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IT and Digital Leaders: Fireside Chat

IT and Digital Leaders: Fireside Chat

If you think about AWS on a cloudy day, spit out "EHR!" when someone says Epic, and are only bothered by bugs if they're in your IT system - this is the fireside chat for you. Watch the recording from Digital Front Door Day 2023.

Featuring:

  • Sara Meinke, Sr. Director, Enterprise IT Ambulatory Network Innovation at Baptist Health Jacksonville
  • Pete D’Addio, Director of Enterprise Technology at Moffitt Cancer Center

Chat Highlights

Sara Meinke, Senior Director of Enterprise IT Ambulatory Network Innovation at Baptist Health, and Pete D’Addio, Director of Enterprise Technology at Moffitt Cancer Center, engaged in a fireside chat for IT and Digital Leaders in Healthcare. Sara oversees financial and business-centric applications, affiliate partnerships, and virtual care programs, while Pete is responsible for foundational technology at Moffitt, including networks, servers, storage, data centers, and cloud services.

Challenges in Healthcare IT Landscape

Sara and Pete discussed the challenges faced in the healthcare IT landscape, touching on financial constraints, shrinking margins, and staffing shortages, particularly in the clinical field. Sara emphasized the need for adaptability in the ever-changing healthcare environment and shared a visual representation of the transactionary state, highlighting the complexities of integration points and infrastructure in their organizations.

The Human Resource: Navigating Staffing Challenges

Both speakers acknowledged the widespread staffing challenges across clinical, IT, business, and HR sectors. Sara highlighted the importance of creativity in resource utilization, investing in upskilling and cross-functional training for team members. Pete emphasized the need for agility and discussed strategies like remote work and exploring managed services to address staffing shortages while maintaining a focus on patient care and safety.

Cloud Journeys in Healthcare

The speakers delved into their organizations’ cloud journeys, acknowledging the significant investment required. Pete shared the importance of balancing business and clinical strategies with a mature technology strategy, considering factors like governance, compliance, and risk. They discussed challenges in adopting cloud technologies, such as finding the right balance and navigating security concerns, aiming to leverage cloud opportunities for organizational benefit.

Collaboration Around Digital Transformation

Sara highlighted the shift towards a more collaborative approach to digital transformation, emphasizing the importance of operational buy-in and partnerships within the business. She discussed the challenges of co-leading an ERP transformation, emphasizing the need for business process redesign and how technology complements overall objectives. Pete echoed these sentiments, stressing the importance of understanding stakeholder needs and adopting technology to enhance workflow and patient care.

Balancing Flexibility and Standardization

The discussion initially revolved around the challenge of finding a balance between flexibility and standardization in digital solutions. The speakers acknowledged the universal struggle faced by organizations in achieving platform unification and emphasized the importance of securing buy-in. The need for agreement and compromise, involving clinical and operational champions in decision-making, was highlighted as crucial for identifying the most suitable solutions for organizational workflows.

Navigating Niche Solutions and Ensuring Adoption

Shifting the focus to policies around niche solutions, the speakers discussed the intricacies of evaluating requests. They delved into the complexities of dealing with solutions that offer more functionality than necessary, suggesting a nuanced approach by considering alignment thresholds, such as 80 or 90 percent. The challenge of striking the right balance between meeting specific needs and avoiding unnecessary complexity was underscored as an ongoing consideration.

 

The conversation expanded to the broader challenge of ensuring technology adoption and ongoing improvement. Metrics, performance monitoring, and an agile mindset were identified as critical elements. The speakers acknowledged the cultural shift required within organizations and the staffing challenges associated with providing 24/7 support in the healthcare sector. The importance of mutual accountability, partnership with stakeholders, and the evolving role of IT in healthcare operations were highlighted as key factors for successful technology implementation and operationalization.

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