On March 7th, following mounting pressure and concern over the spread of COVID-19, HIMSS20, the foremost health IT conference in the world, was canceled.

As this was going to be our HIMSS debut, we accepted this news with bittersweet disappointment. We were relieved to have our teammates out of harm’s way but saddened by the vast potential for impact, that was never realized.

But then, thanks to a brilliant grassroots initiative, a new opportunity came to light — #VirtualHIMSS20! A way for the healthcare industry to meet, share, and learn without having to risk infection. A way for Hyro to form new relationships and to show the world what conversational AI can offer patients and health-providers alike.

As Hyro’s CIO, I draw tremendous amounts of inspiration from my peers in healthcare IT. I try to collect a trove of insights from a wide array of industry leaders, exploring the intricate ways in which their ideas clash or match with my own vision.

In this third part of our “Hyro at Himss” (or should I say Hyro at VirtualHIMSS?) series, we’re going to highlight and dissect a curated selection of the boldest, most insightful statements made by the nation’s top CIOs in recent years.

1. B.J. Moore, Providence St. Joseph Health

B.J. Moore’s transition from the top echelons of tech — serving as Vice President of Enterprise Commerce and Compliance at Microsoft — is in itself hugely symbolic of healthcare’s transformation into an innovation-driven industry. Moore, who devoted almost thirty years to Microsoft before taking on the position of CIO at Providence St. Joseph Health, admitted in an interview that he never expected the gaps between the two industries to be so wide. He commented on how he sometimes missed being surrounded by like-minded technologists and engineers who are on the bleeding edge versus being in an environment that is struggling with fundamentals. Despite that, Moore is extremely optimistic about the future of digital health, saying:

2. Myra Davis, Texas Children’s Hospital

Recognized by Health Data Management as one of the most powerful women in healthcare IT, Myra Davis is a daring and inspiring CIO. Her steadfastness on improving patient care through new initiatives is one of the driving forces that helped rank Texas Children’s Hospital as the third-best pediatric hospital in the U.S. Leading the implementation of a system-wide EHR and partnering with cutting edge health-tech vendors, Davis seems to adhere to her Modus Operandi in everything she does:

3. Nassar Nizami, Jefferson Health

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that a health system orchestrated by a CEO who has been named one of the most influential people in healthcare three years in a row now, would have a CIO as progressive as Nassar Nizami.

Transfering to Jefferson Health from New York Presbyterian, one of the most advanced medical centers in the country, Nizami brought years of experience with him and a clairvoyant perspective on the direction of health IT. When asked — in a recent podcast appearance — about his legacy of incorporating start-ups into his growth strategy, he urged the need to free data from the limitations of data centers and stifling bureaucracy. In addition, he hinted at what the best tool to confront that task might be:

At Hyro, we can easily relate to all of these ideas. By offering a plug & play solution requiring zero maintenance, we encourage health systems to adapt and embrace the change B.J. Moore is advocating. With our cutting-edge NLU capabilities, we empower patients to communicate with their providers in their own natural language, streamlining the care Myra Davis is fearlessly fighting to improve. And lastly, by building a truly conversational AI solution, we are on the frontlines of the technology — that, according to Nassar Nizami and other luminaries in the field — is going to propel the evolution of healthcare.

Which of these statements resonates with you most? What powerful words left an impact on you lately? Let me know on Linkedin and Twitter and follow along… Oh! and don’t forget to sign up for our #VirtualHIMSS20 webinar- Appointments by Conversational AI: Understanding Everything Your Patients Say

See you there!

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