16 unexpected challenges you faced when implementing a new technology in healthcare

Great question. I’m Len Berkowitz, physician assistant and co-founder of Center for Men’s Health Rhode Island. When we launched in 2021, I brought experience from Men’s Health Boston and MetroWest Urology, but nothing prepared me for one specific challenge with our Sonic Wave therapy equipment.

The unexpected problem? Patient scheduling chaos. We invested in the sonic wave device for ED treatment — a medication-free option that was supposed to set us apart — but the manufacturer’s recommended treatment protocol was 6 sessions over 3 weeks. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. Men in Rhode Island have unpredictable work schedules, and we kept having guys miss sessions, which killed treatment efficacy. Our no-show rate hit 34% by month two, and the expensive equipment was sitting idle.

Our solution was creating “treatment blocks” where we reserved entire afternoons just for sonic wave patients and offered same-day reschedules within that window. If someone canceled their 2pm slot, we’d text the 4pm guy asking if he wanted to come early. Our completion rate jumped to 89% within six weeks, and patient outcomes improved dramatically because they were actually finishing protocols.

My advice: whatever tech you’re implementing, stress-test it against your actual patient behavior, not the ideal scenario the vendor sells you. We now do “soft launches” for any new service where we run it with 10 patients first, document every friction point, then redesign the workflow before going full scale. Saved us on our PRP injection program launch last year.

I’m Rachel Acres, Founder of The Freedom Room–an addiction recovery centre in Australia. When we first tried implementing online intake assessments to make our services more accessible, I hit a wall I never expected: people in crisis don’t complete forms.

We’d built this beautiful digital intake system thinking it would remove barriers for people struggling with alcohol dependency. Instead, our completion rate was 12%. Turns out, when someone’s hands are shaking from withdrawal or they’re sitting in their car outside a bottle shop trying to decide whether to go in, the last thing they can do is fill out a 15-question assessment about their drinking history.

Our solution was dead simple–we scrapped most of it and added a single button: “Book a free 15 min call.” That’s it. No forms until after we’ve actually spoken. Our booking rate jumped to 68% within the first month. Now we do the assessment conversationally, meeting people exactly where they are.

My advice: test your new process with someone who’s actually in the crisis state your service addresses. I was nine years sober when I built that form–I’d completely forgotten what it felt like to be desperate and barely functional. The gap between “recovered professional” and “person who needs help right now” is massive, and tech can accidentally widen it if you’re not careful.

I’ve built integrative medicine programs at major academic centers including Miami Cancer Institute and University of Kansas Medical Center, so I’ve steered plenty of tech implementations. The unexpected challenge that nearly derailed our telemedicine expansion at WellMed/Optum wasn’t the video platform or EMR integration–it was patient internet literacy and bandwidth disparities across our 30,000-patient panel serving rural Texas communities.

We’d invested in HIPAA-compliant telehealth software and trained all our providers, but about 40% of our patients couldn’t connect reliably or didn’t know how to join video calls. Many elderly patients in South Texas had smartphones but had never used video features. We were losing appointments and frustrating patients who wanted care but couldn’t access it technically.

Our solution was creating a “tech concierge” role–front desk staff who’d do 5-minute pre-appointment phone calls walking patients through the connection process, then stay on standby during their first visit. We also implemented a backup phone-only protocol where I could still deliver meaningful integrative medicine consultations without video when bandwidth failed. This hybrid approach increased our successful telehealth completion rate from 60% to 94% within two months.

My advice: test your technology with actual end-users from your patient population before full rollout, not just with your tech-savvy colleagues. Have a low-tech backup plan that still delivers clinical value. The fanciest platform means nothing if patients can’t actually connect to you.

When we went fully digital and chartless at Tribeca Dental Studio, I expected the learning curve for staff—what I didn’t anticipate was patient pushback. About 30% of our initial patients were genuinely uncomfortable signing consent forms on iPads instead of paper, especially older adults who felt it was “less official” or worried about privacy.

We solved it by keeping one staff member stationed near the digital check-in area for the first two months, walking patients through the process and explaining our encryption standards in plain language. We also created a one-page printout showing exactly where their data lived and how it was protected. Within six weeks, resistance dropped to under 5%, and now patients actually prefer it because they can access their records instantly from home.

My advice: budget time for human hand-holding, not just technical implementation. We assumed two weeks of training would be enough—it actually took closer to eight weeks before the new workflow felt natural to everyone. The technology worked perfectly on day one, but people needed way more transition time than the software did.

Also, involve your most resistant team members early in the pilot phase. Our most skeptical dental assistant became our best digital workflow trainer because she knew every concern patients would have before they voiced it.

Great question. As a clinical psychologist who founded MVS Psychology Group in Melbourne, I faced a major unexpected challenge when we first rolled out telehealth services—something we now offer extensively across Victoria and NSW.

The challenge wasn’t the technology itself, but rather client resistance to it. When we started offering video sessions, about 40% of our existing clients were hesitant or outright refused, citing concerns about privacy, connection quality, or just feeling “weird” talking to a screen. We hadn’t anticipated the emotional barrier—people assumed in-person was inherently better for therapy, even when logistics made it difficult for them.

Our solution was counterintuitive: we stopped trying to convince people and instead offered a “trial first session” where clients could test telehealth with zero commitment to continue. If they didn’t like it, they’d return to in-person with no questions asked. Once people actually experienced it—realizing they could attend from home in comfortable clothes, skip the commute, and still get quality care—adoption shot up. We now see roughly 60% of appointments via telehealth.

My advice: Don’t underestimate the human resistance to change, even when the change is objectively more convenient. Let people experience it risk-free rather than trying to sell them on benefits they can’t yet imagine. We learned that the biggest barrier wasn’t technical—it was psychological.

I’m Louis Ezrick, founder of Evolve Physical Therapy in Brooklyn with nearly 20 years treating complex cases. I’ve implemented multiple technologies and systems across our practice.

The most unexpected challenge wasn’t learning the tech itself—it was patients completely rejecting assistive device training before their surgeries. We invested in pre-surgical “prehab” programs where patients would practice using walkers and crutches weeks ahead of their procedures. Sounds logical, right? Patients hated it. They felt like we were “jinxing” their recovery or making them confront the reality of post-op limitations before they were mentally ready.

We pivoted hard. Instead of framing it as “surgery prep,” we repositioned it as “confidence building” and let patients take devices home casually—like borrowing gym equipment. We stopped using clinical language and started saying things like “want to test drive this for a weekend?” Compliance jumped from about 30% to over 75% within two months.

My advice: assume your patients’ psychological barriers will be bigger than the technical ones. When rolling out anything new in healthcare, spend more time on the messaging and emotional framing than on the instruction manual. We learned people need to feel in control of their healing journey, not like they’re being prepped for failure.

One challenge that caught me off guard when rolling out virtual medical assistants was not technology. It was trust. I assumed clinics would worry about HIPAA, software, and connectivity. Instead, physicians worried about losing control of their front desk. They had built habits around seeing staff, overhearing calls, and walking up with questions. Moving that support remote felt like removing a safety net they did not realize they relied on.

We solved this by designing visibility into the process. We built shared dashboards, call logs, task boards, and daily reporting that showed exactly what the assistant handled in real time. Doctors could see messages triaged, appointments scheduled, and claims followed up. That transparency turned anxiety into confidence.

My advice is to plan for the human side before the technical side. People fear what they cannot see. Give them visibility early. Overcommunicate during the first weeks. Let them experience small wins before scaling. Technology works when workflows feel familiar. If the change feels invisible, adoption happens faster and with less resistance.

We started with one clinic, one provider, one assistant, then expanded after the results were clear. I learned to slow the rollout and listen closely to early feedback from staff and clinicians each day.

Patient Resistance to Digital Rehabilitation Tools

When I implemented a digital rehabilitation and appointment management system in my orthopedic practice, I assumed the main difficulty would be training staff on the software. The unexpected challenge was patient resistance, particularly among elderly and post-operative patients. Many felt anxious about using mobile applications, worried they might make mistakes, and feared that technology would replace personal doctor-patient interaction. This emotional barrier led to poor initial compliance, even though the system was clinically sound.

To address this, we focused on human support rather than adding more technology. During the first follow-up visit, a nurse or physiotherapist personally helped each patient install and use the app, demonstrated the exercises, and explained that the digital platform was only a support tool, not a substitute for direct medical care. We also provided printed instructions and a contact number for assistance. This personal onboarding reduced anxiety and significantly improved acceptance and adherence.

My advice to others is: do not assume that technical readiness means user readiness. Any new healthcare technology must be introduced with empathy, clear communication, and gradual adaptation. When patients feel supported and reassured, technology becomes an aid to care rather than a source of stress.

The biggest hurdle wasn’t the tech. It was getting dentists to actually care about security. They hated changing passwords, complaining it was a hassle. So I showed them a fake phishing email at a team meeting that they almost fell for. Suddenly it felt real. Here’s my advice: show people exactly how they can get hacked and make any new rules incredibly simple. Don’t overcomplicate it.

An unexpected challenge was persuading clients to adopt our new healthcare practitioner management software. We addressed it by offering personalized help to early users, actively gathering their feedback, and sharing their testimonials on social media and community platforms like Reddit to build trust. For similar initiatives, focus on close support at launch, keep feedback flowing, and let real user stories carry the message.

Technology Adoption Is a People Challenge, Not Just a Technical One

One key insight many of us miss when it comes to healthcare innovation is that just like in software, how well humans work with innovations will be equally as important as how well the software performs. If we do not design the new system around the way our clinicians work in their day-to-day workflow, then we risk adding to their already high levels of cognitive load and slowing down the speed at which they make decisions clinically.

If we anticipate this early enough, we may be able to avoid the frustration and subsequent disengagement from those responsible for implementing the new system that will result from its introduction.

An additional reason why treating the implementation of the innovation as an iterative process (not a one-time “launch”) is the most effective means of gaining acceptance and establishing trust by those who have been asked to adopt the innovation. By engaging front-line staff in the implementation process, by testing each iteration of the innovation before full-scale rollout and by allowing them to adjust their own roles, we can significantly increase their willingness to accept the innovation and use it to enhance the care delivery in their practice areas, without compromising the established clinical priorities of their practices.

When we introduce technology as a tool to assist them in their practice, rather than as a requirement that they must meet, then they are more likely to utilise the technology to deliver better patient care without causing disruption to their current ways of delivering care.

When we switched to our new secure video platform, everyone was nervous. They kept asking about privacy even though the system was locked down tight. We ran walkthroughs and stayed on call for any tech hiccups, which helped people settle in faster. My advice is to plan for a lot of hand-holding. That feeling of being supported is just as important as the software itself.

When we first implemented new technology into our healthcare practice one of the unexpected challenges we faced was the changing of roles and who would be responsible for what. When they are first introduced, new technologies seem to be a lifesaver as they promise to eliminate steps and labor intensive tasks.

However, with new technologies comes new responsibilities, new skill sets that need to be learned and new responsibilities added to current roles. Therefore, we decided to implement extensive training while hiring consultants to delineate responsibilities. So while technology is a great benefit, the changing roles and those who are accountable for them can cause some early and unexpected challenges and it would be a good idea to bring in outside expert help.

We hit a snag trying to use all our data without exposing patient info. Our first plans were weak. What actually worked was building clear consent forms and using differential privacy tools. My advice? Get an ethics review before you scale anything. It makes the decisions simpler and keeps the doctors comfortable that we’re handling things right.

I’m Adam Schuh, President of Clinical Supply Company — we manufacture and import FDA-compliant dental supplies. The most unexpected challenge we faced wasn’t the tech itself, but the timing mismatch between our inventory systems and real-world tariff volatility.

When we migrated to Shopify Plus in 2021, we built dynamic pricing algorithms to handle our direct-import model. What blindsided us was that tariff changes hit mid-shipment — containers would leave Malaysia at one duty rate and arrive in Ohio facing 15–25% increases. Our system couldn’t adjust pricing fast enough, and we absorbed $40K in losses over two months before we caught it.

Our fix was unglamorous but effective: we added a 72-hour pricing “hold” window tied to customs clearance timestamps, not order dates. We also began pre-purchasing tariff bonds for high-volume SKUs like our EZDoff gloves. It added complexity, but it’s kept our customers’ pricing stable even when global costs swing wildly.

My advice: stress-test your systems against external variables, not just internal workflows. Healthcare supply chains are vulnerable to policy changes, material shortages, and regulatory shifts that no software can predict. Build buffers and manual override protocols before you need them — they’ve saved us multiple times since.

Adding digital imaging really threw a wrench in our patient schedule. I thought appointments would just get faster, and they did, but we completely missed the need to retrain staff and update our consent forms. We should have pulled everyone in for feedback right at the beginning. That would have saved us weeks of second-guessing.