During his five years in CIO at Johnson City, Tennessee-based Ballad Health, Pam Austin helped architects build a holistic range of digital transformations with a focus on simplifying technology, improving clinician workflows and expanding rural footprints throughout the organization.
One of the most influential projects led by Austin is to standardize the technical infrastructure of its 20 hospitals (half of which) serves rural communities by integrating systems and transitioning to a single unified epic platform.
The focus of this work is to reduce redundant applications and improve clinician availability, she said. Austin notes that availability is a key part of digital transformation.
“We work with frontline team members in the clinical field to understand their workflow and what their pain points are. It should be crucial for us to talk to them about their use of EMR and a better experience because usability is crucial – if the tool adds more clicks or complexity, it won’t be the last time.”
She believes most tools should simply “fade into the background”, meaning they work behind the scenes to make the face time between patients and providers more. The ultimate goal is to ensure technical support rather than complex delivery of care, especially in rural communities of folk songs.
Austin pointed out that in rural areas, the biggest obstacle is not technology, it is change management.
“In rural communities, you see patients often have long-standing trustworthy relationships with their providers directly. We then introduce digital care models such as telehealth, so they have to be done through care rather than interruptions. We have to take the patient = the first approach. We focus on intuitive tools and the guidance of the providers, and we can work directly with their patients. Adoption is faster,” she explains.
She also noted that it is necessary to address clear clinical and/or operational needs first, and that all its initiatives are not just about implementing technology for the sake of technology.
In Austin, CIOs must be more strategic than ever.
“We need to think forward-lookingly – see which technologies come down from the pipeline and prepare the organization accordingly. We then embed analysts, managers, and directors into each operational area – so we understand the revenue cycles in the revenue cycle, drug, radiology, care and providers in nursing, and in our providers, her impact on the technology as a whole.
Her work highlights that healthcare CIO is no longer just a leader, but a major driver of culture, quality of care, and organizational cohesion.
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