“Work That Matters” is a series in which ECS experts discuss their roles and responsibilities and the larger impact they have in the workplace, community, and world. In this installment, we interview Dana Hanton, director of health innovation at ECS. Dana works closely with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to integrate new and innovative healthcare solutions supporting veterans’ health.
DANA HANTON
DIRECTOR, HEALTH INNOVATION
Q: Tell me a little about your role as director of health innovation.
A: I am part of the health IT division of ECS, but my team does work far beyond just information technology. Right now, a lot of my work supports the delivery and integration of a new electronic health record (EHR) system for the VA, which is one of the largest healthcare systems in the nation. While there is a very large IT component to that, I also act as strategic advisor, helping the VA with business operations, change management, healthcare delivery, and more as they implement and migrate to this massive new EHR system.
As director of health innovation, I am also involved in looking at artificial intelligence and other technologies to help improve decision making and support for healthcare providers. Our role is to find ways of bringing these innovations into the healthcare setting so providers can make informed and evidence-based decisions that improve patient outcomes.
Q: Healthcare is a complicated ecosystem. What does it mean to be innovative in this space?
Health IT innovation is not quite as easy as having a great idea and then just implementing it, or taking an existing technology and dropping it right into the patient care process. There are quality and safety standards that need to be met, especially in an industry where the consequences can be life and death. As you said, healthcare is a complicated ecosystem. Implementing a new IT solution could require a change in business processes, or integration within current computer systems. It could require administrative and provider buy-in. It could require so many things, and that means you need expertise in communications, change management, business operations, business reengineering, and more to successfully innovate and bring a new technology into the healthcare space. A great idea doesn’t get implemented in a day. It’s my job as a consultant and registered nurse to bring the operational and administrative expertise needed to successfully merge a new technology into the healthcare space.
Q: You were originally a nurse before moving into the health IT field. What was the transition like?
A: Consulting on health IT solutions wasn’t a path I planned on going into, but I got a call from a headhunter who recruited me into the field. I went into the transition somewhat blind. But I quickly found that in the consulting world, I could take my knowledge as a nurse and use it to make a systemic and global impact, more than I could as a nurse alone. By consulting in the health IT space, I can work to improve all of healthcare, versus the handful of patients I took care of shift by shift.
Q: AI. Wearables. Personalized healthcare. What do you see as the future of healthcare?
A: A lot of the focus is on how these new technologies enable providers to make better decisions, and rightfully so. But new technologies are empowering patients as well. Patients have more control than ever over their own health data. With better access and information, patients can make more informed and personalized decisions regarding their own health.
It’s exciting to be on the forefront of this work at ECS and be able to work on missions as large and consequential as the VA’s. We’re taking technologies once thought to be sci-fi and engineering them to standards required for medical use, so healthcare facilities can safely and effectively integrate them into day-to-day healthcare operations. That’s a noble mission and one I am proud to be a part of at ECS.
