Overcoming financial challenges in healthcare: What’s next?

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Overcoming financial challenges in healthcare: What’s next?
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The CFO’s Playbook for 2025
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Healthcare organisations are grappling with mounting financial pressures. Tight budgets, rising operational costs, and administrative overload are the new norm.

Despite these challenges, many financial processes, like petty cash handling, expense reimbursements, and budget tracking, are still managed manually. This begs the question: why are we still doing things the same way we did 20 years ago?

Old financial systems are costing you money and time

While technology has revolutionised most aspects of healthcare, financial management systems have lagged. Here’s why outdated methods are more costly than you might think:

Petty cash and manual tracking? A disaster waiting to happen

Petty cash systems, still used by many organisations, are prone to errors, lack of visibility, and require time-consuming manual processes. Without proper tracking, it’s hard to gain an accurate view of financial spending.

Tedious mileage claims and expenses are a lose-lose situation 

Managing mileage reimbursements and expenses is often a back-and-forth that slows down productivity. Employees spend valuable time filling out forms, submitting receipts, and waiting for approval, while finance teams are bogged down in administrative work instead of focusing on high-priority tasks.

Budgeting in the dark creates unnecessary financial risks

Without real-time tracking, budgeting becomes a guessing game. Lack of visibility into spending creates "budget blind spots", making it impossible to proactively manage costs. These gaps in oversight can lead to budget overruns that could have been avoided with timely information.

How digital tools are changing the finance game in healthcare

The healthcare industry is beginning to embrace digital solutions to streamline financial workflows. Here’s how digitalisation is making a real difference:

Automating finance: less work, fewer mistakes, more time for what matters

Automated financial platforms are taking over tasks like expense tracking, budget monitoring, and reimbursements, cutting down on manual labour. This results in greater accuracy, quicker processing times, and more efficient financial management.

Tracking and automated approvals to stay on top of your spending

Thanks to real-time tracking, healthcare organisations can now monitor spending as it happens. Automated approvals and budget controls help ensure that financial decisions stay within preset guidelines, keeping costs in check.

Why trusted financial tools play a vital role in digital transformation

Digital finance solutions are essential, but choosing the right tools to implement them is just as important. Trusted software partners play a key role in ensuring smooth transitions to digitalised finance systems.

Making the switch easy with trusted financial software

Providers like Datev and Pleo are at the forefront of making the switch to digital finance easier. By offering integrated platforms that work with existing systems, these tools help healthcare organisations reduce friction during adoption and increase operational efficiency.

Why digitalisation in finance isn’t just a trend, it’s the future

The question isn’t if healthcare organisations will transition to digital finance solutions,  it’s when. Early adopters who embrace these tools now will be better positioned to stay competitive and manage finances more effectively in the future.

The future of financial management in healthcare is digital

As healthcare organisations continue to face financial pressures, the role of digital tools will only grow more significant. With automated workflows, real-time insights, and better budgeting controls, healthcare businesses can operate more efficiently and focus on what matters most, providing excellent patient care.

By adopting digital solutions, organisations can navigate financial challenges more effectively and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive landscape. The future of financial management in healthcare is digital, and those who embrace it will be the ones who thrive.

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