Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / Transforming HR with AI and Process Optimization at Hawaii Health Systems

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Transforming HR with AI and Process Optimization at Hawaii Health Systems · Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

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  This is Laura Dierda with the Becker's Healthcare
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  podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by
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  Cecilia Trujillo, CT,
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  regional chief human resources officer at Hawaii Health
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  Systems Corporation.
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  CT, it's a pleasure to have you on
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  the podcast today. Thank you so much for
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  having me.
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  Absolutely. I'm excited to,
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  have you in in conversation because I know
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  you oversee such an important aspect of the
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  health care system, and that's human resources, you
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  know, workforce development, and so much is evolving
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  within this space today. So I'm looking forward
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  to learning more about what you're doing at
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  Hawaii Health Systems and then your perspective on
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  the future. But before we dive in, can
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  you introduce yourself and, tell us just a
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  little bit more about your background?
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  Absolutely. So as you said, my name is
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  Cecilia Trujillo, CT.
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  I am an process enthusiast,
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  always thinking about how we could make things
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  easy and provide our customers, the best experience,
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  providing them information really at their fingertips. I'm
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  a passionate leader, and I dream to architect
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  and this is a big dream. I dream
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  to architect a workplace where AI agents,
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  handle repetitive and administrative tasks,
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  ultimately freeing HR professionals
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  to spend their time where it matters, cultural
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  development, like you shared, then that human connection,
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  things that have higher impact.
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  I started my journey, as a regional human,
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  chief human resources officer at the East Hawaii
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  region. That is a region of the Hawaii
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  Health Systems Corporation
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  about eighteen months ago.
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  I have been in the HR space for
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  about fifteen years, and my career has,
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  been in the public and the health care
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  sector. And currently, I have this unique privilege
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  of operating at the center or the intersection
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  of these two sectors
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  because
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  I am in health care, but,
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  HHSC
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  is a department of the state of Hawaii.
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  The East Hawaii region, our mission is to
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  provide
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  exceptional,
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  compassionate care. We have our go malama. Malama
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  means in Hawaiian, it means to take care
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  of. So it is to take care of
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  our family, friends, and neighbors,
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  And we do so through respect, mindfulness, and
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  integrity.
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  We serve in the East Hawaii region, so
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  that would be from Honokaa
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  to Kau, and our main campus being in
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  Hilo. So it is a large space. When
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  we think about the Big Island Of Hawaii,
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  people say the Big Island, but you could
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  kind of put all of the islands in
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  and and they would fit into
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  the Big Island. So we have a big
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  territory to cover, and we operate mainly in
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  rural,
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  Hawaii.
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  Well, that's amazing to hear. You know, what
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  a great mission, that you have within the
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  health system to serve the community. And I
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  I know it's such an important community with
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  deep roots,
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  that you're you're serving there in Hawaii and
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  especially in some of the rural parts too.
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  So,
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  I I really appreciate that kind of position
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  you're in and you describing
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  how the health system is functioning.
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  I'm curious. When you think about the last
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  year or so, what was the most important
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  initiative that you led? What did you do,
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  and what were the results?
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  Oh, thank you.
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  So I'm going to go back a little
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  bit before starting my position.
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  So prior to starting in my position, I
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  had to do a lot of soul searching
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  in preparing for this position.
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  Many of us jump into a role with
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  the intent to change the world. Right? Make
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  the difference, leave our mark, not remembering that
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  every new employer, every new role, new department,
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  and new team is different. And tactics that
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  made us successful in the past
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  do not equate, do not translate one to
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  one, and we may need to do some
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  changes to understand the culture,
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  the playing field, and honoring, of course, the
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  new space,
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  in which we are entering.
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  Therefore, I took a step back,
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  maybe about sixty days before starting this position.
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  I worked with my coach and friend,
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  to prepare for this role.
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  But back to your question. Yes. Over the
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  past year and a half, our primary focus
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  was to build
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  the foundational
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  readiness space to identify gaps and optimize workflows.
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  So what we did is that we conducted
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  a comprehensive
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  mapping of our internal processes
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  to identify where there was no process or
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  we had duplicated processes
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  or we had
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  redundancy in certain spaces in that process.
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  We met with our customers to determine service
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  level agreements,
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  swim lanes. I think my team is probably
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  a little tired of swim lanes. And, of
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  course,
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  we met with them to understand,
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  their expectations.
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  How do we communicate? What do they expect
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  when they ask if they have an ask?
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  So it seems simple, but as my grandmother
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  would say, every mind is a world.
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  So,
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  allow me to go in a little bit
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  of a tangent.
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  Often, we do not meet the mark of
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  our customer because we don't take the time,
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  to really understand
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  what good looks like, what great customer service
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  looks like. So we really looked into our
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  processes
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  and, in speaking with our customers to identify
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  what they wanted.
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  So you probably know the b word is
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  overused in the workplace,
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  the busy word.
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  And really, coming in as a new, as
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  a new leader,
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  really understanding that the team was busy. And
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  this b word was really born,
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  out of sense of being
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  meaningful, giving, meaningful contributions to our employer.
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  So being busy in our brain really equates
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  to contributing.
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  Therefore, asking,
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  a new team, to add to their plate,
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  was perceived as, oh my gosh. I have
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  to do my day to day, which I
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  could barely do now,
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  and, you're asking me to map all of
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  our processes and identify gaps.
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  And,
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  we did this, by introducing agile project management
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  framework. So really introducing the agile methodologies
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  into the HR space.
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  You're probably thinking this is,
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  more seen in the technology,
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  software development space, and, yes, it is. But
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  really acting as project management and process system
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  developers, putting on the hat and saying, in
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  this space, I'm I'm thinking as how do
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  I,
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  manage a project and,
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  develop a new system
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  helped us
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  in adopting and leaning into agile methodologies.
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  We use this, like a sprint based model,
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  where we were able
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  to transition from this traditional models into more
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  rapid execution.
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  Our our sprints were about two to three
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  weeks, so we gave ourselves two to three
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  weeks to complete,
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  say, mapping the process of FMLA,
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  ADA, or TDI,
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  and then looking how that intersects with other
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  processes that we are doing,
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  in the labor space.
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  So with that, the results have been phenomenal.
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  The team is highly, highly responsive and accepting
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  of the new approach.
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  I am very proud,
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  hearing when I walk through the the cubicles,
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  and we have an open space here. But
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  hearing the jargon
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  around the office as well as referencing, oh,
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  I'm I will put that in the sprints,
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  or can we look at the sprint?
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  So hearing that really fills my bucket. So
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  the biggest accomplishment
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  was not just the tangible product,
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  but also the buy in from the team.
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  This was very important because
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  when we,
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  you know, when we learn and we lean
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  into this mapping of the processes,
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  them as the experts, we're the ones identifying
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  the gaps and creating and coming up with
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  creative solutions.
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  It is a lot more effective than a
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  new leader coming in and saying, here's what
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  you have to do. I I hope that
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  answered your question.
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  Yeah. Absolutely. That's great. And, you know, I
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  really appreciate you kind of talking through not
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  only the philosophy behind,
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  you coming in
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  and doing those, making those connections and talking
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  through what the processes and procedures look like
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  before
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  then, you know, working together with your your
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  teams to figure out what the changes are
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  gonna be and how you can leverage the
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  technology more smartly to do everything that you
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  need to do. I think, it's an incredible
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  undertaking and and that,
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  you know, the the approach seems like it
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  really makes a lot of sense, especially in
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  the health care space when it's an industry
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  that's so relationship driven and,
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  takes a lot of teamwork in order to,
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  care for patients. So,
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  that that's really cool and amazing to hear.
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  Now looking ahead to 2026,
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  what are some of your big priorities and
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  initiatives as well as headwinds that you're focused
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  on?
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  Absolutely. So we are looking for tips and
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  tricks for '26. That's what we called our
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  tactical plan for fiscal year '26.
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  And our focus is in optimization.
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  So in implementing,
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  generative AI in some of our spaces,
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  while making room for scalability
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  for one day having agentic AI in the
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  workspace.
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  So AI for some so for some of
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  us is is a new concept. But one
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  thing that we have learned is that by
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  investing on the mapping of the process and
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  that foundation of our processes,
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  it has helped us articulate
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  really what we need from an AI platform.
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  So if we would not have done that,
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  we could not had the the the foundation
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  to them build
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  upon. And, of course, AI really is as
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  good as what you put in and as
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  good as you ask. So having the clear
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  ask and an understanding of our processes,
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  yields a higher value.
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  The biggest priority really is ensuring our technology
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  stacks up as
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  full, leverage to reduce administrative burden on our
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  staff.
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  We are,
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  as you said, balancing rapid,
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  change,
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  in traditional approach of the government structure. We
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  wanna honor that structure, honor our rules,
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  but also optimize our process.
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  That makes a lot of sense. And, you
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  know, I I think bringing the technology, and
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  I know is a passion of yours, and
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  especially AI, I know it's evolving so quickly
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  and what its capabilities are and how you
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  can really most meaningfully augment the human workforce
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  that you have with it. And so I
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  I'm curious when you think about that governance
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  side and you think about,
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  you know,
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  integrating new technology and preparing the team to,
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  you know, be this human plus
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  AI working together. What does that look like?
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  How do you build the right type of
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  governance to get things done quickly but also
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  safely in the health care space? Yeah. I
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  think collaboration collaboration.
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  It's a really big partnership with,
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  with IT
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  and,
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  building that compliance infrastructure
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  ahead of of purchasing
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  or going into
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  any AI contract or utilization.
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  So how do we how do we manage
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  that is by having those partnerships and open
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  communication
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  of we are not the experts
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  who needs to be at the table before
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  we bring any of these solutions into,
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  you know, into our our areas.
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  That's helpful to understand. And, you know, I
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  I think it makes a lot of sense
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  as you're going through this transition.
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  Now what do you think the hardest thing
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  you'll have to do in the coming year
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  will be? Yeah. So as a driver driver,
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  the challenge is really internal. As I mentioned
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  before, as leaders, we need to prepare for
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  change and execution before socializing with our customers
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  and our partners.
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  My leader and my team, they're they're amazing
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  and supportive.
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  However, I also need to be amazing and
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  supportive for them, for my team. So my
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  strategy,
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  will be to meet people where they are,
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  inspire them from that space.
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  There is fear with AI, you know, with
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  our partners, with IT. What what are we
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  introducing? How is this going to be contained?
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  Do we wanna close spot? Are we using
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  a off the shelf solution?
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  So there are some of those things. So
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  we want to make sure we answer those
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  questions and, hence, building the framework ahead of
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  time and meeting them where they are answering
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  the questions, not wanting to move so fast
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  and leaving people behind or leaving people with
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  questions.
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  And having everyone,
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  contribute
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  to this,
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  a diverse team, you know, will produce a
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  better team or a better product. So we
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  want to make sure that we have IT
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  compliance,
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  regulatory quality at the table prior to purchasing
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  and working in in a software
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  that could,
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  of course, that would be great for us,
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  but then they could leave questions for others.
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  So not leaving I think it would be
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  not leaving anyone behind,
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  respecting our culture, our history, and our structure.
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  You know, thinking about leading into,
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  AI space
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  in system optimization
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  is equivalent of leading a team through a
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  foggy forest.
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  So leading through the wilderness,
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  we can see only maybe five feet ahead
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  of us, but we have a whole team
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  behind us saying, you know, this is and
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  we're telling them this is the path. We
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  know that at the end of the jur
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  the the journey, there's a hot cocoa waiting
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  for us at the end of the forest
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  or in this case, a world of possibilities
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  where we could make it, it it'll make
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  it all worth it, whereas our staff could
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  have meaningful interactions with our customers,
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  where we are meeting the mark with our
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  customers and where our teams are spending time
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  on tasks that are meaningful and really fuel
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  their professional souls in having in leveraging an
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  AI for those tasks that are,
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  maybe more repetitive or administrative
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  in nature that
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  we all have to do, but we don't
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  enjoy doing.
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  That makes a lot of sense. And, I
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  I think it's helpful to understand that. I
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  love that analogy with the forest and,
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  you know, it might not be a clear
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  path right now to the end, but, you
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  know, the end is going to be, you
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  know, much more pleasant,
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  than where you're at today. So,
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  I I really appreciate, you know, kind of
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  that visualization and then, you know, getting folks
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  to that space,
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  will take a a a great leadership in
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  in the ingenuity,
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  to to to get there. So,
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  thank you for for talking through us through
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  that with us. Now I wanted to ask
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  you about growth as well before we wrap
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  up our conversation.
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  Where do you see some of the best
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  opportunities for organizational growth?
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  Yeah. And and this response is probably more
• 14:05
  geared toward health care in general. So the
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  greatest opportunity,
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  for growth lies in solving the friction caused
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  by health care payer complexities
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  and staffing shortages. Right? So we are competing
• 14:17
  for people. We are paying more,
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  yet our reimbursements
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  may not be as lucrative as we would
• 14:23
  want them to be. And this is just
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  general with what I have heard in the
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  health care space. So by leveraging an AI
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  to streamline administrative
• 14:33
  workflows and embracing this gig economy for a
• 14:36
  flexible clinical staffing,
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  we will create a more resilient health care
• 14:40
  system across The United States,
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  where we are in this pivotal point
• 14:46
  where we need to embrace innovation,
• 14:49
  to remain agile in just this changing,
• 14:53
  labor market.
• 14:54
  It it's it's different than it was ten,
• 14:56
  fifteen, twenty years ago.
• 14:59
  Oh, fantastic. CT, thank you so much for
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  joining us on the podcast today. This has
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  been such an amazing conversation. I've learned so
• 15:05
  much, and I'm really inspired by some of
• 15:07
  the cool things you're doing at Hawaii Health
• 15:09
  Systems.
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  And I'm excited to see you as well
• 15:11
  at our annual meeting. I know it's gonna
• 15:13
  be a great time to connect and and
• 15:15
  learn from one another. You'll be speaking on
• 15:17
  a panel in April at the meeting. So,
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  I'm looking forward to the opportunity to learn
• 15:21
  more and and, connect.
• 15:23
  Thank you so much for having me, and
• 15:25
  I am looking forward to connecting.