Creating a culture that embraces innovation, pursues change and tolerates risk is not something that can be done part time. The position of Chief Innovation Officer is really meant to serve as a catalyst for unlocking the innovation potential of our staff, our members, our industry partners and the patients that we serve.

DOTmed News: What are the biggest innovation opportunities in cardiology ?


KP: There is no discipline in healthcare riper with innovation opportunity than cardiovascular medicine. The discipline has had a stunning record of successful innovation over many decades - from the population health insights of the Framingham Heart Study, to the introduction of statins, to the increasing rigor and sophistication of clinical trials to the relentless improvements in interventional cardiology. These have all led to dramatic reduction in mortality and morbidity from CVD.

What lies ahead? I believe that the continued work in real world clinical data - work that began with the ACC's NCDR over 15 years ago, will continue to drive stunning new insights into the care of heart disease and also its co-morbidities. The term "Big Data" is often misused however in healthcare we truly do have massive data sets that we can now interrogate to identify gaps in care, derive new clinical insights and drive CQI programs.

I'm also very interested in exploring new partnerships and unique coalitions that can drive improvements in care. Examples of these novel partnerships includes med-tech incubators, retail healthcare providers, wearable and mobile biometric sensors, consumer product manufactures and innovative healthcare systems. I believe that the point of intersection between these entities will yield some of the most profound and unexpected innovations in patient care.


DOTmed News: What is the most rewarding aspect of being named Chief Information Officer?

KP: There are two remarkable aspects to the role that have already become apparent. They are time and opportunity. The first gift is time. Time to devote to study, discussion, debate and reflection. The second is opportunity. This role affords me the opportunity to meet some of the most creative and imaginative people on the planet. It's a privilege to have the time and opportunity to learn from them, debate new ideas and to be inspired by their passion and vision. It's truly a once in a career opportunity for which, I am immensely grateful.

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