114 INTERVIEW Healthcare systems for the modern age To tackle challenges in the healthcare sector, organisations should embrace the transformative power of technology. Kyndryl’s Trent Sanders tells us more BY AMBER HICKMAN Supply chain costs, high inflation rates and workforce shortages are just a few of the challenges continuing to affect the healthcare industry. It’s a precarious situation and according to Trent Sanders, vice president of healthcare at Kyndryl, “any change to the ecosystem has the potential to cause a major impact”, for better or for worse. One way healthcare organisations can tackle these challenges is by embracing technology and pursuing digital transformation. While this can seem like a daunting task, Sanders recommends organisations simplify it by focusing solely on four key platforms. “The first platform, and first priority, should be their electronic health record system,” he explains. “The second platform should be their clinical workflow which involves clinical collaboration using the Microsoft stack. The third should be an enterprise resource planning system such as Workday, and the fourth should be ServiceNow for AI integration. “When you build an organisational strategy around these four key platforms, it simplifies the layers of data and AI as well as the security that will be needed to protect everything.” Sanders also believes a key trend in 2025 will be the emergence of chief information officers (CIOs) adopting a role more akin to a chief financial officer, which he says will “emphasise leveraging technology as a vehicle to enhance margin performance”. As part of this, there is a core set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for CIOs that will prove vital over the next year to ensure organisations are on the right track with the modernisation process. Some of the most important KPIs will include volumes, claim denials and quality metrics, which can impact reimbursement or charge capture. “While these KPIs are not traditionally associated with IT operations, they play a crucial role in ensuring the month-tomonth financial sustainability of a healthcare organisation,” says Sanders. CIOs can turn to Microsoft for support in these areas, thanks to its significant healthcare investments that ensure the entire clinical workflow can be optimised. “At the point of care, there are technologies such as DAX Copilot,” says Sanders. “Then, tools such as generative and agentic AI enable automation in areas such as pharmacy billing and charge capture. Finally, Microsoft Fabric serves as the foundational data layer that ties everything together. This cohesive workflow impacts “ Organisations need to standardise key platforms as that’s the only way to truly leverage generative AI”
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