Economic downturn is a major challenge for CIOs and tech departments. Tony Ambrozie, senior vice president and chief digital and information officer at Coral Gables, Fla.-based Baptist Health, stopped by the "Becker's Healthcare Podcast" to discuss his strategies for navigating an economic downturn.
Listen to the full episode here.
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
Question: When you look at healthcare, especially digital health, over the next few years, what are some of the top challenges you're preparing for down the line?
Tony Ambrozie: I will say that challenges are there to be overcome. A mountain is something that you either climb or go around, not to be stopped by. Some challenges can be interesting because they could lead to much better futures. I think the top challenge for all the players in healthcare is to maintain and even expand the momentum for digital and data transformation. We know this transformation works, and we're doing it.
It's very important not to get distracted or stop too soon. We need to stop thinking of these things as projects with an end date and we can just stop when things are good enough. I was talking about economic headwinds, but it's important to keep this trajectory and maintain the level of investments. We will be better off on the other side of these difficult moments, but only if we continue to invest.
That is a lesson I learned while both at American Express and Disney. Through their difficult times, they had confidence in themselves and in their future. They kept investing in the right things.