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This is Laura Dirdo with the Becker Swift
Care podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined
by Michael Archuleta, chief information officer and HIPAA
information security officer at Mount Saint Raphael Hospital.
Michael, it's a pleasure to have you on
the podcast today.
Hey. Well, thank you very much, Laura. Really
honored to be here.
Now I'm looking forward to our conversation. I
know we'll dig deep into some of the
cool things that you've done over the last
year and then how you're thinking about the
future. But before we dive into that, could
you tell us a little bit more about
Mount Saint Raphael Hospital and, what makes you
unique?
Yeah. Absolutely.
But thank you again for allowing me the
opportunity to speak here. Becker's is doing some
phenomenal work, so we really appreciate the the
great partnership
and everything that your team,
is doing moving forward.
So Mount San Rafael Hospital isn't just a
rural hospital. I like to say
it's really a powerhouse of innovation. While many
smaller facilities really struggle to keep up with
digital transformation, we're really punching above our weight
class, you know, really competing
with some of the most advanced health systems
out there. And the reason why I state
that is we've had some great success around,
you know, being recognized by Most Wired, which
is a top nationally recognized health care IT
award given to the top facilities making the
most progress of health I,
health IT.
We're at HIMSS Analytics stage six facility, which
is only a feat that 34%
of US hospitals basically have. We're deploying cutting
edge AI and radiology, really enhancing diagnostic speed
and accuracy to really save lives
in real time. And we've built one of
the most resilient cybersecurity
programs
in health care, really ensuring our patients and
providers operate in a secure,
seamless environment.
And we're continuously
pushing the boundaries of digital health, you know,
from virtual desktops to AI driven automation to
really ensuring the technology empowers care, not really
complicates it. And that's what we're really doing
as an overall organization. I've always stated that
even though we're a small group, we cannot
think small. We've done so many amazing initiatives
that have really been lifesaving,
for our patients that we serve.
That's amazing to hear. You know, a really
impressive
approach for, the rural hospital and something that
I I know many organizations,
you know, aspire to to move towards. Now
from your perspective, what's the accomplishment you're most
proud of from the last year or so?
You know, that's that's really hard to choose
just one. But if I had to, it
would really be our groundbreaking
AI implementation in radiology. You know, AI in
radiology
is really a game changer. We've really integrated
the AI power radiology tools
with radiology partners and AI doc to really
significantly
reduce turnaround times for critical diagnosis.
So, like, in emergency situations like strokes or
traumas, you know, minutes matter as we all
know. And what we're doing is our AI
driven workflow has really helped detect life
threatening conditions faster and even
better than ever, getting patients the treatments they
need in real time. And you figure, this
isn't just innovation.
It's a revolution in patient
care, which is such a critical element.
And on top of that, you know, cybersecurity
leadership, our hospital is now really a national
model for rural cyber security excellence of everything
that we've accomplished.
And digital transformation, I've always spoke of digital
digitalization within our organization.
You know, I always have the saying that,
you know, we know that the health care
industry is one of the most antiquated industries
out there, but we're doing the most important
thing and that's dealing with patients' lives. That's
enhancing better patient care. We should be leading
the pack when it comes to digitalization.
And I've always stated that we have to
tell the Flintstones
to really meet the Jetsons.
We are living in the digital age of
health care. We need to continue to really
show digitalization.
We as an organization, we've really optimized a
lot of our work flows. We really enhanced
interoperability
and eliminated a lot of inefficiencies
that slow down care because you figure everything
is now focused on digitalization.
And having that HIMSS stage six recognition,
this really validates that we're at the forefront
of health care IT.
You know? And when people think of small
hospitals, they don't expect us to be playing
in the big big leagues, but that's exactly
what we're doing. And we're trying to at
least be a good model facility to show
that even though we are a small facility,
we provide the best patient care with the
most enhanced technologies
for an organization our size.
Well, it's amazing to hear. And, you know,
I I'm wondering, looking ahead as well, what
are some of the big growth opportunities that
you have your eye on for the next
twelve months or so?
You know,
expanding AI and imaging. You know, we're not
stopping with radiology.
AI will soon be assisting with pathology,
diagnostics, and predictive analytics.
You know, AI powered documentation,
I think, really streamlining providers' workflows
so that clinicians spend less time typing and
more time treating. You know, interoperability
and data exchange,
we're making sure that data flows seamlessly between
different platforms, really eliminating roadblocks
and unlocking the next level of efficiency.
And, again, cyber resilience.
With AI driven threat detection,
our cybersecurity program will be years ahead of
the industry standards,
which is such a critical key element
when it comes to improving on cybersecurity,
realizing that cybersecurity
has to be a core component
to the overall organization.
And the future isn't coming. It's already here,
and we're really trying to lead the overall
charge moving forward.
That's helpful to understand. And I know cybersecurity
is on the tip of everybody's tongue right
now after,
you know, just some of the big, big
challenges in that space over the last year
or so. So, you know, considering,
Mount Summer Summer FAL Hospital,
and where it's at, you know, how do
you really make sure you're putting the right
resources towards cybersecurity
and,
are able to,
you know, create a program that you feel
confident in? You know, absolutely. That's that's a
great question. You know? So, again, cybersecurity is
such a critical element.
We have to change the overall culture way
of thinking of where we see digitalization, where
we see technology, where we see cybersecurity.
As I stated that cybersecurity
has to be that core component to any
overall organizational strategy.
And we also have to focus on our
people, our process, and our technology that we're
incorporating into the organization.
Because one of the critical components here is
we're as technologists, we're always talking tech, tech,
tech, tech, tech. We forget about the actual
people aspect. We forget about the process process
aspect of things, which is a which is
a critical element.
And you figure we have to change the
conception of technology process and people and really
bring it into that more, you know, people
process then technology.
And then also realizing that
you figure, where is your weakest
your your biggest risk in any organization? That
is a human element. That is the the
unfortunate of things.
You have to start building a very strong
human firewall,
a human firewall that's going to improve it,
that's going to understand the apps the aspects
of cybersecurity awareness.
You know, building a strong cybersecurity awareness training
program is such a critical element. I was
reading,
that there was a national poll that was
basically done that stated that only 43%
of organizations
offer cybersecurity
awareness training to their overall employees during orientation,
which is a major concern.
And you figure, we are doing more with
less, trying to create more automation points, utilizing
the technology to create better efficiencies is such
a critical element,
and trying to retain and keep
specific talent is a is a crucial item.
You know, when you get into more of
the smaller facilities, more of the rural areas,
it is very, very difficult.
You know, looking at services like a 24
by seven managed,
security operation center on a MSP standpoint is
is critical. I mean, looking at alternatives
in that specific direction is really going to
be a key element in driving your organization
to a progressive state.
Because, again, we have to continue to really
invest
in the security elements that we need to
keep our organization
safe because it's not getting easier. It's getting
harder. It's getting more complex.
There's a lot of new regulations out there.
There's a lot of issues
with these cyber threat actors. You're really utilizing
artificial intelligence and just creating,
more ways of obtaining access into an environment.
So we have to also incorporate those tools,
and we have to continue to invest in
these initiatives because when we're talking about cybersecurity,
when I go to my board of directors,
I focus on three specific elements.
I focus on FOR, financial, operational, and reputational.
I tell them, I said, what would happen
on a financial standpoint
if a breach happened?
What would happen on an operational standpoint if
a breach happened? And what would happen on
a reputational
standpoint
if a breach happened?
Those are critical elements to really incorporate when
trying to create an overall,
story line of why you need a product
in place to continue to basically keep your
organization,
your employees,
and your patients as safe and secure as
possible.
That's really helpful to know. Thank you for
walking us through that. Now are there any
other challenges that you have your eye on
right now?
Yeah. You know, again, since we're talking about,
cybersecurity,
you know, cyber threats are really evolving, as
you know. You know, we're,
really trying to stay ahead with next generation
security strategies within the organization itself,
which is so critical.
Recruiting top talent. I mean, rural health care
isn't always a first choice for IT professionals,
but, you know, we're building a team that's
just as, you know, as elite as those
major metropolitan
hospitals
and regulatory complexities.
You know, as AI digital health expands, compliances
will become more, you know, more of an
issue, and we need to be ready to
really navigate the landscapes with precisions.
And challenges, yes. But we don't just face
them. We really try to engineer solutions
that turn them into true opportunities.
I love that outlook. Michael, thank you so
much for sharing that with us. Now before
we wrap up here, I'm wondering, what's the
number one thing you're doing right now to
set yourself up for long term success in
the future?
A %.
You know,
future proofing our hospital through AI, cybersecurity,
and strategic vision,
I think when we look at AI and
automation's first approach,
AI isn't just a tool. It's a game
changer.
We're really
embedding it into our workflow
into our workflows, really amplifying,
you know, clinical intelligence and optimizing decision making,
which is such a critical element
and creating a really strong cybersecurity
back backbone. You know, we're trying to set
gold standards and rule cybersecurity,
really ensuring that patient data and hospital operations
remain as untouchable as possible.
And we all know that nothing is a
% secure,
but continuing to basically have a strong incorporation
of cybersecurity
is such a critical element to continue to
keep the organization
as safe and secure as possible.
And smart investments in technology,
I mean, every dollar we spend is aligned
with long term sustainability,
efficiency, and really cutting edge patient care.
And those are the specific items that we
are really looking forward to for long term
success.
That's amazing to hear. Michael, thank you so
much for joining us on our podcast today.
This has been a really fun conversation, and
I look forward to connecting with you again
soon.
Hey. Thank you very much, Laura. I appreciate
the opportunity.
Absolutely. And it'll be amazing to see you
as well at our health IT digital health
of revenue cycle event in October. I know
you'll be speaking on a panel, really sharing
more of our expertise and continuing the discussion
on these. So I look forward to seeing
you there. Super excited to be there. Thank
you again.