The Internet of Things (IoT) is embraced by many healthcare organizations, but it also brings security vulnerabilities. A recent study from Vectra reveals that IoT devices within healthcare organizations pose…
Jump To:
The role of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) has changed over the last decade. The change is driven by the digitization of healthcare and the ability of modern technology to solve perennial healthcare business problems.
The CIO was once a leader of system administrators and developers. They were responsible for keeping servers running, networks connected, and desktop machines secure. They were unlikely to report directly to the CEO or be invited to meetings where executives made strategic decisions. Their role was to deploy and manage the infrastructure needed to implement plans formulated by their superiors.
How the Healthcare CIO Role Has Evolved
In recent years, the CIO role in healthcare has evolved into something much different. Today, healthcare CIOs report directly to CEOs and help to formulate their organization’s strategic goals, or at least they do in large healthcare organizations that appreciate the importance of technology and data to their success.
The healthcare industry was initially slow to adapt to a technological landscape that includes ubiquitous data collection and analysis, managed cloud infrastructure, mobile computing, and social networks. But, once given the initial impetus to digitize by HITECH and its push to electronic health records, the pace of innovation quickened, increasing the dependence of healthcare organizations on the expertise of their CIOs.
The cloud further shifted the role of CIOs from that of an IT manager to a buyer of services from third-party providers, changing the focus of their responsibilities to one that is more strategic.
Healthcare Executives Must Stay Current On Technology Trends
In modern healthcare organizations, no area is untouched by technology. It shapes communication between healthcare professionals and patients. It facilitates joined-up healthcare by enabling collaboration between professionals. Technology generates rich data and it provides the infrastructure and software necessary to apply the insights of data analytics to business, diagnostic, and treatment decisions.
To take just one example of thousands, Providence St. Joseph Health in Renton, WA, was able to generate savings of over $1 million a year by combining and analyzing cost and quality metrics for its knee replacement program. An analysis showed that a common treatment was expensive while providing little benefit. Insights like these are impossible without connected and integrated systems, which is just where a talented CIO can shine.
Healthcare businesses are complex as their operations are integrated through technology. Their operational costs are closely tied to data and infrastructure. CIOs have a vital role to play in planning, cost control, and assessing the cost/benefit profile of just about any decision the organization makes. Modern healthcare CIOs are project managers and strategic advisers whose work has a substantial impact on operational efficiency.
The Ongoing Evolution of Medical Technology
In the next few years, technology will become an even more important part of healthcare. We’re in a period of snowballing innovation in areas as diverse as telemedicine, machine learning, and the Internet of Medical Things. Each depends on the talents of visionary CIOs if they are to be implemented effectively.
To find out how TD Madison can help your healthcare organization recruit a high-caliber CIO, contact our executive recruitment team today.
