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📍 Today in Health IT, we're discussing AI-powered personal care systems transforming patient engagement in healthcare. My name is Kate Gamble, Managing Editor at This Week Health, where we host a set of channels and events dedicated to transforming healthcare, one connection at a time. I've spent the last 12 years interviewing CIOs, and I'm excited to bring that knowledge into this community of leaders. Our partner in philanthropy is Alex's Lemonade Stand. We have raised nearly $180,000 thanks to the generosity of our partners and community. Join us by visiting our website, and in the top right-hand column, you'll see the logo for our Lemonade Stand. Click on that and give today. We hope you'll share this podcast with a friend or colleague. Use it as a foundation for daily or weekly discussions on the topics that are relevant to you and the industry. They can subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Today we're discussing AI-powered personal care systems transforming patient engagement in healthcare. And I'm joined by Sarah Richardson, President of This Week Health 229 Executive Development Community. Hi, Kate. Hey, Sarah. The article discusses how AI-powered PCs with advanced chips like Neural Processing Units offer healthcare organizations improved performance, mobility, and bandwidth capabilities. These AI PCs are designed to support healthcare workflows, enhance productivity, and reduce clinical burnout by automating administrative tasks and improving data retrieval processes. Healthcare organizations need to address device compatibility, regulatory compliance, and data governance to fully utilize these technologies.

So, there's a lot to unpack. But I wanted to get your take as a CIO on the potential that AI PCs have, especially when it comes to streamlining workflow and reducing the workload for clinicians, which is always a big priority. It takes me back to the days when we knew that the latest cutting-edge technology was available, and we had to decide if we wanted to make the investment. And if we did, what aspects of the organization were going to benefit most. Earlier in the week, we touched on the surge in demand for energy and the rise of AI straining the power grid. These AI PCs may also fall into that same bucket. So, as you're thinking about streamlining workflows and reducing clinician workload, that is a fantastic reason to invest. But do the Neural Processing Units within these PCs actually enhance performance in healthcare applications? If the answer is yes, how compatible are they with my existing systems? Are they going to meet compliance and ESG requirements? Data governance is always a component because if we're integrating AI-powered devices, does one part of the organization benefit more than another? Are we putting that energy, time, and money into the right areas?

The conversation isn't just about buying a shiny new object. It's about how that shiny object fits into the overall strategy, knowing there may be additional cost and usability requirements that come with purchasing these devices to truly improve the organization’s performance. It’s important to think about long-term scalability and ensuring the right machines are in the right place at the right time. Does it meet our cybersecurity needs? What’s the broader perspective? How are we making investments in our organization so that we’re not creating more tech debt but solving real problems, like improving workflow and spending more time with patients?

We often talk about too many point solutions overloading clinicians from a software perspective. If we’re now adding machines to help with that, are we creating a secondary problem? If the machines are truly reducing clinician burnout and workload, then it becomes a solution. But it has to be a holistic approach, with the equipment, cyber considerations, workflow, and applications all in sync. That way, the organization can be more efficient and provide better care, rather than adding another layer of complexity.

I like how you framed that, Sarah. These discussions need to keep a broader digital transformation strategy in mind, no matter how appealing the technology might sound. I used to work with someone who would say, "Let’s not put a Ferrari on a dirt track." It’s a great metaphor. You could have fantastic computing power, but if you haven't solved your workflow issue, what’s the point? They have to be in sync, and that’s where governance comes into play.

People may not be excited about talking about equipment, but it’s the foundation. It’s where some of the biggest expenses come in—keeping systems running, whether in the cloud or your data center. In this case, these are going to be on desktops or mobile technologies. Ensuring your strategy is complementary allows for the right investment at the right time, and people will feel confident they made great decisions about the organization’s future.

Great, that’s what it should all be about, right? Yes. 📍 That’s it for now. Don’t forget to share this podcast with a friend or colleague. Thank you for listening, and that’s a wrap.