Abacus insights chicago11/20/2023 ![]() Do we need to look at the difference in how we are treating patients who are white versus nonwhite? And if there is a difference in those metrics, we need to drill down into the “why” so we can make corrections. Some of the quality metrics that we look at involve how we are treating our population of patients. ![]() It’s something that we also look at as a leadership team as we are going through our metrics. Saad Chaudhry Chief Digital and Information Officer, Luminis HealthįRANTA: In 2019, we made DEI part of our annual operating plan, which formed the goals and objectives that we were trying to hit. How many CIOs can say they’re part of a JEDI council? How cool is that?” We call it JEDI - justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. I think it would be helpful for us to have more allyship across the C-suite team as well as the broader university. I have several vacancies on my team, and I’ve started hiring people remotely. The political climate here in Texas has an impact as well. We’ve been subjected to just as much attrition as the next institution, and when you think about Austin, Texas, as a city and its diversity, or lack thereof, that does make it hard. Our DEI efforts have partly been affected by the workforce shift. I think we as an organization still have some room for growth. I’ve carried that very sentiment forward into my role. That’s something worth celebrating, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility to those who may follow. DAUGHERTY: Every leadership position that I’ve held throughout my professional career has either been created for me or I’ve been the first African American woman to hold that position. Our JEDI framework allowed us to really look at this from another angle and to ask ourselves, what does this look like for the individual communities? We partnered with local churches - pillars that the community did trust - as we rolled out the vaccines. We are in a region of the country where there are organizations with well-known and deep baggage of medical legacy that might not be terribly trusted by local communities. At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, once vaccines were coming out, we partnered with local government entities to serve as a hub for testing and vaccinations. There’s also the provision of care to our communities. I am the executive sponsor for the Generation Now BRG, aimed at millennials and Gen Z. Within JEDI, we slice diversity into several aspects through business resource groups. We don’t believe that you can have equality without justice. How many CIOs can say they’re part of a JEDI council? How cool is that? That “justice before all” part is incredibly important. We call it JEDI - justice, equity, diversity and inclusion - and it’s led by our chief diversity officer and our CEO through a council that has representatives from a cross-section of the organization. HEALTHTECH: How have conversations about DEI evolved at your organization through the years? CHAUDHRY: We don’t call it DEI. HealthTech discussed DEI in healthcare IT with Chaudhry and Daugherty as well as Barbara Franta, executive director of digital applications and information solutions at UChicago Medicine, and Christine Yang, vice president and CTO at Alameda Health System in Oakland, Calif. Chaudhry and Daugherty are among a growing number of healthcare IT leaders heading efforts to ensure that diversity is at the forefront of their departments. Health systems across the country are working to reduce inequities within their organizations, supported by training in diversity, equity and inclusion, with initiatives targeting clinical and nonclinical departments. ![]() ![]() Healthcare IT Leaders on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the WorkforceĪlthough progress is happening on the clinical side, the numbers are still stark: Nearly 64 percent of active physicians are white, compared with only 6 percent who are Black or African American, according to updated findings from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
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