The Healthcare Data Goldrush (Part 2): Chief Information & Digital Officer at Hartford Healthcare, Joel Vengco

When Joel Vengco started his thesis during the third year of a
MD-PhD program, it was the beginning of the end of his time in
medical school. It changed his career path and kicked-off what he
says is a love for data.

The field of Big Data didn’t exist yet, but it’s essentially
where Joel was focused. And thanks to a professor who was also
the chief scientific officer at Eclipsys (which later merged with
Allscripts), Joel had access to extensive datasets to drive his
work. He initially found a lot of data in disarray, but he also
recognized the future potential for using data to transform the
healthcare industry.

Joel eventually left medical school in favor of a career chasing
healthcare data inside venerable provider and vendor
organizations – from Eclipsys and GE Healthcare, to Boston
Medical Center, Partners Healthcare, and Baystate Healthcare
where he founded the digital health incubator, Techspring. Joel
is currently SVP & Chief Information & Digital Officer at
Connecticut’s most comprehensive healthcare network, Hartford
Healthcare.

In this episode of Healthcare is Hard, Joel talks to Keith
Figlioli about using data to drive healthcare transformation, his
strategies for optimizing technology in a provider organization,
and his advice for startups and entrepreneurs. Some of the topics
they discuss include:



Data liquidity. For people who work with big data, the
“5 Vs” that guide success – volume, value, variety, velocity
and veracity – are well known. But Joel says another attribute
that’s missing and will be increasingly important is liquidity.
He talks about how being able to move data from one place to
another is essential for creating ecosystems. He talks about
how analytic ecosystems, partnership ecosystems, and even
startup ecosystems all require data to move freely.


Data literacy. Through his various roles, Joel has seen
significant differences in the way organizations use data to
make decisions. He describes how some providers monitor data
retrospectively, while others are using data more like a payer
would, especially when those organizations share risk. He talks
about a future where organizations understand data at a deeper
level and use it to not just “admire the problem” with reports,
but to help make the next decision.


Technology through an equity lens. In many ways,
technologists and developers are designing the future of
healthcare. Joel talks about the responsibilities that come
along with that, and how he instructs his team to look at
everything they build, design and develop through an equity
lens. He also discusses recent developments in artificial
intelligence, such as ChatGPT, and the need for guardrails to
ensure it’s used responsibly.


Shifting right. To support the transformation of
healthcare, Joel talks about how technology leaders in health
systems must move beyond the traditional business of IT. He
estimates that the average health system currently invests 90%
of its resources on traditional IT work, and only 10% on
transformative projects. He calls for a drastic shift and says
organizations should get to a place where they’re spending 40%
on traditional IT and 60% on transformation.



To hear Keith and Joel talk about these topics and more, listen
to this episode of Healthcare is Hard: A Podcast for Insiders.