The impact of digitization of the cost accounting system on organizational efficiency and effectiveness in the healthcare sector of the Republic of Serbia

The new industrial era has brought new opportunities and chances for the entire business development. Smart machines, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, big data are taking over many jobs and roles, thus leaving room for the development of new skills and abilities. The rapid technological development in terms of automation and digitization has made machines replace human work. In this sense, it is a matter of time when technology will replace traditional accountants. (Management) accountants who want to adapt and survive in the digital world have to improve their offer and change the focus from data calculation to interpretation of results and business management. Thus, by applying new digital information technology tools, management accounting can provide quality information for determining the costs of products and services, performance measurement, planning and control, strategic and operational decision-making and the like. The general objective of this paper is to review the potential impact of digital information technologies on the usefulness of cost accounting systems and organizational performance in healthcare institutions in the Republic of Serbia with the help of statistical analysis of the relationship between the selected variables. The results of the analysis show that digital technologies have a great impact on the usefulness of the cost accounting system. Also, the largest number of respondents pointed out that improved IT systems have a positive effect on increasing organizational performance.