Using technology to boost healthcare efficiency: a discussion with Trent Sanders

Using technology to boost healthcare efficiency: a discussion with Trent Sanders

Kyndryl’s vice president of healthcare in the US shares why generative artificial intelligence and Microsoft solutions are key to helping some of the economic issues faced by health organisations 

Amber Hickman |


The healthcare industry is facing a range of economic challenges, and one of the key issues lies in optimising the value of existing technology investments. 

“About 75 per cent of healthcare systems today in the USA are on the fringe of making money or losing money on a quarterly basis,” says Trent Sanders, vice president of healthcare for the US at Kyndryl. “There is a surge in the number of health organisations that are asking how they can do things better, quicker, faster and smarter.”  

According to Sanders, the key to optimising healthcare efficiency is streamlining clinical workflows and clinical collaboration. 

“This doesn’t mean we need more technology,” says Sanders. “We need less technology but more automation and simplified workflows in our hospital systems. Microsoft collaboration plays a part here with platforms that work together, and offer improved security, simplified tool sets and data interoperability that can be accelerated by generative AI.” 

There are an increasing number of use cases emerging that highlight how AI can be used in the healthcare industry to improve efficiency.  

For example, there are a growing number of solutions that can aid clinical workflows. “Microsoft has been working really hard with Nuance to develop Dax Express, which is an incredibly accurate solution that is able to listen to patient-clinician conversations and translate them into organised and readable notes,” says Sanders. 

According to Sanders, Copilot will become a lot more significant in healthcare spaces over the next 12 months and will help optimise clinical collaboration. 

“Within healthcare supply chains Microsoft Copilot is helping people to write request for proposal forms and turning a two-week-long task into a two-minute-long task,” he says. “Copilot is also being used in revenue cycle management and helping employees ensure their work is correct.” 

By focusing digital transformation around clinical workflows and clinical collaboration, healthcare organisations can also improve engagement, which drives additional long-term benefits. 

“Engaging employees leads to improved productivity, which increases satisfaction and results in an enhanced patient-caregiver experience,” says Sanders. 

Whilst adopting new technologies is key to improving healthcare systems, Sanders cautions that it is important for organisations to take care with their approach and investments. 

This article was originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Technology Record. To get future issues delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for a free subscription. 

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