AEHADA Announces Plan to Drive Digital Health Innovation Through Collaboration

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) Association for Executives in Healthcare Applications, Data & Analytics (AEHADA) has announced a plan to unite its growing community of digital health professionals.

CHIME recently renamed the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Applications (AEHIA) to AEHADA to reflect an increased emphasis on health data analytics.

“The healthcare industry is facing significant challenges, from staffing shortages to budget cuts and increasing cybersecurity threats,” said David Finn, vice president of AEHADA, Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Technology (AEHIT), and Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Security (AEHIS).

“However, these challenges also present an opportunity for healthcare organizations that are willing to leverage data and analytics to drive innovative solutions,” he added.  

Since its rebranding, AEHADA has seen a spike in membership interest. The association is looking to unite the expertise of its members, partners, and affiliated associations AEHIT and AEHIS, as well as its founding organization, CHIME.

“Our members will demonstrate the possibilities of breaking down functional silos by leveraging our organizations’ collective brainpower,” Finn stated. “With all the hype about digital transformation, I think it’s important to remember that leading change isn’t solely about integrating technology. True transformation is ultimately about connecting people.”

“From Chief Application Officers to Chief Information Security Officers, data scientists, and beyond, we need the full spectrum of expertise, capabilities, and perspectives to focus on addressing the challenges healthcare providers are facing,” he added.

AEHADA’s plan to drive transformational action is two-fold, focusing on empowering its members and advocating for the role of data and analytics in healthcare. The association seeks to foster a culture of innovation by providing members with educational resources, training sessions, and networking opportunities.

Additionally, AEHADA is focused on ensuring healthcare interoperability and health data privacy.

“The healthcare industry is always rapidly evolving, and data analytics has emerged as a crucial tool to drive meaningful innovation,” noted Stacey Johnston, MD, chief applications officer and Epic program executive at Baptist Health.

“AEHADA is committed to empowering our members with the latest tools, knowledge, and training they need to apply data analytics in a meaningful way,” added Johnston, who serves as AEHADA board chair. “At the same time, we believe that data governance, privacy, and interoperability are all critical components of responsible data use, and we will continue to advocate for these principles in healthcare.”

With the increasing importance of data analytics, AEHADA anticipates continued growth in membership.

“As healthcare technologies continue to evolve, so will the challenges we must solve,” Finn said. “We expect that the AEHADA community will continue to grow; not only because we’ve expanded the scope of our focus, but because we see that more and more healthcare executives are answering the call to lend their expertise towards changing the direction of this industry.”