Leadership to Accelerate Healthcare's Digital Transformation: Evidence From 33 Health Systems.

GOAL: The COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare market disruptors, and new digital healthcare technologies have made a substantial impact on the delivery of healthcare services, highlighting the critical roles of leaders in hospitals and health systems. This study sought to understand the evolving roles of CEOs, CIOs, and other executive leaders in the postpandemic era and highlight the adaptability and strategic vision of executives in shaping the future of healthcare delivery. METHODS: Between October 2022 and May 2023, 51 interviews were conducted with CEOs, CIOs, and other executives responsible for delivering technology solutions for 33 nonprofit health systems in the United States. They were asked to describe their backgrounds; how information solutions and technologies were viewed within their organizations' strategy, operations, and governance; and the key characteristics of executive leaders. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The study has found that effective CEOs have an authentic belief in technology's role in achieving their organization's mission and that contemporary CIOs are strategic executive partners who align strategy with culture to improve care. This study examines how healthcare systems are creating digitally savvy executive leadership teams that operate in a new, integrated model that unites previously siloed functions. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Some healthcare CIOs are unprepared for current and future business challenges, and some CEOs are unsure how to leverage digital technologies and C-suite expertise to transform their organizations. This research provides insights into how the nation's health systems are building and sustaining leadership teams capable of adapting to the healthcare environment and accelerating organizational transformation.

Evolving role of the health system CIO: perspectives from 33 health systems.

OBJECTIVES: This study explores the evolving position of the health system chief information officer (CIO) by identifying new core roles for success. METHODS: An advisory board of industry executives and system leaders guided the study. Purposeful sampling was used to invite chief executive officer and CIOs from 65 not-for-profit US health systems to participate. Interviews were conducted with 51 executives from 33 different systems, using a comprehensive interview topic guide. Interview transcripts were analysed using NVivo software, focusing on themes related to the evolving role of the health system CIO. RESULTS: Analyses revealed three main themes, with the CIO as (1) enabler of strategic change and transformation, (2) strategic developer of technology and leadership talent and (3) driver of organisational culture. DISCUSSION: The role of CIO has undergone transformation from technology and information system management to strategic leadership within the broader health system context. It highlights the importance of comprehensive business knowledge for CIOs and the need for other C-suite executives to have a deeper understanding of information and technology. CONCLUSION: As healthcare continues to evolve, the role of the CIO is expected to expand further, requiring a blend of technical and strategic business skills. This evolution presents opportunities for health systems to enhance their leadership development programmes, preparing leaders for the complexities of the contemporary health system sector.

Rural Access and Usage of Patient Portals: A 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey Analysis.

To examine differences in rural and urban respondents' use of and access to patient portals in the United States, this study used the 2019 National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 5, Cycle 3. A cross-sectional secondary data analysis utilizing jackknife weighting procedures was used to generalize the findings to be nationally representative. Despite similar rates of providers maintaining an electronic medical record system, adjusted analyses found that rural respondents had lower odds of being offered access to a patient portal by their healthcare provider (OR: 0.60; 95 percent CI: 0.39-0.91) and accessing their patient portals in the last 12 months (OR: 0.62; 95 percent CI: 0.43-0.91) when compared to their urban counterparts. Additional research is needed to determine effective strategies for overcoming geographic and structural barriers to adoption of this technology by rural residents.