Podcast Q&A with CIO BJ Moore, Part 2: Storytelling, Data Streams & Doubling Down

BJ Moore has quite a unique title. In fact, when people see that he is EVP of Real Estate Strategy and Operations in addition to serving as CIO at Providence, “they usually think it’s weird.” Moore, however, has become accustomed to that type of reaction. “Real estate and IT are becoming closer and closer,” he said during a recent interview. Not just because capacity became such a high priority for IT leaders during Covid, but also because he believes the workspace of the future is going to be “a melding of physical spaces and technology.”

During the discussion, Moore opened up about how his team has responded to the challenges stemming from Covid — both the original surge and the recent variants. He also gives his thoughts on how the digital divide affects care, why it’s so important to continue long-term investments (even throughout the pandemic), why going to the cloud feels like “cleaning out the garage,” and the power of storytelling.

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Key Takeaways



* Telehealth offers great potential, but if consumers don’t have devices or a reliable WiFi connection, it creates “an even bigger divide.”

* Whether it’s because of flu season, Covid, or any other event, health systems are going to experience ebbs and flows in capacity. Digital tools are “the best way to have elasticity.”

* Despite the myriad challenges stemming from Covid, Providence has not had to decrease long-term investments. In fact, “we doubled down in lot of areas.”

* Not only can storytelling help communicate important points, it’s also “an empowerment tool to allow local decision-making.”

* As care delivery models continue to evolve, more IoT and medical devices will be used to manage individuals’ health by creating “streams of data that can go into the cloud.”





Q&A with BJ Moore, Part 2 [Click here to view Part 1]

Gamble:  One thing that has come to light even more from the rise in digital health is the divide in access. It’s such a big issue, and certainly won’t be solved overnight. What are your thoughts around that?

Moore:  First of all, you have to recognize it can’t be a problem. Before Covid, there was already a divide in healthcare quality and experience between various communities. I think digital could accelerate that. And so, as a health system, we recognize that there are risks. As amazing telehealth is, if you don’t have a device, if you don’t have good Wi-Fi, and if you don’t have good cellular connectivity, you’re actually creating a bigger divide. We recognize that.

We’re looking at how to build this experience in a box where a patient could have a 5G device at home that can connect to these medical devices and can connect with the telehealth experience. We would provide out-of-the-box connectivity that allows them to have digital experiences, recognizing they may not have the tools themselves at home. We’re more in the problem identification stage where we’re just beginning to ideate how we might solve it. The good news is that we recognize it’s a risk, and that if we don’t proactively build it in upfront, we are going to create that digital divide.

 

Gamble:  There really seems to be a recognition this is a long-term goal, and it starts by addressing the divide and taking steps.

Moore:  Right. It goes back to why we combined real estate and IS here; you need that elasticity in healthcare.