Kathy Alexion

Oracle Health just dropped a from-scratch, AI-driven, voice-first EHR for ambulatory care — not an upgrade, not a patch — a full rebuild on Oracle Cloud. This move raises two big questions: - Can Oracle keep its current customers from jumping ship? - Will targeting ambulatory care & smaller hospitals (vs. large AMCs) prove a smarter entry point — especially when bundling EMR + ERP?

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Oracle (Cerner) falls even further behind Epic, and its new AI-powered EHR is only going to make things worse for them. Yesterday, a new KLAS report dropped an expected bombshell: Oracle Health lost 57 hospitals in 3 years as clients fled to other platforms (mostly to Epic). Meanwhile, Epic has surged ahead, now serving 42% of U.S. acute-care hospitals (nearly double Oracle’s 23%). Oracle is betting on a new AI-powered EHR (whatever that means) to regain ground. But here’s the reality: healthcare isn’t a bleeding-edge industry when it comes to tech adoption. Doctors and patients are cautious. At Callen-Lorde, when we rolled out Abridge’s AI scribe, we had some providers opt out, not because it didn’t work, but because they weren’t comfortable with AI in their exam rooms. Some patients and staff also voiced concerns. In an LGBTQ+ community where many have experienced trauma and are also highly informed, that skepticism is totally understandable even if I don’t fully agree with it. This isn’t just Oracle’s challenge, it’s every healthtech innovator’s. The question isn’t “Can AI do it?” but “Will patients and providers trust it enough to use it?” This Epic-versus-Oracle saga is also a litmus test for digital health innovation and trust. If a tech giant like Oracle can stumble after a $28B bet on Cerner, what does it say about the future of big tech in healthcare? https://lnkd.in/gamejC48

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What a Virtual CIO in Healthcare Does That Might Surprise You Most people assume a Chief Information Officer just picks technology and keeps the systems running. But in healthcare—especially for smaller hospitals, clinics, and community providers—the role of a virtual CIO (vCIO) is far more surprising. Here are a few things you might not expect a vCIO to do: 👉 Shape Clinical Outcomes A vCIO isn’t just picking software—they’re influencing how care is delivered. From reducing readmissions with predictive analytics to enabling remote patient monitoring, their work directly impacts patient health. 👉 Protect Revenue, Not Just Data Think IT only guards against hackers? A healthcare vCIO also fights denials, streamlines eligibility checks, and safeguards reimbursement. In an era of H.R. 1 and shrinking margins, that protection can mean survival. 👉 Translate Between Doctors and Technologists Clinicians want workflows that work. IT teams want systems that are stable. The vCIO acts as the translator, bridging two worlds that often don’t understand each other. 👉 Bring Big-Hospital Thinking to Small Organizations Virtual CIOs often come from large health systems. They bring enterprise-grade strategies—AI scheduling, cybersecurity governance, advanced analytics—scaled down to fit the realities of a small provider. 👉 Act as Crisis Managers From ransomware attacks to sudden reimbursement changes, vCIOs often serve as the calm center in the storm, helping organizations adapt under pressure. ⸻ Why This Matters Now With H.R. 1 reshaping Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements, smaller healthcare organizations are facing more churn, more administrative work, and tighter finances than ever. A virtual CIO offers executive-level leadership without the full-time cost—making technology a strategic lever instead of just another expense. ⸻ ✅ The takeaway: A vCIO is not a luxury. For small and mid-sized providers, they’re a necessity—protecting revenue, guiding strategy, and keeping patient care at the center.

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The best CIOs aren’t just digitizing operations — they’re re‑wiring how decisions happen. Every API, workflow, and dashboard is a lever for cultural change. The tech is table stakes; the differentiator is velocity of insight — how fast truth moves through your organization.

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AI investment isn’t a one-size-fits-all decision—it’s about knowing when to build, buy, blend, or partner to create real strategic value.

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This video by @InterSystems introduces the OMOP Platform, a new service by InterSystems designed to support researchers by transforming EHR data into the OMOP format. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gAq42nhm The platform features a FHIR-to-OMOP transformation pipeline and an OMOP repository hosted on #InterSystems #IRIS Cloud #SQL.

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Honored to spend time with the famous John Lynn discussing what’s next for rural healthcare. Rural health organizations are standing at an inflection point. With the Rural Health Transformation Program on the horizon, technology is no longer a back-office function — it’s a strategic lever for sustainability, workforce stability, and economic resilience in our communities. The reality is straightforward: many rural hospitals can’t justify a full-time CIO. But they also can’t afford to operate without executive-level technology leadership over the next five years. Cybersecurity threats are increasing. Reimbursement models are shifting. AI and automation are accelerating. And operational margins remain razor thin. If we want rural economies to thrive, we must ensure rural healthcare systems have the governance, strategy, and technical execution to compete — without overextending limited resources. Appreciate the opportunity, John, to share what we’re building and what we’re learning in the field. If you’re navigating rural transformation and want to talk strategy, let’s connect. #RHTP #RuralHealthTransformationProjet #RuralHealth #CriticalAccessHospital #CAH #HealthcareIT #DigitalHealth #HealthcareInnovation #FractionalCIO #RuralEconomy

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This statement on information blocking could disrupt EHR vendors’ plans to corner the healthcare data exchange market. Here’s some quick background: EHR vendors like Epic, eCW, and Cerner set up (or are setting up) Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs) that connect with other QHINs to form a national data exchange network. Healthcare provider organizations must decide whether to participate in the national network, and if they do, whether to join the QHIN that their EHR vendor offers or an independent one. It would have been tempting for the EHR+QHIN vendors to strongarm their provider clients into proprietary QHINs. The EHR vendors could have said things like: 🫸 “Choose our QHIN or you will be on your own to bring data from the national network into the EHR.” 💰 “You will have to pay us so much to ingest data from a competitor QHIN that you might as well join ours.” 🏆 “Joining our QHIN may be costly, but it would help you qualify for our Super Amazing Client Program and avoid costly EHR penalties. And we’ll waive our QHIN costs for a year or two.” ⏳“You could submit a request to bring data from a competing QHIN into the EHR, but it’s not really a priority for us and could take a while. Just join our QHIN.” The section of the FAQ document pictured below says that attempts to limit their customers’ ability to select a QHIN would be considered information blocking. EHR vendors that engage in such behavior could face monetary penalties and legal consequences. I agree with this guidance from ASPT/ONC. Providers and other organizations should be able to select the QHIN that offers the best services at the lowest price - not the QHIN that has the most leverage. EHR vendors that offer QHINs already have systems to connect with other QHINs to bring data into the EHR from the national network. They should allow their provider partners to bring life-saving clinical data into the EHR without forcing them into their QHINs. I’m looking forward to seeing whether the four-sentence FAQ response from ASTP/ONC will change the direction of the market on this. Perhaps you are reading this differently. What do you think? Will the EHR+QHIN vendors still convince most providers to join their QHINs? https://lnkd.in/gwgJTSvC

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𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗘𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵...𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 In #healthcare, “technology enablement” gets thrown around a lot. We talk about new EHRs, cloud migrations, AI-driven analytics, and interoperability, but too often, the underlying challenge isn’t technology at all. It’s 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. In a fast-growing, provider services organization, especially one backed by private equity, the noise is endless. Every region, practice, and business unit has “must-have” projects. Every vendor has a “transformational” solution. And every executive sees tech as the key to efficiency, growth, and compliance. But without a disciplined framework for deciding 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵, the very tools meant to enable the organization end up diluting its focus and wreak havoc on teams. True enablement doesn’t mean giving every department every tech solution they want. It means enabling the 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 to operate more effectively, securely, and intelligently. That requires saying “no” often and decisively. If a solution doesn’t tie directly to better outcomes, reduced friction, or improved decision-making, it’s probably not enablement. Great technology leaders know that every “yes” carries an opportunity cost. The hard part isn’t choosing between good and bad ideas, it’s choosing between 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. That’s where prioritization becomes both an art and a science. Prioritization is how leadership transforms ambition into execution. It forces clarity, builds alignment, and earns credibility with both the C-suite and front-line operators. Without governance, prioritization doesn’t stick. Governance gives structure to decision-making and ensures technology investments remain visible, measurable, and accountable. It defines who decides, how they decide, and what “success” looks like. Good governance is not bureaucracy. It’s the oxygen that allows innovation to breathe safely and sustainably. The best tech leaders don’t define success by the number of systems deployed or projects completed. They define it by 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, i.e., better care, smarter operations, stronger outcomes. Enablement isn’t about acceleration. It’s about direction. Technology enablement in healthcare isn’t about chasing innovation, it’s about harnessing it with precision and intent. When 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 work hand-in-hand, technology stops being a cost center and becomes a force multiplier. It aligns teams, strengthens execution, and ensures that every dollar of investment contributes to better care and smarter growth. Because in healthcare, it’s not the organizations with 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 technology that win, it’s the ones that know 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵. #technology #innovation

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