Beyond the fashionable AI hype: scaling healthcare resources
Octo Technology has been part of Accenture since 2017. It is a Paris-based consultancy specialising in digital transformation and software services. I caught up with Olivier Taraud, managing all business development activities in Lifesciences, to talk all things data, digital and transformation, especially in healthcare.
Olivier, what is your perception of digital transformation among your clients?
“We have been talking about digital transformation for some time, but I think COVID accelerated it, and made it a little more concrete. In my view, we couldn’t have worked remotely even 6 or 7 years ago, so there has been a huge change since then. It is extremely impressive how fast people have adapted and started using new tools. For example, we’re even doing strategic thinking remotely, using virtual tools. I think a few years ago, that would just not have been possible. Customers have really taken ownership of these tools, so that they are fully able to collaborate remotely. The real issue is being able to disconnect at the end of the day. People have moved out of cities, looking to improve their quality of life, but there is still pressure to be available. They may not be sitting in traffic for two hours each day, but does that mean they are getting more time to themselves, or just working for two hours more? We need to think about the purpose of digital transformation as well as how we do it.”
How much has the pandemic affected healthcare and pharma, your key areas?
“It has changed ways of working. The biggest impact on pharma is that doctors could no longer see medical representatives, and their digital time was under a lot of pressure. That took away a whole channel and meant that everyone had to rethink multi-channel and omnichannel management. The whole marketing approach has needed to change. There have also been huge changes for patients. I think telemedicine is here to stay. There are now apps that will affect healthcare and could change medicine globally. There is clearly an appetite for their use: just look at use of Doctolib, the French medical appointment-booking platform. People have joined in droves. And, of course, apps generate lots of data — and that provides even more potential. It’s very interesting, because the more data you provide, the more you can take care of yourself, and you will also receive more targeted treatment.”
How is digitization being seen among your clients? Is AI an end in itself, or are they looking deeper?
“To a certain extent, it’s all about fashion. People want what’s fashionable, and right now that’s AI. The real question that they need to ask — and that we as consultants need to help them answer — is why they want it. What’s the real purpose behind digitization? Without knowing that, there is no point in going ahead. In healthcare, I think there is enormous potential for digitization to provide efficiencies: to free up people’s time and reduce costs, so that resources go further. However, you have to find the right use case. People talk about using AI to provide digital therapy, but I’m not really sure how far or fast that will go. There are so many different diseases and conditions. People are also reluctant to provide data unless they see a personal gain from doing so, and that will make it hard to train models.”
How well is Octo set up to manage digital transformation?
“We are doing a lot on innovation management, and on user experience. We are also working on a fail fast approach, so that we stop doing things that don’t work. We have capacity to develop applications from top to bottom, with big data, front end, APIs and technical architecture. We are even getting ahead on green IT. I would give us about eight or nine out of ten on digital proficiency, so I think we are in a good position, both in healthcare and more generally.”
What do you think is necessary to manage digital projects effectively?
“You need a diverse team. You need data scientists, engineers, and business users working together. Data governance is not a one-person job. In healthcare, for example, ideally you want doctors and clinicians working alongside data scientists to deliver projects. Integration is good because it is the business users who understand the problem. I think the key is to learn to use data to better manage your business, and therefore be able to create a better customer experience.”
I want to thank Olivier for sharing his insights on a topic that is dominating discussions and decisions. This SAS global study is exploring accelerated transformation over the summer of 2021. We’d love to hear about your experience — please leave a comment below and let’s keep asking the right questions.
