As health systems push digital transformation deeper into clinical operations, chief nursing information officers say the role of clinical informatics is shifting — though not always evenly — from reactive troubleshooting to proactive design.
Two CNIOs described an industry in transition, one in which informatics leaders are increasingly embedded early in project planning but still frequently pulled back into downstream fixes when governance and role clarity fall short.
At Albany, N.Y.-based Albany Med Health System, CNIO Michael Durling, RN, said early inclusion is the “ideal state.”
In a healthcare environment defined by rapidly changing clinical tools, technology integration demands and resource constraints, he said informaticists offer a distinct vantage point: They understand how clinicians will actually use technology and where implementation can falter.
That perspective extends beyond system build. Clinical informatics teams often partner with both operational and IT leaders to address not only technical integration but education, workflow design and long-term support.
In practice, however, informatics is often pulled back into troubleshooting mode: responding to clinician frustrations or patching gaps created when decisions are made without their input.
“While much of clinical informatics work remains reactive to users’ needs, moving to a planned road map with inclusion in the procurement process is best,” Mr. Durling said.
The shift toward road map-driven involvement — particularly during vendor selection and procurement — reflects a broader industry realization: Once technology decisions are finalized, informatics teams are often left mitigating safety risks or redesigning workflows around constraints that could have been addressed earlier.
At Akron, Ohio-based Summa Health, the structural transformation has been more formalized. CNIO Marc Benoy, BSN, RN, said informatics at the system is positioned as “a proactive clinical design function rather than a reactive troubleshooting resource.”
Break-fix incidents are handled by IT support and application teams, freeing informaticists to focus on enhancements, optimization and new capabilities that change how care is delivered.
The distinction is intentional. When informatics is engaged early in project ideation, Mr. Benoy said the team can assess workflow feasibility, patient safety risks, information needs and measurable outcomes before solutions are finalized. That ensures technology choices reflect clinical necessity, not simply technical availability.
When engagement occurs later, “our role often shifts to risk mitigation, redesign, and optimization to align the solution with real-world clinical operations,” he said.
To move upstream, Summa implemented several structural changes. Role boundaries across IT, applications, training, analytics and informatics were clarified to prevent incident work from defaulting to informaticists. Governance processes were redesigned so initiatives affecting clinical workflows or sensitive data require informatics review before approval. Informaticists were also embedded within operational relationships across nursing, providers, quality and finance.
The result, Mr. Benoy said, is that informatics functions as a strategic clinical design capability — ensuring digital solutions are safe, usable and effective before implementation rather than correcting problems afterward.
The return on that model shows up in reduced variation, stronger adoption and more sustainable workflows for clinicians, he said.
The post How health systems are repositioning informatics appeared first on Becker's Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.
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