Skip to content
CIO CHIME
Login
  • About
    • AEHIS, AEHIA & AEHIT
    • Board & Staff
    • Careers with CHIME
    • Contact
    • Mission, Vision & History
    • News, Press & Stories
    • Public Policy
    • Opioid Action Center
    • CHIME Innovation
    • Scholarships
  • Membership
    • Join CHIME
    • Awards & Honors
    • CHIME International
    • Committees
    • FAQs
    • Member Spotlights
    • CHIME Board Election
    • Foundation Board Election
  • Education
    • Health & Safety
    • CHIME University Programs
    • Certified Digital Health Prog.
    • AEHIS HSL Forum 22
    • Foundation Summit 2022
    • CHIME22 Fall Forum
    • ViVE Event 2023
    • Boot Camps
      • FALL 22 CIO Boot Camp
      • Digital CISO BC – Aug.
      • Digital CIO BC – Aug.
      • Digital Clinical BC – Aug.
    • Online Learning
    • Webinars
    • Speaking Opportunities
    • Scholarships
  • Certification
    • CEUs
    • CDH Certifications
    • CFCHE
    • CHCIO
    • CHCIO International
    • CHISL
  • Digital Health Most Wired
  • Foundation
    • About
    • Board & Staff
    • Foundation Summit 22
    • Partner Education – 2022
    • Foundation Membership
      • Benefits
      • Application
      • AEHIS, AEHIA & AEHIT
    • Foundation Partners
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Education Foundation
      • About
      • Board and Staff
      • Donate
      • Scholarships
    • Awards
    • Terms of Use Policies
    • CHIME Tech
      • About
      • Board & Staff
      • Advisory Services
      • Cooperative Member Services
      • Leadership Academy
      • Speakers Bureau
  • 30th Anniversary
  • Media
    • CHIME Media
    • Digital Health Leaders

News & Press

Home » News & Press » Stoltenberg Consulting’s Health IT Industry Outlook Survey reveals five key leadership trends for 2021 amid pandemic recovery

Stoltenberg Consulting’s Health IT Industry Outlook Survey reveals five key leadership trends for 2021 amid pandemic recovery


PITTSBURGH, May 19, 2021 — In the ninth annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, 59% of healthcare chief information officers (CIOs) identified “getting the most out of existing IT purchases, like the EHR system” as the biggest financial goal for the year, followed by “maximizing value-based care reimbursement” at 20%, “improving and sustaining the speed and accuracy of financial reporting” at 11%, and “reducing claims denials and speeding up patient payments” at 9%.

IT departments are feeling intense pressure to not only unify care coordination, but also optimize digital health expansion amid the COVID-19 financial aftermath. In terms of operational hurdles, for a second year in a row, “retaining and budgeting for qualified IT resources” (55%) stood out as CIOs’ biggest operational burden in the aftershock of many hospitals’ significant IT spending and staffing changes in response to the pandemic.

The pandemic also propelled a shift in overall focus. When asked, “Aside from COVID-19, what do you predict is the biggest focus for the health IT industry this year?” over half of CIOs deemed “patient engagement” as the industry’s top priority for the year. In a major change from last year, prioritization on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning dropped dramatically. This year, just 14% of CIOs said AI is their top area of focus.

“Whereas healthcare organizations may have previously gone through the motions of patient engagement enablement for value-based care incentives,” said Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, “the pandemic’s dramatic shift to remote care and true digital health advancement has forever transformed consumer-driven patient expectations toward taking a more active, yet convenient role in their own care journeys.”

When assessing where healthcare organizations plan to invest the most IT dollars over the next year, catching up on “EHR new version upgrades” took the top spot (31%). Considering the onslaught of healthcare ransomware incidents in the past year, “cybersecurity measures” landed next in spending priority at 25%, followed by “maximizing data analytics programs” (22%), “telehealth support” (20%), and “applying AI initiatives” (2%). These top two spending areas aligned closely again when CIOs were asked, “What is the most recent or near future IT mission critical event for your organization?” At 33%, “cybersecurity response” took first rank with “EHR new version upgrades” closely behind at 30%, followed by “system consolidation from M&A activity” (19%), and “system, server or software patching” (17%).

Stoltenberg cohosted the 2021 survey with the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) virtually. Survey participants represented CIOs from a comprehensive spectrum of U.S. hospital facilities, including multi-hospital health systems, community hospitals, academic medical centers and ambulatory surgical facilities.

For a complete look at the 2021 survey results and analysis report, visit www.stoltenberg.com.

About Stoltenberg Consulting
FlexSourcing, Stoltenberg Consulting’s 3X Best in KLAS Partial IT Outsourcing program, delivers day-one ROI through an on-demand, versatile cross-trained workforce that can scale up at any time. Averaging 15 years of experience, Stoltenberg analysts are skilled in both financial and clinical systems with best practice expertise for Epic, Cerner, MEDITECH, NextGen, Allscripts, and eClinicalWorks systems. Through FlexSourcing’s agile program including Tier 1 service desk, get the most out of your EHR investment. Align flexible IT support with your health system’s evolving needs to curb EHR burnout, boost physician satisfaction, and improve the patient experience. To see how Stoltenberg simplifies healthcare technology, visit www.stoltenberg.com.

 

Media Contact

Shana Tachikawa

Stoltenberg Consulting 

stachikawa@stoltenberg.com

419-617-8341

Media Inquiries

For media inquiries and interview requests please contact:

communications@chimecentral.org

News, Press & Stories

  • Press Releases & Statements
  • Inside CHIME
  • In the News
  • CHIME Foundation Insight
  • Foundation Press Releases

New Initiatives

MEMBERSHIP

LEARN MORE & APPLY LOG IN

UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE

  • 06/29/2022 - Managing a Complex HIPAA Breach Response: Balancing Legal, Compliance, Cyber Security Insurance, PR & Communications
  • 07/17/2022 - 2022 Summer CIO Boot Camp
  • 07/21/2022 - 2022 Spring CIO Boot Camp
  • SITE
    • About
    • Membership
    • Education
    • Certification
    • Digital Health Most Wired
    • Foundation
    • 30th Anniversary
    • Media
  • MEMBERSHIP
    • Login
    • Become a Member
    • Become a Foundation Partner
  • SOCIAL
    •            
  • CONTACT US

    455 E. Eisenhower Parkway Suite 300
    Ann Arbor, MI 48108
    Phone: (734) 665-0000
    Fax: (734) 665-4922

    MAP & DIRECTIONS

  • Logo
  • About
    • AEHIS, AEHIA & AEHIT
    • Board & Staff
    • Careers with CHIME
    • Contact
    • Mission, Vision & History
    • News, Press & Stories
    • Public Policy
    • Opioid Action Center
    • CHIME Innovation
    • Scholarships
  • Membership
    • Join CHIME
    • Awards & Honors
    • CHIME International
    • Committees
    • FAQs
    • Member Spotlights
    • CHIME Board Election
    • Foundation Board Election
  • Education
    • Health & Safety
    • CHIME University Programs
    • Certified Digital Health Prog.
    • AEHIS HSL Forum 22
    • Foundation Summit 2022
    • CHIME22 Fall Forum
    • ViVE Event 2023
    • Boot Camps
      • FALL 22 CIO Boot Camp
      • Digital CISO BC – Aug.
      • Digital CIO BC – Aug.
      • Digital Clinical BC – Aug.
    • Online Learning
    • Webinars
    • Speaking Opportunities
    • Scholarships
  • Certification
    • CEUs
    • CDH Certifications
    • CFCHE
    • CHCIO
    • CHCIO International
    • CHISL
  • Digital Health Most Wired
  • Foundation
    • About
    • Board & Staff
    • Foundation Summit 22
    • Partner Education – 2022
    • Foundation Membership
      • Benefits
      • Application
      • AEHIS, AEHIA & AEHIT
    • Foundation Partners
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Education Foundation
      • About
      • Board and Staff
      • Donate
      • Scholarships
    • Awards
    • Terms of Use Policies
    • CHIME Tech
      • About
      • Board & Staff
      • Advisory Services
      • Cooperative Member Services
      • Leadership Academy
      • Speakers Bureau
  • 30th Anniversary
  • Media
    • CHIME Media
    • Digital Health Leaders
Copyright 2022 CHIME College of Healthcare Information Management Executives
Sponsors
Privacy Policy     Terms of Use    Web Design by build/create
By using our website you agree to our updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. I Accept