Robert Budman, MD MBA, Chief Medical Information Officer, Piedmont Healthcare
On Thursday, Sepember 21, Dr. Budman will speak on a panel at the Becker's Hospital Review 3rd Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place September 21 through September 23 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Dr. Budman's session, click here.
Question: Looking at your IT budget, what is one item or expense that has surprised you in terms of ROI? How so?
Robert Budman: We contracted with an EHR consulting firm to provide expert oversight and actual build of a quality metric project for our ambulatory practice. It was a big win for us in terms of the timeline of the project and number of deliverables. It left employed resources in place on other work items, but also served as a training tool for how we accomplished tasks internally. We also created a transfer of knowledge to set us up for success in the future.
Q: Finding top tech talent is always a challenge. Say a CIO called you up today to ask for an interview question that would distinguish the best candidates from the mid- to low-performers. What question do you suggest he or she ask?
RB: What aspects of your work showcase your expertise? In other words, what do you feel makes you exceptional at your role?
Q: We spend a lot of timing talking about the exciting innovation modernizing healthcare. It's also helpful to acknowledge what we've let go of. What is one form of technology, one process or one idea that once seemed routine to you but is now endangered if not extinct? What existed in your organization 2-5 years ago but not anymore?
RB: eFax! Please let go of your legacy fax machines!
Q: Tell us about the last time you were truly, wildly amazed by technology. What did you see?
RB: I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid yet of predictive analytics and population health. I believe it has a role, but its benefits in terms of better health and cost savings remains to be seen in outcome studies. I do see telehealth visits as game-changing and love to see the integrated solutions right in the EHR. I've also seen stunning results from sepsis screening tools that show significant reductions in mortality, length of stay and hospital bills.