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Diving brief:
- Thirty-two percent of hospital CIOs said artificial intelligence and machine learning were top health IT priorities this year, a significant increase from 2022, when they only garnered only 6% of the votes, according to a poll. annual survey from Stoltenberg Consulting.
- The other top priorities for IT executives were cybersecurity and interoperability, which came in second place with 16% of the vote. Healthcare digital front doors, patient engagement tools, cloud technology, data analytics and business intelligence were also hot topics for healthcare IT leaders.
- The industry has historically been slow to adopt new technologies as providers remain cautious about patient safety and security concerns, the report said. But with provider burnout straining hospital operations and a growing number of EHRs integrating generative AI, CIOs predict ‘robust movement’ in space over the next two years.
Dive overview:
High labor expenses have undermined hospital margins last year, and many establishments continue to experience financial difficulties even as pressure increases for some providers.
These financial challenges, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, have paved the way for the adoption of AI and virtual care, which could alleviate some of the pressure on resources. the poll said. However, IT teams face a “heavy operational burden” to implement, support and improve new tools.
AI Dominates Other Health IT Hot Topics
Top health IT priorities according to CIOpercentage
Meanwhile, healthcare IT workers face their own workforce challenges. Forty-four percent of CIOs said retaining and budgeting for qualified IT resources was their biggest operational challenge.
Many organizations are considering new recruiting models to meet demand, according to the survey. Thirty-six percent of respondents said flexible IT staffing – which could be scaled up or down based on project needs – was one of the top areas where CIOs wanted more support.
Talent shortage is one of the biggest IT operational challenges
Healthcare’s Biggest IT Operational Challenges CIOpercentage
Financial pressures are also pushing healthcare IT leaders to look for cost-cutting strategies. More than half of CIOs surveyed said their top IT-related financial goal in 2023 was to make the most of existing IT infrastructure, while 28% said their priorities were to reduce support costs .
As executives prioritize their existing technology, budgets are focused on maintaining and optimizing their electronic health records, with 28% saying new version upgrades or alignment and consolidation are the main areas of IT investment this year.
But cybersecurity remains a key area for procurement, as bigger and bigger health data breaches impose burden on healthcare systems high costs and endanger patient safety. Twenty-four percent of respondents said cybersecurity, privacy and risk management measures were the top priorities for IT investments.
