Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1476979
73 CIO / HEALTH IT Where health system IT teams are headed: 10 observations By Laura Dyrda C IOs are taking on larger roles with- in health systems as technology is growing to support all departments and the system's central mission. "e CIO's role has evolved into a true busi- ness leader and clinical partner. IT teams will spend time influencing and being laser-fo- cused on their stakeholder communications skills," said Zafar Chaudry, MD, senior vice president and chief digital and information officer at Seattle Children's. "Also, they'll spend more time in the trenches with stake- holders on the front line and navigating the politics within a healthcare system." Ten observations from conversations with six healthcare CIOs: 1. CIOs are becoming more strategic leaders and business partners to support the health system's mission in all departments. To that end, many CIOs today are keenly focused on technologies and applications that improve the patient experience as an important pri- ority and key investment area for the health system, even as systems face tighter budgets than in the past. 2. With the elevated focus on digital trans- formation, some CIOs are becoming chief digital officers or chief digital and informa- tion officers to reflect their elevated status as organizational leaders. ey aren't solely managing the IT infrastructure but also de- veloping and deploying data-driven initia- tives and digital strategies systemwide. 3. ere is a paradigm shi to seeing analyt- ics as a service for the health system to ideal- ly reach the point where data contributes to predictive analytics, versus being primarily retrospective today. 4. e workforce shortage is front of mind for CIOs. Health systems are turning to ro- botic process automation to streamline more functions and depending on IT leaders to quickly connect new employees with their system's technology applications and plat- forms. 5. Healthcare IT teams are encountering un- precedented attrition as competition from all sectors for tech talent heats up. Hospitals are now competing with companies nationwide for IT employees who have more remote work options. Wage hikes amid inflation and fierce competition also make it challenging for hospitals to retain talent. 6. e most effective CIOs will engender a culture of near-constant change where the concept of a five-year plan, or even a one- year plan, is obsolete. Instead, teams need a lightweight governance driven by business leaders who make changes and employ new strategies quickly. 7. As health systems build data and artifi- cial intelligence capabilities, IT teams need more data scientists, analysts, architects and engineers. Sophisticated data teams can help improve patient care and realize savings for the organization, an important value prop- osition. 8. ere will be more collaboration between clinical and data teams. CIOs are knocking down silos and setting up programs for more clinical leaders to become informaticists, and creating space for IT teams to shadow clinical leaders on-site. is is more import- ant than ever with more IT teams working remotely. 9. Interoperability, price transparency and protecting patient-controlled data remain top of mind for CIOs, especially with more data coming in from wearables and re- mote-monitoring devices. 10. Diversity, equity and inclusion are top priorities for most healthcare organizations, and CIOs are working with their teams to support these initiatives. It's imperative to create equitable access to virtual care and make sure AI algorithms avoid biases that could hurt patient care. n PHI accidentally posted on Yale New Haven Hospital's website for 4 months By Laura Dyrda Radiology files with protected health information created for research at Yale New Haven (Conn.) Hospital were acciden- tally posted to the hospital's public website for four months, the hospital revealed June 17. Three details: 1. Yale New Haven Hospital discovered a web file containing name, phone numbers, email and service information was accessible through its website Dec. 16 to April 18 due to human error. 2. The hospital removed the file from its website and engaged a third-party firm to investigate the incident. 3. Yale reviewed security permissions for its internet facing systems and plans to provide additional employee training to prevent a similar incident from happening again. The hospital is also enhancing technical safeguards around patient information. n