Organizational change management and the "people side" of digital technology takes careful consideration by health system C-suites to truly maximize new artificial intelligence-driven platforms and applications.
Brad Reimer, CIO of Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health, said his team spends a lot of time discussing technology operations so they're acing the fundamentals and keeping patient and caregiver safety top of mind as they innovate and support enterprisewide growth.
"We're rolling out new digital experiences for patients and providers every single day," said Mr. Reimer during an interview with the "Becker's Healthcare Podcast." "AI is a huge buzzword, but it's more than a buzzword. It's actually driving change within the organization in a meaningful way, and we've got to make sure that we're wrapping our arms around those impacted by that change and making sure they understand it and can leverage it in their best ways."
Sanford serves a largely rural population and is leveraging technology to make healthcare more accessible.
"We don't feel like [rural patients] have the access they need today, and we're going to continue to push into that and bridge that gap from a transformation standpoint. A lot of focus on digital experiences for patients and our caregivers, and we've had some great success with AI internally. We'll continue to push into virtual care, remote monitoring and micro clinics, and we're trying some different things."
Leaning into the innovator's operating model requires a leader who can stay calm and set the tone for the organization. The team reflects its leader, so if the leadership is concerned or scared about an issue, the team will feel and mirror that reaction as well.
"You've got to start with being calm and collected. You have to be transparent. You need to make sure you're providing the right information to individuals as they can trust the information you're giving them is correct and transparent," said Mr. Reimer. "We also focus a lot on making sure there's a psychologically safe place for people to raise questions, to challenge things and do that in a way they're not constricted by a title or a boss that's sitting in front of them."
Just like tech companies, Sanford's executive team has taken the strategy of moving quickly with innovation, learning from mistakes, and iterating on what works well. Mr. Reimer said remaining agile has accelerated care model transformation, and he's excited about the future.
"We really think there's going to be some unique ways we can reach that rural population, and then we're actively building out what we call our digital foundations platform," he said. "It is really that underpinning system that allows us to better understand the holistic view of a patient across all of the different service lines within the Sanford family, understand what some of the social dynamics are outside of the walls of our hospitals and our clinics, and when they're interacting with us."
The platform also allows patients to interact with the health system and communicate with clinicians in a more efficient way, Mr. Reimer said.
Making these changes and incorporating more AI into everyday operations can challenge team members within the IT team and overall organization. Leaders play a crucial role in checking in with their teams and making sure everyone is aligned.
"You've got to be open to change," he said. "Change is tough and it's hard to get out of the way that you've been doing things and really lean forward and make sure you're grabbing hold of what the new opportunities are. We do spend a little bit more time and need to spend more time on making sure our teams are as well equipped to adapt to that change."