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Podcast: Nick Patel on the Digital Pitfalls to Avoid & the Traits of a Successful CDO

September 23, 2021

A recent survey found that the majority of health systems (57 percent) aren’t reaching their goals when it comes to digital transformation. One of the biggest points of frustration is the fact that there isn’t a senior level role focused how emerging digital technologies can transform the patient experience, because most of the focus is on implementing and optimizing EHRs.
It was precisely this point that came up during a discussion Nick Patel had with HIMSS CEO Hal Wolf back in 2017 – a discussion that ended up transforming Patel’s career. Shortly afterwards, he pitched the idea of chief digital officer to his CEO, and was offered the job. Since then, the role has grown, both in numbers and notoriety, and Patel believes it will continue to do so as digital health becomes a bigger priority.
Recently, Patel spoke with Kate Gamble, Managing Editor of healthsystemCIO, about his team’s core objectives, particularly when it comes to remote monitoring; his thoughts on how disrupters and startups are changing the game; his journey from practicing physician to CDO; and the traits he believes are most important in digital leaders.
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Key Takeaways

* Initiatives like online scheduling can go a long way toward improving patient satisfaction — but only if it goes beyond analog to create a “true digital experience” that puts the patent at the center.
* For Patel, going to medical school and seeing how far behind healthcare was in terms of automation and efficiency “was like stepping back 50 years.”
* Digital transformation is key to the success of healthcare organizations; but only if it’s done right. “You have to be very prescriptive in how you do it,” Patel said. “It needs to be done in a seamless way and it needs to be continuous.”
* Without clearly defined governance and reporting structures – and a reasonable budget – it’s not possible for CDOs, CIOs, or any leaders to push the vision forward.
* To be successful, the CDO must be a strategist who understands how to maximize the use of the EHR, and how to bring it to the front door to improve patient care.

Q&A with Nick Patel, MD, CDO, Prisma Health, Part 2 [Click here to view Part 1]
Gamble:  Going back a little bit, you mentioned that one of the first initiatives involved online scheduling for providers. Why did you decide to start with that particular area?
Patel:  The first part was that we didn’t have a good website presence around who we were and who our providers were. We really wanted to build a provider directory that also had the reputation score or star rating, as well as a personal story about the provider. We wanted the ability for people to do keyword searches, so if they put in ‘diabetes,’ it will show everyone in that area who’s qualified to treat diabetes. It’s hard to find a provider; traditionally, you essentially had to search Google or ask a friend who is good and who isn’t, and where is the best place within a 20-mile radius. This allows you to do that all in one place.
But that only gets you the information. It only gets you to so far; you’ve had this digital experience all the way up to here. You know which provider you want. You saw his video, you his credentials, and you like his ratings. But now you need an appointment, and so you have to call a phone number. Converting from digital to analog is where you lose customers. We wanted to be able to say,