“Great on Paper” Isn’t Enough: CIO Chad Brisendine on Building a Solid Strategy

With most IT initiatives, “it can be very tough to put a business case together.” Determining whether it’s going to save on labor and increase revenue, in fact, “is extremely difficult 80 percent of the time,” according to Chad Brisendine, VP and CIO at St. Luke's University Health Network.

But there is an exception: enterprise imaging, which, compared to other projects, is a downright “easy” sell because of the revenue directly associated with it. During a Keynote Interview with Bill Russell, Brisendine discussed his team’s plans for an integrated platform, which he believes will help boost efficiency and patient satisfaction by freeing up more appointments. 

Chad Brisendine

“Access is one of the key things we’re working on,” he noted. “It’s a capacity and a constraint issue,” and one that will become increasingly important for organizations like St. Luke’s that have experienced significant growth. 

Since his arrival in 2009, the Bethlehem, Pa.-based system has grown from 4 to 13 hospitals, and continues to expand “vertically” within those facilities. Being able to serve more patients, many of whom are baby boomers, has meant expanding virtual capabilities as well, which his team is doing through tele-sitting, physician consults, and other means.

In the interview, Brisendine discussed his strategy for supporting growth without compromising service, how this will likely translate into the hospital of the future, and how to find the right place on the adoption curve.

The right fit

Before diving into any initiative, whether it’s enterprise imaging or self-scheduling, leaders have to know just how deep they want to go. “It’s knowing when to get in, when not to get in, and how much to innovate,” he said, admitting that he often “struggles” to make the right call. What he has found, not surprisingly, is that “a lot of what we learn isn’t about technology, but operations – how do we actually get this thing implemented and make it work in an environment? How do we get people to champion it, drive change and actually use the technology?”

The adoption piece, he said, can’t be understated. “The strategy can look great on paper, but the execution won’t happen if engagement is low, and no one wants to drive a solution if they don’t see value.”

This is where CIOs can have an enormous impact by not just understanding the problem that exists and the solution that could potentially solve it, but also whether that tool is the right fit. According to Brisendine, the most effective way to do that is by getting in front of users. By doing so, “you get to see a lot in terms of how things work,” he said, from design to execution. “You’re then able to take those learnings and bring them into those structures.”

Rounding, he believes, offers a unique window into how technology is – or is not – being utilized. By observing cardiovascular procedures and speaking with surgeons and other providers, he has developed a “really good understanding of the challenges.”

A “moving target”

One of the challenges facing his own team is envisioning what the “hospital room of the future” looks like, and how to best prepare for it. To that end, they’re looking at which “high-level capabilities” are needed, such as AI voice recognition, to enable virtual observation and physician consults.

And it’s always flashy; rather, sometimes the focus is on details surrounding sound and video quality. “All of those things matter when we're trying to get adoption and engagement by our providers,” he said. And while they have seen high levels of usage so far, Brisendine’s team knows full well that emerging technologies are a moving target.

“It’s a lot of strategic thinking and a lot of conversations and dialogue,” he said. It’s also allowing for modifications and realizing that AI could look very different a few years down the road. For CIOs, it’s looking at the curve and determining where your organization should be.

According to Brisendine, it all comes back to the business. “What we see is the momentum behind it and the business need,” he said. “That tends to determine whether we want to jump out early and have a strategy that's a little bit more agile,” realizing that there are risks involved, and that it could entail multiple reiterations.

No matter what, it’s making sure teams are aligned and are moving toward a shared goal.

“There’s a lot of stuff coming down the pike, especially with AI,” he concluded. “There are some huge opportunities, and we need to make sure that we’re out in front of it.”