Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Digital Health + Health IT / Michael Archuleta, Chief Information Officer and HIPAA Information Security Officer at Mt. San Rafael Hospital

Transcript

Michael Archuleta, Chief Information Officer and HIPAA Information Security Officer at Mt. San Rafael Hospital · Becker’s Healthcare Digital Health + Health IT

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  See you there.
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  This is Laura Dirdo with the Becker Swift
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  Care podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined
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  by Michael Archuleta, chief information officer and HIPAA
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  information security officer at Mount Saint Raphael Hospital.
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  Michael, it's a pleasure to have you on
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  the podcast today.
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  Hey. Well, thank you very much, Laura. Really
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  honored to be here.
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  Now I'm looking forward to our conversation. I
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  know we'll dig deep into some of the
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  cool things that you've done over the last
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  year and then how you're thinking about the
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  future. But before we dive into that, could
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  you tell us a little bit more about
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  Mount Saint Raphael Hospital and, what makes you
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  unique?
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  Yeah. Absolutely.
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  But thank you again for allowing me the
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  opportunity to speak here. Becker's is doing some
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  phenomenal work, so we really appreciate the the
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  great partnership
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  and everything that your team,
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  is doing moving forward.
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  So Mount San Rafael Hospital isn't just a
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  rural hospital. I like to say
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  it's really a powerhouse of innovation. While many
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  smaller facilities really struggle to keep up with
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  digital transformation, we're really punching above our weight
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  class, you know, really competing
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  with some of the most advanced health systems
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  out there. And the reason why I state
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  that is we've had some great success around,
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  you know, being recognized by Most Wired, which
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  is a top nationally recognized health care IT
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  award given to the top facilities making the
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  most progress of health I,
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  health IT.
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  We're at HIMSS Analytics stage six facility, which
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  is only a feat that 34%
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  of US hospitals basically have. We're deploying cutting
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  edge AI and radiology, really enhancing diagnostic speed
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  and accuracy to really save lives
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  in real time. And we've built one of
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  the most resilient cybersecurity
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  programs
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  in health care, really ensuring our patients and
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  providers operate in a secure,
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  seamless environment.
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  And we're continuously
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  pushing the boundaries of digital health, you know,
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  from virtual desktops to AI driven automation to
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  really ensuring the technology empowers care, not really
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  complicates it. And that's what we're really doing
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  as an overall organization. I've always stated that
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  even though we're a small group, we cannot
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  think small. We've done so many amazing initiatives
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  that have really been lifesaving,
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  for our patients that we serve.
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  That's amazing to hear. You know, a really
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  impressive
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  approach for, the rural hospital and something that
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  I I know many organizations,
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  you know, aspire to to move towards. Now
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  from your perspective, what's the accomplishment you're most
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  proud of from the last year or so?
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  You know, that's that's really hard to choose
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  just one. But if I had to, it
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  would really be our groundbreaking
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  AI implementation in radiology. You know, AI in
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  radiology
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  is really a game changer. We've really integrated
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  the AI power radiology tools
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  with radiology partners and AI doc to really
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  significantly
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  reduce turnaround times for critical diagnosis.
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  So, like, in emergency situations like strokes or
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  traumas, you know, minutes matter as we all
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  know. And what we're doing is our AI
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  driven workflow has really helped detect life
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  threatening conditions faster and even
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  better than ever, getting patients the treatments they
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  need in real time. And you figure, this
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  isn't just innovation.
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  It's a revolution in patient
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  care, which is such a critical element.
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  And on top of that, you know, cybersecurity
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  leadership, our hospital is now really a national
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  model for rural cyber security excellence of everything
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  that we've accomplished.
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  And digital transformation, I've always spoke of digital
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  digitalization within our organization.
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  You know, I always have the saying that,
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  you know, we know that the health care
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  industry is one of the most antiquated industries
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  out there, but we're doing the most important
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  thing and that's dealing with patients' lives. That's
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  enhancing better patient care. We should be leading
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  the pack when it comes to digitalization.
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  And I've always stated that we have to
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  tell the Flintstones
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  to really meet the Jetsons.
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  We are living in the digital age of
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  health care. We need to continue to really
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  show digitalization.
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  We as an organization, we've really optimized a
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  lot of our work flows. We really enhanced
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  interoperability
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  and eliminated a lot of inefficiencies
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  that slow down care because you figure everything
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  is now focused on digitalization.
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  And having that HIMSS stage six recognition,
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  this really validates that we're at the forefront
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  of health care IT.
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  You know? And when people think of small
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  hospitals, they don't expect us to be playing
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  in the big big leagues, but that's exactly
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  what we're doing. And we're trying to at
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  least be a good model facility to show
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  that even though we are a small facility,
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  we provide the best patient care with the
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  most enhanced technologies
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  for an organization our size.
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  Well, it's amazing to hear. And, you know,
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  I I'm wondering, looking ahead as well, what
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  are some of the big growth opportunities that
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  you have your eye on for the next
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  twelve months or so?
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  You know,
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  expanding AI and imaging. You know, we're not
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  stopping with radiology.
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  AI will soon be assisting with pathology,
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  diagnostics, and predictive analytics.
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  You know, AI powered documentation,
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  I think, really streamlining providers' workflows
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  so that clinicians spend less time typing and
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  more time treating. You know, interoperability
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  and data exchange,
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  we're making sure that data flows seamlessly between
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  different platforms, really eliminating roadblocks
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  and unlocking the next level of efficiency.
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  And, again, cyber resilience.
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  With AI driven threat detection,
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  our cybersecurity program will be years ahead of
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  the industry standards,
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  which is such a critical key element
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  when it comes to improving on cybersecurity,
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  realizing that cybersecurity
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  has to be a core component
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  to the overall organization.
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  And the future isn't coming. It's already here,
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  and we're really trying to lead the overall
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  charge moving forward.
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  That's helpful to understand. And I know cybersecurity
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  is on the tip of everybody's tongue right
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  now after,
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  you know, just some of the big, big
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  challenges in that space over the last year
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  or so. So, you know, considering,
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  Mount Summer Summer FAL Hospital,
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  and where it's at, you know, how do
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  you really make sure you're putting the right
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  resources towards cybersecurity
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  and,
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  are able to,
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  you know, create a program that you feel
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  confident in? You know, absolutely. That's that's a
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  great question. You know? So, again, cybersecurity is
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  such a critical element.
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  We have to change the overall culture way
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  of thinking of where we see digitalization, where
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  we see technology, where we see cybersecurity.
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  As I stated that cybersecurity
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  has to be that core component to any
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  overall organizational strategy.
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  And we also have to focus on our
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  people, our process, and our technology that we're
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  incorporating into the organization.
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  Because one of the critical components here is
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  we're as technologists, we're always talking tech, tech,
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  tech, tech, tech. We forget about the actual
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  people aspect. We forget about the process process
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  aspect of things, which is a which is
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  a critical element.
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  And you figure we have to change the
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  conception of technology process and people and really
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  bring it into that more, you know, people
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  process then technology.
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  And then also realizing that
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  you figure, where is your weakest
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  your your biggest risk in any organization? That
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  is a human element. That is the the
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  unfortunate of things.
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  You have to start building a very strong
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  human firewall,
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  a human firewall that's going to improve it,
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  that's going to understand the apps the aspects
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  of cybersecurity awareness.
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  You know, building a strong cybersecurity awareness training
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  program is such a critical element. I was
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  reading,
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  that there was a national poll that was
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  basically done that stated that only 43%
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  of organizations
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  offer cybersecurity
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  awareness training to their overall employees during orientation,
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  which is a major concern.
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  And you figure, we are doing more with
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  less, trying to create more automation points, utilizing
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  the technology to create better efficiencies is such
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  a critical element,
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  and trying to retain and keep
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  specific talent is a is a crucial item.
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  You know, when you get into more of
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  the smaller facilities, more of the rural areas,
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  it is very, very difficult.
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  You know, looking at services like a 24
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  by seven managed,
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  security operation center on a MSP standpoint is
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  is critical. I mean, looking at alternatives
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  in that specific direction is really going to
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  be a key element in driving your organization
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  to a progressive state.
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  Because, again, we have to continue to really
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  invest
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  in the security elements that we need to
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  keep our organization
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  safe because it's not getting easier. It's getting
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  harder. It's getting more complex.
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  There's a lot of new regulations out there.
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  There's a lot of issues
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  with these cyber threat actors. You're really utilizing
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  artificial intelligence and just creating,
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  more ways of obtaining access into an environment.
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  So we have to also incorporate those tools,
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  and we have to continue to invest in
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  these initiatives because when we're talking about cybersecurity,
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  when I go to my board of directors,
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  I focus on three specific elements.
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  I focus on FOR, financial, operational, and reputational.
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  I tell them, I said, what would happen
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  on a financial standpoint
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  if a breach happened?
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  What would happen on an operational standpoint if
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  a breach happened? And what would happen on
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  a reputational
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  standpoint
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  if a breach happened?
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  Those are critical elements to really incorporate when
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  trying to create an overall,
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  story line of why you need a product
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  in place to continue to basically keep your
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  organization,
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  your employees,
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  and your patients as safe and secure as
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  possible.
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  That's really helpful to know. Thank you for
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  walking us through that. Now are there any
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  other challenges that you have your eye on
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  right now?
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  Yeah. You know, again, since we're talking about,
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  cybersecurity,
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  you know, cyber threats are really evolving, as
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  you know. You know, we're,
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  really trying to stay ahead with next generation
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  security strategies within the organization itself,
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  which is so critical.
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  Recruiting top talent. I mean, rural health care
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  isn't always a first choice for IT professionals,
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  but, you know, we're building a team that's
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  just as, you know, as elite as those
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  major metropolitan
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  hospitals
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  and regulatory complexities.
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  You know, as AI digital health expands, compliances
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  will become more, you know, more of an
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  issue, and we need to be ready to
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  really navigate the landscapes with precisions.
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  And challenges, yes. But we don't just face
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  them. We really try to engineer solutions
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  that turn them into true opportunities.
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  I love that outlook. Michael, thank you so
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  much for sharing that with us. Now before
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  we wrap up here, I'm wondering, what's the
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  number one thing you're doing right now to
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  set yourself up for long term success in
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  the future?
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  A %.
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  You know,
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  future proofing our hospital through AI, cybersecurity,
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  and strategic vision,
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  I think when we look at AI and
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  automation's first approach,
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  AI isn't just a tool. It's a game
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  changer.
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  We're really
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  embedding it into our workflow
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  into our workflows, really amplifying,
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  you know, clinical intelligence and optimizing decision making,
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  which is such a critical element
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  and creating a really strong cybersecurity
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  back backbone. You know, we're trying to set
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  gold standards and rule cybersecurity,
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  really ensuring that patient data and hospital operations
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  remain as untouchable as possible.
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  And we all know that nothing is a
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  % secure,
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  but continuing to basically have a strong incorporation
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  of cybersecurity
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  is such a critical element to continue to
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  keep the organization
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  as safe and secure as possible.
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  And smart investments in technology,
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  I mean, every dollar we spend is aligned
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  with long term sustainability,
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  efficiency, and really cutting edge patient care.
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  And those are the specific items that we
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  are really looking forward to for long term
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  success.
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  That's amazing to hear. Michael, thank you so
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  much for joining us on our podcast today.
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  This has been a really fun conversation, and
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  I look forward to connecting with you again
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  soon.
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  Hey. Thank you very much, Laura. I appreciate
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  the opportunity.
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  Absolutely. And it'll be amazing to see you
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  as well at our health IT digital health
• 13:13
  of revenue cycle event in October. I know
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  you'll be speaking on a panel, really sharing
• 13:16
  more of our expertise and continuing the discussion
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  on these. So I look forward to seeing
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  you there. Super excited to be there. Thank
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  you again.