A major challenge for health CIOs is making sure that IT innovation is actually leading to better care outcomes.
Kathy Azeez-Narain, chief digital officer at Newport Beach, Calif.-based Hoag health system, stopped by the "Becker's Healthcare Podcast" to discuss the challenges that come with innovation.
Editor's note: Responses have been briefly edited for clarity.
Listen to the full episode here.
Question: What are some of the top challenges that you're anticipating over the next two years?
Kathy Azeez-Narain: This is a tough one because obviously to me the challenges are changing. I come in this week, challenges are X, Y and Z, and then by next week, I feel like they've changed completely. I do think that one big challenge that I'm thinking through is, and it's because of the ethos of what we are trying to do. Is there a path of creating products on the market that not only are just about the digital products, but are able to actually impact health outcomes?
You'll see all the technology happening, you'll see all these care models coming to fruition. I think the big challenge or question is going to be: Is all of it or any of it really changing and making healthcare better? From the lens of a person consuming IT, is it actually making things better or is it just now we have tons of options and it's confusing everyone?
As we put things into the market, we are really ensuring that we stay crisp on validating that it's actually driving better health outcomes and better relationships with those that are using the whole brand.