Spok Survey Reveals Top Priorities for Healthcare IT Leaders in 2020

Integrating technology solutions and improving processes top the list

SPRINGFIELD, Va. (Jan 6, 2020) – Spok, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPOK) and a global leader in healthcare communications, is heading into the new year with research findings regarding priorities for healthcare IT leaders in 2020. More than 70 CIOs and Health IT leaders responded to the web-based survey of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) members. The survey measured challenges and priorities and whether leaders plan to advance the skillset of their IT departments in 2020.

The top three priorities that CIOs identified were:

• Improving overall IT product and technology processes (16%)
• Aligning key stakeholders on processes to drive adoption of technology (12%)
• Focusing less on individual technology products and more on integrated solutions (12%)

“Insights from this survey reinforce the complexity of health IT and the challenge of operationalizing new technology solutions,” said Tim Tindle, CIO of Spok Inc. “It requires a partnership between IT and health system leaders to drive the overall adoption and ultimately to achieve the clinical or business program’s objectives.”

When asked what percent of their IT staff have the skills to be successful, 48% of survey respondents said almost everyone, 30% said most do, 12% said some do, and 10% said very few.

However, those surveyed said middle managers in health system IT departments need to work on being better project managers (64%), learn to speak the same language as clinicians and other internal teams (63%), and step up their game when it comes to leveraging IT platforms and processes (62%). They also wish for middle managers to better understand how technology can make a difference in the way hospitals deliver care (45%), to set goals that help achieve strategic initiatives (40%), and to develop financial skills, such as budgeting, forecasting, and justifying (37%).

Even though there are competing priorities for these CIOs in 2020, the survey also revealed that they are ready for and most excited about technology innovation.

“Health system leaders are looking for innovative ways to solve problems, and we are pleased to be able to offer integrated solutions that fulfill their priorities for the coming year,” said Vincent D. Kelly, president and chief executive officer of Spok Holdings, Inc.  “As we kick off 2020, Spok is offering cutting-edge technology that no one else can offer. It is an exciting time as we continue to introduce our new, innovative, cloud-native and integrated communication platform, Spok Go® and further align with CIO’s needs and desires for the future.”

The full results of the survey can be found here.