We want to help you get to know our regional and E.W. Sparrow Hospital leaders better. We’re showcasing short introduction videos and responses to questions that highlight who these leaders are, where they came from, and what their priorities are as part of the regional and local structure of University of Michigan Health. And you may learn a surprising fact or two about them!
Our next profile is on Regional Chief Digital Information Officer Josh Wilda. See his video below.
How would you summarize your new position?
The easiest way to summarize my new position is to being responsible for partnering with other caregivers to create a customer-focused HITS department focusing on bringing efficient operations, impactful optimizations and intentional innovations to every caregiver with the technology and innovations to allow them to elevate care for our patients. Along with this traditional Health Information Technology and Services focus, I will also be responsible for partnering with other leaders, caregivers and patient advisors in creating and executing on a digital health and patient experience strategy that is patient centered, provider focused, a strategy that intends to wrap our digital arms around our patients when they are not physically present and to enhance the experiences of our patients when they are in person with us. The plan will include using advanced analytics to allow all of us the information needed to treat and support our patients in a timely manner and will innovate using artificial intelligence, automation, Cloud and new emerging technologies to be a co-pilot to our caregivers to allow them to focus more time on the patient than on other tasks.
What are your top three goals for the region or the hospital?
Establish a regional reputation of being customer-focused partners who seek to assist in recognizing the problems we are trying to solve, assist in partnering with stakeholders on what are the best solutions are moving forward, maximizing current technologies and being innovative on new possibilities, all in an agile delivery model. Establish a strong digital health strategy that can scale across the region, allowing us to use technology to assist in treating patients in non-traditional settings, using innovations to advance the experiences our patients have with our organization with ease of access and information to feel a part of the care team and all using the technology to show patients we know them with information and insights. Establish a regional plan supported in providing advanced analytics, automation, and machine learning to turn data into key insights to assist in increase our quality of care we provide patients.
What is one thing you've learned about Sparrow and/or University of Michigan Health West that surprised you?
This is more of a comfort than a surprise. In speaking with Sparrow caregivers, there is a unifying sense of mission of caring for patients and putting the patients at the center of what we do. That is a powerful foundation for two organizations to build a strong relationship on top of.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
he opportunity to build and assist a larger team in creating an environment that allows them to provide the best services possible in the name of patient care and in doing so have a greater scaled partnership in having powerful and meaning impacts on patient lives.
Where is your favorite place in Michigan to vacation?
This is a tough question; I have not vacationed in Michigan. I am from Wisconsin, (not a Badger but a Golden Eagle) and haven't spent much time exploring Michigan since transplanting here 18 years ago. My family is planning to do an RV road trip of Michigan hot spots next summer so I will take suggestions.
What book or movie did you last read or watch?
Last Book: The First 90 Days by Michael D Watkins (fitting for leadership). Recent Movie: Spiderman, Across the Spider verse