Tina Esposito, chief data officer of Charlotte, N.C.-based Advocate Health, has seen the role grow over the past five to 10 years due to strategic industry shifts, such as the emergence of value-based care.
“That was, to some extent, a way in which data became much more important in the organization,” Ms. Esposito told Becker’s. “It was always important, but when something shifts so dramatically in terms of the strategy around how we deliver care, you have to then think about how to ensure the data corresponds.”
The growth in this role at health systems has slowed down as most organizations have already filled the position, according to Kiran Mysore, chief data and analytics officer at Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health. Now, the role of chief artificial intelligence officer is expanding, a position that requires close collaboration with the chief data officer, he said.
“AI’s rise is accelerating this trend, but the importance of a CDO remains vital because good AI models rely on good data and foundation,” Mr. Mysore said.
Beyond AI, the role has evolved in response to the industry’s need for compliance and regulation, as well as better interoperability and integration.
“Good interoperability and ease of data sharing are crucial, as data is exchanged securely with a large ecosystem outside the hospital,” Mr. Mysore said. “Healthcare requires handling large volumes of structured and unstructured data for value-based care, population health, research and precision medicine.”
How the chief data officer role is changing
Ms. Esposito’s role focuses on leveraging data to drive better patient outcomes and organizational performance. Her work includes the full scope of managing data: modernizing data platforms, reporting, analytics and data governance.
The role will continue to change because of a few factors, she said.
“This is already happening, but the cloud enablement has been game changing, and I think that will continue,” she said. This has brought forward a different aspect of the role that has not been present until recently, partially due to initial concerns about patient privacy, challenges that the industry has largely addressed. Now, cloud platforms and front and center as an AI enabler, she added.
Ms. Esposito also predicted that health systems will consider integrating more external data, combining it with internal know-how to provide broader insights.
The increase in mergers and acquisitions could also present new challenges in merging assets.
“What is becoming very apparent is that data is definitely a specialty, and as these organizations become larger and more complex, all of that is reflected in their data,” Ms. Esposito said. “What’s becoming very clear for folks is that you need professionals — not just the chief data officer, but a data team — to support that level of complexity.”
Data driving success
Much of the data-focused work at Advocate Health has entailed integration efforts post-merger, Ms. Esposito said. This has entailed enabling an integrated view for senior and operational leaders around health outcomes and safety.
“With year-end results, we’ve improved the long-term health of about 600,000 hypertension patients,” she said. “Similarly, we’ve had very good success with our diabetic population, about 220,000 patients that we’ve impacted by helping them keep their glucose in control.”
Sutter Health is building a data platform to enhance patient access and experience, expand its reach, improve efficiency, manage quality and risk, and optimize its workforce. The system recently launched Sutter Navigator, a tool that provides operations staff and leadership with a single source of truth for key operational metrics, Mr. Mysore said.
“These metrics are updated daily, offering valuable insights into hospital and ambulatory performance across various business aspects,” he said. “The tool has improved our operational reviews and allows our operators to manage their areas more proactively. We’ve also incorporated AI and GenAI capabilities into the platform, enhancing the insights we provide. Sutter Navigator is driving better transparency to our health system and is helping us meet our patient and business goals through better insights and foresights.”