Healthcare Digital April 2021 | Page 157

CHENMED

SERGE PERRAS CTO , CHENMED

A CULTURE OF POSITIVE CHANGE

Perras believes the biggest culture shift for IT , especially within healthcare organizations , has been the move from being an order-taking department to a business partner . “ We ’ re moving away from task-driven behaviours ,” he says . “ We ’ re demonstrating that in-house IT teams , and the technology they serve , can be a competitive advantage while massively improving outcomes for our patients . Alongside clinical interventions , the influence of technology is growing with the improvement of AI and NLP and the application of algorithms to help us determine approaches to care and the clinical pathways available .”

Perras and his team are providing guidance on data driven initiatives they feel are going to be beneficial . “ We ’ re focused on quantitative ways to analyze data ,” he adds . “ Everything has to tie back into our core model and those three pillars – the detection and management of high-risk disease and the reduction of hospital sick days . Autonomy is really important . It ' s no longer a question of ownership or accountability it ’ s about collaborating to drive better outcomes and make better decisions .”

The open culture Perras describes nurtures collaboration . “ We ’ ve got a much bigger brain trust now that we ’ re not just leadership focused ,” he notes . “ Our teams come up with great ideas that actually transform care . It ’ s those grassroots ideas that will future proof the organisation and help us further develop a collective understanding . It ’ s also important for us to reach out to others in the industry , working with insights from the Gartners of this world and the organizations that have been there and done it . We rely on our networks as a sounding board to assess the latest trends and make sure we ’ re aligned .” healthcareglobal . com 157