One of the biggest challenges facing hospitals and health systems is a lack of financial transparency — how much is being spent by which departments, and on which technologies. When Chris Akeroyd assumed the role of CIO at Children’s Health, it became immediately clear that there was a communications breakdown, which resulted in overinvestment in certain areas and underinvestment in others. “It was hard to find a strategy,” he recalled in a recent interview. And so, one of his first priorities was to initiate conversations that have been “eye-opening” and have led to reduced spending and a better understanding of the business.

However, for Akeroyd, who has been with the organization since 2015, it’s just one of many areas of focus for his team. During a discussion with Kate Gamble, Managing Editor of healthsystemCIO, he talked about how they’re leveraging digital tools to create a better experience for pediatric patients and their families; his philosophy when it comes to hybrid and remote work models; and the “immense opportunity” that drew him to the CIO role.

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Bold Statements

That’s one of the key things with governance. While the new feature sounds great, is this something we’re ready to take on now? Is this the biggest focus for the organization in terms of what we need to be working on?

We’re looking at some automation opportunities there — are there ways we can automate and speed up the processes? Because we’re pushing digital more and more to the bedside as well.

They should be more thoughtful as to which ones they approve and whether we’re investing the right money in the programs that need attention now, or are we overinvesting in some areas? And so, it’s become a very dynamic and fluid conversation.

It’s very easy to put a project request in — if there’s no charge back to department, then what’s the harm in doing it? And so, when I say ‘investing the right way, I mean, if I told you it was going to cost you $10,000 to do your request, would you still ask for it?

Q&A with Children’s Health CIO Chris Akeroyd, Part 1

Gamble:  Hi Chris, thanks so much for taking some time to speak with us. I look forward to talking about what your organization is doing. What are some of the key things on your mind right now?

Akeroyd:  We’ve got a staffing shortage issue just like everybody else, and so, it’s imperative on us to help create efficiencies where possible; to shorten cycles and do more with less when it comes to people. And not just internally within IS, but also looking at burnout and satisfaction among nurses and physicians. We’re doing a lot with process automation and reengineering where we’re looking at technologies — what we own and what need to implement and drive forward. And on top of everything is finding ways to secure it all.

That’s at a very high level. There’s also patient experience. We’re doing a lot of work around our digital front door. We’re launching a new app that combines the patient portal with the digital front door we launched earlier this year, and taking that through iterations to improve it.

 

Gamble:  So a lot going on. I definitely want to talk more about your digital strategy. Being a pediatric organization, I would imagine there are some different considerations.

Akeroyd:  There’s a bit more complexity to it, especially when you look at all the different laws focused on who can and can’t have access — we now control and maintain that.

 

Gamble:  Can you talk a bit more about the app?