Rush University System for Health Embarks on Ambitious Digital Transformation

Rush University System for Health, a Chicago-based health system with a rich history dating back to the city's founding, is undergoing a significant digital transformation under the guidance of its CIO, Jeff Gautney. The organization has been working on rebuilding its core software, data, hardware, and cybersecurity infrastructure through a program called Foundations, which has helped improve quality measures and efficiency.

Gautney joined Rush in 2021, a time when the organization was struggling with chronic underinvestment in basic infrastructure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He prioritized cybersecurity and launched a partnership with Salesforce Health Cloud to unify customer data and create a 'customer brain' that provides a single view of each person, whether patient, student, faculty member or alumnus.

The organization has also implemented AI tools in its contact center, which monitor call intensity and flag when agents need breaks. Self-service options have expanded significantly, and the platform now powers virtual specialty care offerings, including primary care services through a partnership with Amazon's One Medical. Ambient AI documentation technology has also been deployed to ease clinician burden by automatically generating notes during clinical conversations.

Rush is now extending its digital transformation efforts, recognizing that data is a critical component of this process. Gautney emphasizes the importance of having command over one's own data in driving future transformations.