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the description. We are excited to welcome you in October.
This is Laura Ddo with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast.
I'm thrilled today to be joined by Chris Carmody,
chief Technology Officer at U P M C. Chris,
it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.
Thank you for having me, Laura.
I'm always happy to participate and work with Becker as you guys have a great
organization there.
Thanks so much. And you know,
it was awesome to have you at our annual meeting in April,
and then I know you'll be coming back to Chicago for our health IT digital
health Revenue cycle event this fall. So I,
I know that'll be an amazing event and definitely will benefit from your
expertise and technology and how the discussion is changing right now, uh,
so quickly.
So I'm excited to preview a little bit about what I'm sure will be all the buzz
at the event in October.
Absolutely. And again, Becker's first class and all the events that,
that you guys put on, and I'm always happy to participate in, you know,
as much as I, I, you know, we at U P M C contribute, um,
I think we get a lot more out of participating and hearing from others in our
industry, so it's great.
Yeah, absolutely. The idea exchange, you know, is, is certainly, um,
what we aim to do and really put in a great space to do that now. Um,
before we fir go jump further into our broader discussion,
I was wondering for those who may not be familiar with you,
probably not many at this point, but could you, uh,
introduce yourself briefly and, and tell us a little bit about your background?
Sure. Um, I'll try and be brief cuz I, I have a long career, um,
almost 25 years here at U P M C. Um,
started my career out of college, um, at,
in the financial services industry really, um, at the,
the ground floor of it being PC support, local area network administrator,
dabbling in database technologies and,
and came to U P M C a couple years later as an IT auditor.
I had no idea what that was at the time, but, um,
it was really a great opportunity to accelerate my learning and understanding of
the healthcare industry back then.
And that was at a time when we really first started the, um,
the widespread adoption of electronic health records.
So I was able to participate from an auditor's perspective,
making sure that the right controls and safeguards were in place to help that
adoption across U P M C and over the next two decades, uh, spent,
uh,
different roles in in IT and IT leadership positions to where I'm at today,
which is, um, really, um,
love serving as the CTO at U P M C of a great leadership team. Great,
um,
expertise and experience staff members that are truly dedicated to
delivering technology, um, to enable more efficient,
more effective healthcare. Um,
some of the other interesting facts on my background, just to,
to kind of round me out, um,
I was a adjunct college professor for about 18 years at some local universities
here in Pittsburgh, and I've done some consulting work over the years as well,
um, through of connections of,
of U P M C for different organizations like the nfl. Um,
so had had a, a great career to this point and, um,
really enjoyed what I'm doing and I'm really excited about the future of
healthcare technology, um, as we move forward.
Absolutely. That's amazing to hear.
And fascinating that you've had so many different, um,
experiences and perspective to see how technology has changed and evolved.
And I know especially over the last few years,
that acceleration has sp sped up quite a bit. So, you know,
given where we're at today,
what are the big opportunities you have your eye on as well as the headwinds
that you're keeping in mind to at U P M C?
Well,
I wish I had more eyes because there's lots of different opportunities and areas
and it, it's all relative right to the context of your organization.
So here at U P M C I,
I would say that the number one thing that's really driving us is our
clinical analytics program. It's,
it's an area that I got involved with about six years ago with, um,
our chief analytics officer, Dr. Oscar Marquin. He's a,
a wonderful human being. Um, one of the,
our great thought leaders here at U P M C.
He's a cardiologist by trade and is so passionate about delivering life-changing
medicine. Um, we,
we've built a program that has about 1300 predictive models
based upon a,
a lot of the digital data that we've been able to produce over really like
32 years. That's, that's one of our, um,
larger database platforms,
literally goes back to 1991, um, when it was first, um,
conceived and, and and built. And we leverage that data today and,
and those various models that have really created the U P M C dna,
you know,
and how we deliver care and how we provide better insights to our care teams and
clinicians that are engaging with patients and even our health plan members. Um,
so in the analytics space, obviously technology has evolved in a lot, um,
within the last five or six years,
we've bursted the compute and and processing capabilities
out into the cloud and are in the process of re-platforming the different data
marts and models that we've built to really help us
go exponentially to a new scale and further leverage technologies like machine
learning,
which is really what you need before we jump into the artificial intelligence.
But, um, we've actually u utilized artificial intelligence to extract out,
um, useful data elements from a lot of the unstructured data, um,
that helps inform those predictive models. So, great example of,
of how does that, how does that work? How does that translate into, you know,
daily clinical work? Well, anytime a patient gets scheduled,
a surgical procedure at U P M C and there's,
there's close to about 2 million of those per year that patient's information
that we have is run through our predictive modeling to help identify any risk
factors that we need to take preventative action on, um,
before we bring 'em in for a surgical procedure. You know, again,
the goal being the,
the best possible outcome for every individual patient coming in. So we,
um, use those models to flag, um, certain areas of concern and,
and allows for the clinicians to focus, um, on,
on hopefully addressing some of those concerns prior to the procedure.
And similar on the backend,
when you have a patient that's being discharged from one of our facilities,
we run through our predictive modeling from a, uh,
readmissions perspective in identifying, okay, how can we,
how can we help them get back or,
or stay on course to their path of recovery and, and get back to the whatever,
um, state of wellness they are at. Um,
and improving upon and having access to some of
the data that's not apparent in your traditional electronic health record like
symptoms, like social determinants of health. Um, we've been using, uh,
an AI model from Microsoft called text analytics to help identify some of that,
again,
in the non-traditional unstructured data that we've generated over all these
years. So a lot of the h and p, the discharge summaries,
any other type of reports,
we scan that and scour it for that information to help help those patients to
put the right, um,
support system in place when they leave our four walls at U P M C.
And we've seen a, a,
a drastic improvement across the board in reducing that readmission rate.
And that's really what it's all about. It's, it's, it's utilizing technology,
utilizing data,
the combination of that with our clinical expertise to continually create this
learning environment that we get smarter and better and provide those insights
to our clinicians, you know,
with the ultimate goal for every human being that we touch,
that we create the best possible outcome as we move forward. So that's,
that's obviously huge and, and, and again,
I I'm sure everyone's a buzz around chat,
G P T and open AI and the, the large language models,
and we absolutely are exploring those technologies in a
safe way and a secure way and ethical way as we move forward to see
how we can best utilize that moving forward. Um,
and I'm sure there's lots more to come from that space and then the anchor to
everything we're doing. And obviously there's many more, um,
initiatives and products we have going on U P M C,
but is that core foundation of, from a cybersecurity perspective,
health healthcare has a large bullet on our back,
and we always have to be smart.
We always have to continually be grounded with good IT hygiene as I refer to it,
where we apply the best practices and controls and safeguards to protect
our patient and our members information and data, their privacy,
um, when we're utilizing technology and when they're engaging with us utilizing
technology.
So that's always at the forefront of everything that we do here at U P M C to,
to move that needle. So, so yeah, that's, that's,
that's really where our key focuses are right now, or at least my key focus is,
uh, in my role.
Absolutely. Wow. I th that's so much ground to cover,
and I love kind of your focus on so many, you know, different areas.
Obviously data and analytics is hugely important in,
in really leveraging that for better operations as well as patient care.
And then too, bringing in some of the, um, you know,
example you talked through on the social determinants of health and,
and building out that infrastructure to, um,
really collect the data and use it in ways that are,
are making a difference for communities and people who really need that, um,
you know, type of services and, and, and, uh, additional attention.
So that's fascinating that you've been able to do that all at U P M C and you
know, from your perspective, what does it take for a health system? I know, um,
you talked through a little bit of, you know, the skillset you have internally,
the partners that you're working with as well. What's a a good balance for,
for that right now when you're thinking through, um,
in other health systems as well as looking at their strategy?
What makes the most sense to try to bring in house in terms of expertise and how
do you leverage your partners as well?
Great question. I,
I think that's something that everyone in healthcare technology struggles with
because resources are, are scarce in a lot of cases and,
and some of the higher skilled staffing needs. Um,
you're com we, in healthcare it are competing with other industries, right?
Cybersecurity is a great example. Doesn't matter if you're in healthcare,
if you're in financial services, if you're in manufacturing,
we all have the same need to protect our operations, our, our,
our data, our digital assets from a cybersecurity perspective.
So there's a lot of competition for those resources. Um, some of the newer,
when we talk about, you know, machine learning,
artificial intelligence automation, a lot of, a lot of data,
data engineering and, and other skill sets, um, are are difficult to come by.
So I think you have to, again, apply,
apply it to your particular organization.
What we like to do at U P M C is really develop our talent and leverage the
experience and expertise that we already have in as much cases as possible.
So I'm actually, uh, the executive sponsor for our summer associate program,
bringing in college students that are rising juniors and seniors that have an
interest in technology. They,
they might not know exactly where they want to be in,
but we'd love to bring them in, expose them, and,
and give 'em real life experience,
work experiences to learn some of the technology and why a career in healthcare,
it, it is, um, so meaningful, you know,
versus some of the other industries that they may, um, be interested in.
And then post-graduate, and actually we,
we do a lot of recruiting before students graduate and graduate and, and, um,
we have a, what's called our IT t r program, our IT rotational program.
So we hire college grads and, and give them two years of,
uh, four rotations,
six month each learning and accelerating that learning of our culture and how we
do things at U P M C to,
to build out their expertise and skill and work with them and mentor them to
help select, you know, where they would like to go. And, and fortunately for us,
a lot of that interest from new,
new talent entering into our workforce is,
or interested in some of those newer fields now that that requires a great
partnership with the folks that have been at U P M C for in some cases.
I have a, I have a leader who worked for me,
she's entering her 45th year of working at U P M C,
started as a nurse and had migrated over to it. And her,
her experiences and expertise are just, um, unfathomable, really.
I mean, it's, it's just amazing what she brings to the table. And in partnering,
you know, someone coming into the field with her and,
and some of other leaders and, and other, um,
key contributors is just a,
a great process to help us develop some of that talent. So that said,
that's our, that's our initial approach because we wanna,
we wanna create that culture and that environment that we are a learning
organization, growing organization. And, and quite honestly, I,
I not really joke about it anymore, but I,
I consider that chief technology officer titled to really be the Chief Talent
Officer. It's about our people and, and developing them, engaging them,
um, listening to them to,
to help us achieve these goals that, you know, we talked about,
um, and, and, and deliver on the great possibility and potential of technology.
Um, so when we look outside,
obviously we're looking for gaps where we might have a need,
we might have an immediate need where we don't have the,
the skillset to bring in house. So yeah, we,
we look for partners that are consistent, that are, um,
that really become part of the U P M C family in terms of them demonstrating
to us that, hey, they care just as much as I do.
So when there's an issue or something like that, they, they,
they jump on the phone, they jump on a call, they're present, um, you know,
Elba to Elba with our teams when we're going through good times and bad times,
quite honestly. So it, it's, it's really a cultural thing from my perspective,
tying everything all back together to create that environment to where we can
eliminate as much noise as possible,
leverage people's talents that they bring to the table. Uh, you know, we, we,
we are big about di diversity in our leadership and our staff,
and it's not just, you know, that your traditional diversity components, it's,
it's really about their, their thoughts, their, their backgrounds,
their skill sets.
I think that makes for better outcomes for every unit that we do.
Absolutely. I, I think that makes so much sense. And really, if, you know,
it sounds like you've got a great culture at U P M C that you've been able to
build and, and really thrive in. Um, you know,
and that's so helpful to think about and,
and then leveraging the partnerships as well, um, as much as possible. Now,
I, I know you mentioned already to some degree that, um,
resources and healthcare scarce US everywhere, but especially in healthcare. So,
you know, when you look at, um,
what you're trying to do from the technology side of things,
how do you think about growth and adding value to the organization overall?
What are those discussions like?
Yeah, I, I, again,
I think it really starts with those relationships with who we would be cons,
who we would consider to be our internal customers, right? The,
the chief nursing executive, the cmio, um,
anyone in in operations and that are utilizing the technologies and services to
really do what we're here for. We're not here to be a technology company.
We're here to be a healthcare company that uses technology as one of the major
enabling, um,
factors that makes our world renowned clinicians, our doctors,
our nurses to, to do more, become more efficient,
more effective with everything they do, every patient that they touch. Um,
so that said, you know,
building those relations and talking and engaging with our,
our key partners is so instrumental to help move the needle so we understand
and can align our resources, what those, with, what those needs are. Um,
I had a great conversation today with our, our chief, uh,
nursing informatics officer talking about strategy,
talking about what are we gonna do three years from now? You know,
those are conversations that were a little bit tough to, to come by, you know,
five, 10 years ago when there's a little bit more disconnect and a little bit,
you know, less, less reliance on it per se from, you know, defining and,
and driving the strategy and vision, um, for the organization.
And I think covid helped really accelerate that, um, and,
and identify how critical it is to, uh,
running the business of health. Um, so that, I think that's,
that's so instrumental for me in my role. And, and I think for my team, it's,
it's, it's the soft skills stuff. It's the communications, again, it's,
it's the listening. It's not sitting there and,
and pontificating to groups about what we're gonna do to them.
It's about what we can talk about and discuss and how best we can solve the
problem or take advantage of an opportunity to, um, meet the,
the needs of patient care,
meet the needs of member services for our health plan and everything in between.
So that's, that's again, where, you know, we,
we tend to spend a lot of our time there, and it gets back to whole, that whole,
you know,
the acronym of CTO to really around the talent to make sure we have the right
skillsets and are able to deliver and work with people in that way.
That makes so much sense. You know, and it really,
it's fascinating to see how that CIO and and chief technology officer role has
changed over the years and become more strategic. And certainly,
like you mentioned, technology in digital, um, you know, data analytics,
all of that touches every single department across the organization, um,
you know, support on every single department, whether it's clinical,
operational, um, so it really seems like, you know, just a very,
very natural move to, um, elevate that type of strategy,
that type of soft skill, um, into the, the larger roles. Now, you know,
with that being said, where do you see, and in, in,
in these conversations with what is it gonna look like three years from today?
Um,
what do you see as still being really key investments to make right now so that
you're prepared for three years down the line for as much as possible, whatever,
um, healthcare is gonna look like a few years down the road?
I know it's impossible to exactly predict, and,
and certainly a lot of things could happen between then and now, but, um,
as you're thinking through preparing yourself as much as possible, you know,
where is U P M C is still spending resources to, uh, um,
get ready for where healthcare is headed next?
Sure. I, I, I think first of all, that's a great question. And I think,
you know, you, you have to look at, you know, what, what,
what are we trying to do here? What are we trying to solve?
What are we trying to deliver? Um, and it,
it's all about that individual patient that,
that one human being that chooses to, um,
come to U P M C to get their healthcare services and their insurance services.
And, um, you know, I kind of, you know, equate it to a bad, and maybe it's a,
a poor image, but, you know, there's,
there's those new like selfie cameras that kind of spin around and do a 360
view, uh, of people and kind of get that, you know,
those crazy pictures at parties and stuff like that. Um,
I just saw one of those at an event I was just at,
but it made me really think that's, that's what we're trying to do.
We're trying to like identify how we can engage those patients and members,
you know, to, to meet their needs.
And I think what you're gonna see in healthcare and at U P M C as we move
forward, you know,
engaging even more outside the traditional four walls of a hospital or of a
physician practice. And, you know, again,
COVID Covid accelerated the adoption of, of telehealth and telemedicine,
those virtual visits, which by the way, we had been doing for decades.
It just, the adoption wasn't there. And I,
I think that demand and that acceptance by our patients of our members,
by our consumers, which again, is a key theme to, to treat. You know, we,
we always refer to patients and members as you know, patients and members,
and it's really creating a more consumer experience and meeting them, um,
where it's, you know, appropriate,
where it's convenient and where it's best for them.
So I think being able to enhance that delivery of healthcare outside the four
walls and into their homes, or onto their smartphone, or again,
offering them those different solutions is, is really gonna be the key driver,
um, to help us move forward. And, and you brought up this point,
the point before about the social determinants health and, and creating a more,
um, equitable approach, um, to,
to delivering healthcare and making healthcare available to everyone.
We have to exploit that even more to address those deficiencies in different
communities and with different populations that, um, we encounter across,
um, all of our service areas. And again,
technology's gonna be the enabling factor to make that happen and, and,
and prove the lives of the people in the communities that we serve.
And, um, that to me, again, that's what it's all about. That's why I'm here.
That's why our team's here. That's what drives us. And, uh, I, again, I,
I made this made the point in the beginning of the conversation is, you know, I,
I think there's such a great opportunity for leveraging technology as we move
forward, um, to truly make a difference and make an impact. And,
and that's the great part of being in healthcare it.
And that's why I'm so optimistic about our future.
Absolutely. I love that. I, I think there's just so much there and so mu many,
uh, ways to look at technology and do things better. And so, um,
you know, a lot to be excited about, as you mentioned, and, you know,
truly so many different areas where, uh, you know,
organizations can make a big impact both internally as well as for patients and
their families and communities at large. Now, before we wrap up our discussion,
I just have one more question. How do you see your role continuing to grow and,
and evolve and change? I know, uh, you know,
you already talked about some of the things that, um,
it's become more of the chief talent officer, uh, in,
in having some of the soft skills and really making sure you're connecting with
people and, uh, having technology be front and center there.
Do you see that continuing? How do you looking at growth and development and,
um, you know, where you're headed as well as where your teams are headed?
Absolutely. I, I, I think, you know, as I look back over my, you know, again,
almost 25 years being here at U P M C and being in healthcare technology,
it was, you know, again, image in my head and my brain is,
it was always like we were running a race, running a marathon, and, you know,
it might have been a few steps behind the people that we were trying to,
you know, provide technology and technology services to. And I, I,
I see that, you know, we've caught up, we're,
we're running now elbow to elbow and,
and running in the same direction together.
And I think that's gonna be key for our, for our future, for, for my future,
for, you know, the, the, the cio CTO roles in organizations.
They have to be at the leadership table,
they have to be engaged at all different levels and are so instrumental at,
um, keeping our,
our healthcare organizations moving forward in the right direction and,
and focus on that goal. It's, again, it's not about the technology.
The technology's gonna change. You know, we're gonna,
we're gonna hear the latest and greatest, you know,
thing tomorrow in the news that everyone's gonna want to chase. And it's,
you have to be cautious with, with some of that and,
and not lose sight of why we we're doing what we do. And that's trying to,
you know,
make an impact on people's lives and in a lot of cases when they're at their
most vulnerable state. And, um,
if you don't lose sight of that and keep running towards that goal, I,
I think there's huge success down the road. Um,
if you get caught off guard by chasing a shiny object, you, you know,
you might stumble and fall. And again, you gotta be, gotta be careful with,
you know,
chasing after some of those things versus being more proactive in the planning
and engaging with those, um,
those other stakeholders that you're on this journey with.
Absolutely. That's such a great point. Chris.
Thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today.
This has been such a fun discussion as always,
and I'm looking forward to seeing you again in October.
Likewise, I'm, I'm excited for the event in October. Of course,
I don't want summer to go too fast.
Let's enjoy some of that nice weather in Chicago and here in Pittsburgh. Uh,
and then, uh, look to reconvene back with,
with everyone in October for another Great Becker's event.
So thanks again for today.
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