As someone who loves healthcare technology, I’m really excited about the future. We’re in a time of big changes, with cloud technology and artificial intelligence (AI) ready to make patient care much better. But these great new opportunities also come with big challenges, especially for the IT leaders who are driving these changes.

CIOs and Chiefs of Nursing, you’re right in the middle of the action, handling many important tasks as you lead these big changes. You need to update old technology to make things work better. At the same time, you have to teach your team new tech skills and manage changes in your diverse and spread-out workforce.

Modernising IT Systems: A Balancing Act

Updating old technology is really tough. You have to make sure the new tech works without stopping important care for patients. It’s like trying to fix up a house while the family is still living there. Every step has to be carefully planned to keep everything running smoothly while making progress.

Upgrading Teams and Managing Change

Along with updating technology, you also need to help your team learn new skills. With tech changing so fast, it’s important to keep up with cloud and data skills. It’s not just about learning new things, it’s also about getting everyone in your organisation to work together and agree on the new goals. This can be really challenging, especially if your team is spread out in different places. But it’s important for making digital changes successful.

Lessons from Elixr Labs: Challenges and Breakthroughs

When I think about my time at Elixr Labs while working on our Healthverse platform, I understand the difficulties faced by healthcare IT leaders. We were a small company, and it was hard to get everyone—engineers, doctors, and clients—on the same page. Combining data from different old systems into one new platform was also really tough. The healthcare data can be as messy as a kid’s playroom, with information all over the place, making everything more complicated.

Even though we faced many challenges, we learned important lessons. We found out that clear communication, setting common goals, and being flexible are really important. These lessons are useful for any CIO or Chief of Nursing dealing with similar problems in big hospitals. The challenges are big, but solving them brings big rewards.

Seizing Opportunities Amidst Challenges

Even though the challenges are tough, they also give us a chance to think of new and better ways to provide healthcare. Cloud technology can help us create care that is more personalised, improve how we staff our teams, and predict health issues before they happen. These improvements can make healthcare work better, be more efficient, and focus more on what patients need.

The future of healthcare technology looks great. People who can handle today’s challenges will be ready to lead these changes. It’s not just about using new technology, it’s also about always trying to improve and come up with new ideas. By focusing on both the tech and the people involved, CIOs and nursing leaders can make big progress and create a healthcare system that works better and responds to patients’ needs.

What Are Your Biggest IT Roadblocks?

I’d love to hear about the biggest IT problems you’re facing. Whether it’s updating old systems, managing changes in your team, or adding new technology, sharing these issues can help us all understand and solve them. Together, we can find ways to overcome these challenges and make the most of healthcare technology.

In the end, changing healthcare with technology has both challenges and chances. By paying attention to both the tech stuff and the people involved, and by learning from each other, we can make big improvements and make patient care better for the future.