VIDEO | Atrium Health, Chief Data & Digital Officer: Virtual Health Is Key Part Of Our Digital Transformation

(US and Canada) Omer Awan, Chief Data And Digital Officer at Atrium Health, speaks with David Mariani, CTO, AtScale, about moving health care data to the cloud, what digital transformation means in health care, the impact of the pandemic on health care, and the future of data and analytics in the space.

Awan explains that reluctance regarding moving to the cloud is a thing of the past in the health care industry. He adds that there has been a dramatic shift with the enhanced cloud security, and all health care systems are moving to the cloud for its value beyond cost.

Digital transformation means different things for different organizations as it depends on the organizational goals and journey, says Awan. For Atrium Health, it means a gamut of strategies executed in tandem to enhance the organization's value, he notes.

Awan maintains that moving to the cloud is one of the goals of its digital transformation strategy. He then emphasizes having an electronic health record which demands the availability of a single unified ERP system.

Awan states that virtual health is a solution offered by Atrium Health and is a critical part of its digital transformation. He stresses the importance of virtual health and its unprecedented growth post-pandemic. Further, he focuses on elevating consumer experience through collaboration with the marketing and consumer team.

Awan considers predictive analytics a fundamental tool to level up data for clinicians to focus on the areas that matter.

Regarding the pandemic, he states that COVID-19 exposed mental health crises in the form of inadequate resources, insurance coverage, and social stigma. However, from a virtual health perspective, multiple technology options like chat, messaging, phone, and video were incorporated to address the issues.

Awan further states that a study conducted by AHA mentions that 70% of behavioral health providers plan to continue offering telehealth services post-pandemic. Moreover, the pandemic has highlighted the nation's pre-existing health disparities based on racial discrimination. In this scenario, data analytics prove beneficial in uncovering an organization's performance, says Awan.

Atrium Health saw increased incorporation of virtual health or telehealth due to social distancing and other pandemic-driven requirements, Awan states. Also, the virtual care solutions accelerated due to the convenience factor.

Statistically, he adds, health systems state that 40% of primary care visits can be virtual. He says that the primary care visits conducted by telehealth expanded from 1% in February 2020 to 43% in April 2020, proving virtual health’s exponential growth.

Awan asserts that AI and ML are the most promising technologies. He adds that the advancements in radiology are revolutionary. Deriving insights from available data for the best outcome enriches the future of health care, Awan concludes.