As the healthcare sector undergoes digital transformation, what does this mean for the contribution the CIO is making to his or her organisation? A report published by MedCityNews identifies five factors that are shaping the changing role of the CIO in healthcare.

 

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Growing Consumerisation

Industry reports are showing a very clear trend towards tech professionals entering healthcare from entirely different sectors - and bringing much-needed skills with them. The patient is increasingly taking on the perspective of consumer that means healthcare CIOs need to have more savvy about service and the customer experience. KPMG Management Consulting has identified this trend and a HIStalk survey of 1, 500 HIT professionals showed that 37 percent of participants in a survey had not been healthcare CIOs in their previous jobs. The movement is towards healthcare benefiting from skills and experience diversity as the sector drives towards price transparency and greater patient engagement.

 

Talent Diversity

Healthcare CIO tenures tend to be five years or less which presents a challenge for tech professionals to fully implement necessary changes in a fast-changing industry. As more CIOs from other industries enter healthcare, the skills pool will widen and deepen which can only have a beneficial impact on healthcare.

 

Shortage of Skills

Sought-after skill sets across many industries include data analysis, machine learning and other AI abilities. Healthcare has to compete with better-paying sectors such as finance and technology to secure professionals with experience and skills in these areas. As a result, HIT CIOs often struggle to have a team with consistently strong skills needed to deploy disruptive technology effectively. Organisations that prioritise the capacities needed to engage top IT professionals and that invest in ongoing training will better position themselves for digitalisation.

 

Executive Responsibility and Authority

The input of healthcare CIOs is increasingly regarded as an integral part of a healthcare organisation’s business strategy. Just a decade ago, a CIO would typically report to a CFO or COO. However, today, they are likely to report to a CEO.  According to a Harvey Nash/KPMG 2018 CIO survey, 67 percent of healthcare CIOs said they are a member of the executive team or board at their organisation.

 

Purchasing Collaboration

Control of purchasing is shifting from being the domain of the healthcare CIO to a more collaborative venture. Purchasing is dealt with collaboratively across an organisation at all stages of the process.

 

Source: MedCity News

Image credit: Pixabay

 

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Hospitals, HIT, CIO, future trends, healthcare technology, Chief Information Officer, healthcare personnel As the healthcare sector undergoes digital transformation, what does this mean for the contribution the CIO is making to his or her organisation? A repor...