Stacy Thomas
Director, Lab Account Management, ELLKAY
What does innovation in Health IT mean to you?
Forward-thinking. Imaginative use of technology to identify diverse viewpoints, amplify community voices, and discern what’s needed rather than grouping everyone together. Technology can provide platforms for new perspectives to enhance any conversation. Innovative Health IT means using data that will support efforts to make real change and developing solutions to address immediate and long-term healthcare issues.
What made you become involved in healthcare technology?
As the administrative manager of a large hospital outreach department, I quickly realized in order to be competitive, I had to offer connectivity similar to the national laboratories. As I began to explore vendor options, I became more intrigued by integration and system engineering. It has been over fifteen years, and I continue learning about healthcare technology’s intricacies every day.
What changes would you like to see in Health IT?
Diversity. Recruitment is an essential part of diversifying any sector – the same applies to Health IT. To gather folks from different ethnicities, genders, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, and viewpoints is the best way to generate innovative ideas. As the Supreme Court has come to recognize, with newly appointed Supreme Court justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, making a concerted effort to diversify the workspace is integral to creating a future where the needs of all are considered and planned for. I would like to see a national coalition galvanized to advance initiatives that analyze underserved communities, using data to support health care equity. When looking for solutions, it is imperative to have buy-in from the communities most impacted. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed, more than ever, the critical importance of ensuring equitable health care.
How are the current trends in Health IT impacting your organization?
ELLKAY has supported partners by providing increased connectivity that enables broader access to COVID-19 testing, data, and results. ELLKAY has used its interoperability expertise to expedite interface deployments to support laboratories across the country. What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing leaders in the healthcare sector? Access. Unfortunately, there are still people who get sick and die because they cannot afford quality health services or suffer tremendous financial hardship when they utilize services. Using data to identify disease hot spots and studying commonality can lead to root causes, which increases our opportunity to improve health outcomes.
What is the most rewarding part of being in the healthcare industry?
Careers rarely provide the opportunity to do as much good as the healthcare industry does. Healthcare provides a fast-paced, continually changing, and stimulating work environment. The healthcare sector has the privilege to contribute daily to the physical and emotional well-being of many people. Whether that is working on the frontline or in IT behind the scenes, there is nothing more rewarding than helping people.