Sanford Health

Brad Reimer Chief Information Officer

Brad Reimer serves as Sanford Health's chief information officer, responsible for all technology systems including patient-critical applications like Epic, Cloverleaf and Sectra PACS; business solutions like Workday, ServiceNow and productivity applications; and information security.

Reimer is passionate about implementing innovative solutions, driving strategic change and transforming organizations and teams. In his time with Sanford Health, he has revamped the information security program; renewed the department’s focus on efficiencies, contracts and quality; and successfully positioned the health system’s technical infrastructure for stability, agility and nimbleness—which was integral to leading and supporting Sanford Health's people, patients and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future with virtual care and digital health.

Following is the conversation we had with Reimer.

What inspired you to pursue a career in healthcare information technology, and what led you to your current position at Sanford Health?

There is no better place to make a difference every day than in health care.  I’ve been in the technology field for 25 years, the first half of that was in the finance industry.  As I progressed into leadership roles, I spent a lot more time thinking about purpose, meaning and wanting to be part of a good cause – helping others.  That got me looking into healthcare as my next career step.  I have numerous family members in healthcare and they just talked about their work and contributions differently, and I wanted that in my career.  The first step into healthcare was with a medical software company, working with clinics and health systems.  I immediately saw a difference in the industries and got further drawn into the mission of healthcare.  My next step was to double down on that and I sought a role with a healthcare provider.  That landed me at Sanford and eventually into the CIO role. Sanford Health is the largest rural health system in the country. We serve more than 1.5 million patients across 250,000 square miles. It’s a privilege to be able to be part of an organization that is committed to transforming care and improving outcomes for our patients, two-thirds of whom live in rural communities.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face as Chief Information Officer at Sanford Health, and how do you prioritize and address them?

The challenges in my role are very similar to those of other CIOs in healthcare: staffing, financials, cybersecurity, etc.  Beyond those, the biggest challenge is how do we secure funding for technically advancing our clinical and business operations?If we have limited resources, which of the 10 great ideas do we choose to pursue?  Clinical operations are focused on advancing the clinical care we provide patients as well as improving quality.  Business operations need to see investment in automation and efficiency to streamline workflows and reduce administrative costs of healthcare. At Sanford, we also have a health plan, a long-term care division, and a research organization would benefit from additional investments in technology. There’s so much opportunity – we wish we could pursue it all. At the end of the day, we advocate for open dialogue, risk transparency, financial proformas and clinical value cases to prioritize at the enterprise level.

“It’s a privilege to be able to be part of an organization that is committed to transforming care and improving outcomes for our patients, two-thirds of whom live in rural communities.”

How do you see technology evolving in the healthcare industry over the next decade, and what impact do you think this will have on patient care?

I believe that technology will be so embedded into healthcare that we won’t talk about it as a separate topic anymore.  Workflows, clinical diagnostics, clinical procedures, research, etc. are already extremely dependent on technology and that will only continue to increase.  From the healthy population to a critical care patient, to a long-term care resident, to health plan members, we will see healthcare technology permeate every part of our lives, just like our smart phones do today.  In some cases, it will be much less intrusive (i.e. passive monitoring with micro devices) and in other cases it will consume more of our attention and time (i.e. active health monitoring and relevant health data that you will want to check as frequently as social media).  On the healthcare provider side, we need to see meaningful movement in reducing technology induced administrative overhead.  Solutions including ambient listening, computer vision, autonomous documentation and deep data will become the norm.  More and more specialty care will be effective through virtual care, bridging many care-access gaps and inequities.  We will no longer be talking about artificial intelligence (AI) because it will be the norm.  Virtual reality (VR) will find many use cases from patient communication aids to virtual computer aided therapy.  I also believe sensors will see one of the largest jumps forward in use, both within healthcare facilities and in personal lives.  This will provide a much more proactive healthy-living model byimprovingour ability to intervene sooner and promoting prevention of chronic and acute care.  These advances will bring tremendous value to all healthcare, but particularly in rural areas where advanced medical centers are hours away.

In your opinion, what role should healthcare organizations play in the development and deployment of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, to ensure that they are used ethically and effectively?

Healthcare delivery organizations need to be very involved in ensuring emerging technologies and new application of existing technologies meet both ethical and quality standards.  We need to be involved in up-front definition of solution needs, in the development stages of the product, testing and validation as well as deployment and adoptions.  My bias leans towards healthcare delivery organizations needing to get really good at deploying and adopting solutions and processes that transform how healthcare is delivered.  The open market will continue to be the lion’s share of new development and innovation.  That doesn’t mean healthcare organizations shouldn’t have some good balance of internal capabilities to create solutions and innovate, but if we can get really good at deploying everyone else’s great ideas, we can amplify the value for our patients and caregivers.

How does Sanford Health ensure the security and privacy of patient data in an increasingly digital healthcare landscape, and what measures are in place to protect against cybersecurity threats?

We decided a couple years ago to fully incorporate all the digital solutions into the same information security governance model that we use for everything else.  It is an area that is changing more rapidly, especially around technology that is used outside the fourwalls of a hospital or clinic.  Home and wearable devices bring in a different set of risks and exposure, as well as a different shared model of accountability with the patients.  We have doubled down on our third-party security risk assessments, partially because of the proliferation of digital, cloud and device-based solutions.  Unfortunately, not all solution providers give the appropriate attention to security of the products they build, and fewer pay attention to emerging threats to their existing products.  We will continue to invest into maturing our cybersecurity capabilities as the industry and landscape changes.  Change is happening quickly in this space and if you stand still for even a day, you get behind. The goal is to have a comprehensive, living, dynamic and adaptable cyber security program.

What advice would you give to young professionals who are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare information technology, and what skills and knowledge do you think are essential for success in this field?

I continue to be a strong advocate for gaining experience in different areas of technology, as well as different areas of clinical and business operations.  One of the things I lean on the most is my degree in business management.  Understanding the drivers of a business is extremely valuable in being able to make smart decisions as a technology leader.  Secondly, for roles like this, you have to be a continuous learner.  There are so many different formats, mediums, formalities, etc. available to help keep you up to date and advancing.  You just need to be doing some form of that all the time.  Lastly, in the C-level roles, relationship management and communication skills are critical.  It’s worth spending time honing those skills as well.