When Should Health Systems Invest in New Tech?

AI, the next-generation electronic-health-records (EHR) system, or any number of other shiny objects brought to my attention in this way might be very important. They might advance the organization’s strategies beautifully. They might enable strategies that we hadn’t even thought of before. They might be the key to our survival.

Or they might not. They might waste money and time, divert us from our goals, and allow more disciplined competitors to eat our lunch with wiser technology choices and better implementation. The next-generation EHR — so compelling in demo mode — might lock up at random times once it’s crunching real data. The AI that caught the board member’s eye might make recommendations that enrage the medical staff — or worse, mystify them.