record-keeping
■ automating resident account reconciliation to reclaim two to three hours every day.
Stop chasing the unicorn
The dream of a do-it-all system is tempting, especially when internal systems don’t talk to each other. But the reality is most end-to-end platforms fall short when success isn’t clearly defined. Bold transformation is sometimes what’s needed, but only when it’s backed clear intent, strong leadership and smart sequencing. Often, providers already have the right tools, just not set up in the right way. Small tweaks often deliver the same results a six-figure system.
Transforming aged care with digital that works
Digital transformation isn’t a one-off event – it’s a mindset. Each small improvement builds momentum, compounding into measurable gains such as happier staff, reduced risk, better financial visibility and stronger care outcomes. Don’t let sunk cost or fear of complexity hold you back. A small shift today can spark real momentum. This might look like: automating one report this week; digitising one form next week; automating data flows between clinical and finance systems; and finally refining rostering workflows once the rest is in place.
Impact looks different for every provider
Whether you’re just beginning or mid-journey, define the impact you want to get from new technologies in your organisation, across these four key business areas:
■ operational (time saved, errors reduced, visibility gained)
■ human (staff feel supported, less administration, more time for care)
■ business (measurable results, not vague features)
■ sustainability (long-term potential as your organisation evolves).
Let’s stop treating transformation as a destination, and instead embrace it as a continuous improvement journey.
It’s not about having the flashiest technology; it’s about having the right tools, used the right way, at the right time, so your organisation runs like a well-tuned nervous system.
Original source: Aged Care Today Spring Edition 2025
Image source: Provider Assist