CIOs Rank Top Healthcare IT Priorities and Pressures for 2024 (Part 1)

Healthcare executives, all CHIME (College of Healthcare Information Management Executives) members, shared feedback in an online survey* about IT priorities and pressures facing their health system.   

For the five years we’ve sponsored this survey, cybersecurity, optimization (EHR/EPR and operational), regulatory compliance, and patient engagement have topped the charts. These findings, reported predominantly by CIOs, lead many to believe that opportunities for healthcare are related to the need for specific expertise and resource capacity to realize meaningful change on these issues that continue to challenge our industry. 

Key Takeaways 

• Consider advisory services to expand the capacity of your team. Cybersecurity concerns of today justify new insight in form of advisors and/or intelligence. A cybersecurity strategy without either or both could be difficult to defend in times of disruption. 
• Consider new and known support models to evolve the maturity of your team. Use new operational concepts such as the clinical service desk and mature concepts such as managed services to focus your organization on core competencies and innovations. 

Download the 2024 CHIME CIO Survey Results Infographic or read on for further explanation of the results. 

Top Priorities for CIOs Consistent Since 2021 

CIOs offered these as critical IT initiatives for their organizations. Most have made appearances in past results reporting as shown in the chart below:   

• 41%: Cybersecurity  
• 11%: Operational optimization (application rationalization, managed services, vendor consolidation, change management) 
• 11%: Patient and consumer engagement 
• 7%: Cloud migration 
• 7%: Data analytics, predictive analytics, population health  
• 7%: EHR/EPR optimization  

Trends in CIO Priorities  

Cybersecurity Worries More CIOs than in Prior Years 

With cybersecurity continuing to be the top IT initiative for organizations (up to 41% from 29% in 2023), CereCore Principal Consultant for Cybersecurity, Darcy Corcoran has commented, “I think a lot of CIOs are definitely awake at night over network defense. My philosophy is a proactive network defense versus a reactive network defense. Reactive network defense is unfortunately the cycle that many organizations are caught in today. Active defense starts with  an intellectual shift. What it really comes down to is making it so cost prohibitive for the malicious actor that it causes them diminishing returns. We do that by always giving these attackers a bigger problem to solve as often as we can. When that occurs, they'll move off you and they'll find a softer target.” 

Read more about cybersecurity services that help you know how an attacker sees your organization in Partnership is Key for Maximum Intelligence Against Growing Security Risks.  

Technical Debt Concerns on the Rise 

When we asked if technical debt is a concern for your health system, CIOs responded:  

• 45%: Yes. More concerned than in previous years 
• 38%: Yes. Same amount of concern as in previous years 
• 17%: No. Not concerned about technical debt 

Tech debt is becoming an increasing concern for health IT leaders. The top concerns of tech debt are aging IT and limited talent pipeline (28%), outdated infrastructure or equipment (26%), and project or deadlines experience scope creep which increases cost (12%). 

Most health organizations are preventing tech debt through mature upgrade and system maintenance processes (75%) and roadmaps for technical refresh and lifestyle maintenance (75%). 

For more on technical debt, see our Technical Debt and the Patient eBook. 

For more information: 

• An upcoming blog will review additional findings from the 2024 survey. 
• Results of the survey in 2023: Part 1 and Part 2 on Managed Services, and a summary infographic. 

*The 2024 online survey and the data reported is based on responses from 29 healthcare executives, all CHIME members, sponsored by CereCore.