Transform your I.T. operations and processes and confidently navigate today’s biggest healthcare challenges with insights from Becker’s Healthcare 9th Annual Health I.T. + Digital Health + RCM Conference.
This year, Becker’s Healthcare convened its 9th Annual Health I.T. + Digital Health + RCM (revenue cycle management) Conference from October 1 to 4 to share ideas about how decision-makers can solve today’s most critical issues in American healthcare.
Over 400 elite speakers engaged attendees in deep, high-level discussions on artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation, cybersecurity, telehealth, clinical burnout, and the revenue cycle, making this an invaluable opportunity to learn about the latest healthcare I.T. trends.
Laura Kidd, Director of Healthcare at Core BTS, was among the 2,500+ executives at the summit. She returned with a wealth of information that she wants to share with you today. Without much ado, here is a recap of the top five healthcare I.T. insights from the Conference:
1. AI Is a Disrupter We Must Harness
AI isn’t new in healthcare. Organizations have leveraged it for years, sometimes without labeling it as such. If you think about it, you likely have AI embedded in your sepsis, radiology, and clinical systems for data retrieval, analysis, and automation tasks. What’s different now is that we’re finally beginning to feel its impact.
Daniel Barchi, CIO of CommonSpirit Health, says that differentiating between AI and other essential technology investments, like cybersecurity, is necessary to navigate this development effectively and drive tangible results.
Part of this is determining the best use cases, as we always emphasize at Core BTS. Mr. Barchi says that healthcare decision-makers must look beyond the hype in favor of practical applications. AI shouldn’t just temporarily relieve clinicians; it must boost patient care, save time, and have a meaningful return on investment (ROI) for the organization. Most importantly, it must fit seamlessly into your organization’s technology stack.
The bottom line is that AI is a disruptor you must harness, but you must do it correctly.
Back-office use cases currently have the most potential for gaining efficiencies and reducing costs, as this is where most healthcare expenses are. You can also use AI to get more reimbursements. So, focusing on these areas is essential when considering how your organization will use AI moving forward.
2. Partnerships Are the Best Way To Move New Technology Forward
Another key theme at Becker’s Healthcare Conference was the importance of value-driven partnerships.
The modern healthcare landscape is characterized by fast-evolving tech companies and slow-moving health systems, creating a space where competition and collaboration thrive. Leading healthcare organizations recognize they can’t do it alone and increasingly tap tech companies like Core BTS to develop innovative solutions to enhance staff well-being and patient care.
As Rohit Chandar, Cleveland Clinic’s Chief Digital Officer, puts it, maintaining and strengthening tech partnerships is vital to moving new technology forward and effectively tackling ongoing healthcare challenges. However, the partnership must be with a reliable partner that matches your internal culture and is committed to solving the same problems you face. Technology companies with a clear healthcare focus often have the most success connecting with your mission and thoughtfully accelerating change.
3. Data Is the Key and the Problem
How do we harness data and ensure its integrity for the best AI possible?
Rahul Kashyap, medical director of research at WellSpan Health and assistant professor at Mayo Clinic, discussed this in a session titled “Transforming Healthcare: Data Harmonization, Machine Learning, and Generative AI.”
His message was clear: Data harmonization is critical to thrive in today’s healthcare landscape.
Organizations that want the best results must clean, standardize, and integrate all disparate data sources into one platform. This simplifies care coordination and communication AND considerably reduces costs. At the same time, it eliminates fragmented datasets, inconsistent data formats, and other flaws that often prevent successful AI implementation.
4. Change Management Is Crucial in Adopting New Technology
Epic’s MyChart chatbot has been making waves in healthcare lately. Thousands of doctors are already using it for simple tasks like answering medical questions and writing patient messages.
In the future, the chatbot will leverage AI to help patients manage their overall health and guide them with personalized recommendations, such as providing a checklist for surgery preparation or scheduling an annual flu shot.
As healthcare organizations adopt Mychart and all new tech on the horizon, they must consider how they’ll manage the change for patients and clinicians.
In a session titled “Big Ideas from Expert CNIOs,” Kay Burke, the VP and Chief Nursing informatics officer at UCSF Health System, said that when adopting all new technology, “Change management needs to be intentional and invisible.” In other words, healthcare organizations must create frictionless interactions to engage patients whose comfort level with technology is highly varied.
At Core BTS, we understand better than most that change management can make or break your digital transformation. This inspired us to create the ultimate solution for minimal disruptive change: The Adoption & Change Management (ACM) Program. Learn more about it here.
5. CIOs and CFOS Must Work Together To Maximize ROI of All Healthcare IT Initiatives
50% of healthcare providers are losing money from their initiatives, and the other 50% are operating on razor-thin margins. So, creating precise and realistic ROI projections is vital before starting any healthcare IT initiative.
“The Dynamic Impact of CIO-CFO Partnerships” session emphasized that CIOs and CFOs must navigate this journey together to properly execute the organization’s growth strategies. CIOs must translate their budget items into straightforward projections for CFOs to clearly outline ROI and savings and ensure that their accomplishments are front of mind in a meaningful way. Understanding where the margins are at any particular point, what makes a difference on the finance level, and how technology ties into that is crucial for success.
Final words
These five insights from Becker’s Healthcare 9th Annual Health I.T. + Digital Health + RCM Conference come at a critical juncture where technology rapidly transforms healthcare. Embracing them today can catapult you ahead in financial strength, operational efficiency, and clinical outcomes. That’s where Core BTS comes in.
Core BTS helps the world’s most trusted healthcare brands stay at the cutting edge by transforming from the inside out. Whether you’re looking to implement new technology, streamline processes, or enhance operations, our pros have the knowledge and experience to help you achieve your goals. Contact us now to learn more.
