Becker's Hospital Review

48 CIO / HEALTH IT Data is the 'lifeblood' of the digital health economy: Sanford CIO on how to keep up Laura Dyrda D igital technologies and data analytics have become vital to health sys- tems aiming to run efficient organizations, reduce burnout and pro- vide excellent patient care. But how do health systems collect and organize data? What investments are necessary to prepare for digital transformation in the future? Brad Reimer, CIO of Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, S.D., joined the "Becker's Digital Health + IT" podcast to talk about these issues. "ere's a lot evolving in healthcare right now, from AI to the Internet of Medical ings, to virtual health and consumerized healthcare," said Mr. Re- imer. "ere's so many buzzwords out there, but the largest opportunity and common currency across all of those is data. It's probably also one of the more challenging areas to address, and we're trying to figure out how to prepare the data ecosystem." ere is an abundance of data health systems compile every day, including clinical data from EHRs and operational workflow data. Health systems are also compiling information about disease spread, quality statistics, consumer preferences and more. With the field moving so rapidly, it can be easy to fall behind without the right strategy, and it won't get easier in the coming years. "We're looking at, what will the data ecosystem need to look like for this next generation of healthcare solutions? What is the amount and importance of data that's being created and consumed outside the EHRs? It's growing exponential- ly, as everybody knows, and all those systems, in a utopian world, need to work in concert with each other to really gain the benefits of improved patient quality care, the patient experience and provider experience," said Mr. Reimer. CIOs are working with other strategic leaders within the organization to figure out what they need to develop the right infrastructure for data governance, de-identification of data, and interoperability as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities. e infrastructure requires a large invest- ment beyond just the EHR system, to include data storage and management, and applications that will truly make a difference for organizational efficiency and patient care. "Data is the lifeblood of the future of digital health in my mind, and providing a modern and adaptable data ecosystem is incredibly important," said Mr. Reimer. "It's both a huge need as well as opportunity for organizations to cre- ate partnerships with third-party vendors. If we can crack the nut on how we build a modern data ecosystem for healthcare, I think it will truly revolution- ize healthcare for our patients and communities." Mr. Reimer said many health systems need more data literacy and data tech- nology literacy to really create the ideal data ecosystem. Sanford plans to in- vest in programs to develop data and technology literacy in the next year so the team's expertise in the area, and artificial intelligence, is solid before moving forward. Using the cloud at scale is another big area Mr. Reimer and his team are fo- cused on right now. "inking about leveraging the cloud at scale for some of these larger data systems is going to be a critical skill set that we develop," said Mr. Reimer. n Mississippi requires insurers to cover telehealth By Giles Bruce T he governor of Mississippi recently signed into law a bill that requires insurers to cov- er telehealth services on par with in-per- son care. Like many states, Mississippi passed an emer- gency order during the pandemic requiring pay- ment parity for telemedicine. The state is now joining several others in making those changes permanent. "I think it's a big win for the state," state epidemi- ologist Paul Byers, MD, said in a May 16 Mississip- pi Public Broadcasting story story. "Particularly for Mississippi, when we look at where providers are, and health disparities, and even disparities of where there may be a county where the near- est provider is 50 miles away. And that by itself creates a barrier for that person to access rou- tine care. I think that's a huge win." n Health IT company names Ed Marx as CEO By Naomi Diaz H ealthcare IT consulting company Divur- gent named Ed Marx its CEO. Mr. Marx will replace Colin Konschak, Di- vurgent's founder and CEO since 2007, accord- ing to a May 3 press release. Mr. Marx has more than 30 years of experience as an IT leader. He was formerly the chief digital officer for Tech Mahindra Health & Life Sciences and was the CIO of Cleveland Clinic from 2017 to 2019. During his time at Cleveland Clinic, Mr. Marx led the health system to achieve the highest desig- nation of the HIMSS electronic medical record adoption model, winning the Davies Award twice for best use of technology to enable busi- ness and clinical outcomes. n

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