Dalia Powers serves as Humana’s Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Data and Digital across the enterprise. Dalia has progressive leadership experience across Healthcare, Financial Services, Commercial Real Estate, and Technology industries, coupled with her strong track record of driving technology, digital, and analytics transformations leading high-performing globally distributed organizations.

What innovative developments in Digital Transformation are expected to reshape the landscape of overcoming business challenges?

As technology continues to transform the healthcare industry, digital transformation plays a critical role in making the healthcare experience seamless and easy for our members and patients. Humana often serves people at their most vulnerable times. To help support our member and patients in their time of need, our aim is to use a digital-first approach to provide members with faster and easier access to information around their benefits, claims, health-coverage plans, health history, ID cards, provider directories and more. This digital-first approach also includes programs that focus on preventative care including reminders for preventative primary care checkups and preventative screenings, condition management, drug refills, all to help them achieve their best health outcomes.  

We deploy data analytics, advanced models and provide platform advancement for our business teams to help research to expand focused interventions, narrow health disparities and improve access to care for patients. By bringing greater connectivity to our health plans and care delivery services, we strive to provide comprehensive, personalized care that leads to better quality, access and affordability.

Technology can help us achieve better outcomes for our members and patients and enable our business to increase productivity and improve satisfaction for our providers. Our goal is to prioritize health first through the power of innovation.

What are some of the challenges in your business that current services are unable to provide an optimal solution?

Streamlining real-time data, availability, and interoperability across all stakeholders (patients, care givers, providers, insurance, etc.) involved in our patients’ healthcare journeys is a large challenge our sector is now facing. We recognize that care integration, coupled with interoperability, is vital in delivering holistic healthcare solutions. Our integrated care model ensures expanded access to care through our home health, primary care, pharmacy services and interoperability functions.

“Advancing interoperability is now an essential part of our healthcare activities ranging from on-demand medical record access to health equity”

Interoperability simplifies and automates the sharing of information with providers, members, and payers to reduce friction and decrease waste in the system. It also helps clinicians deliver safe, effective, patient-centered care while providing new ways for individuals and caregivers to access electronic health information to manage and coordinate their care. Advancing interoperability is now an essential part of our healthcare activities ranging from on-demand medical record access to health equity.

Our commitment to health equity and whole-person health has guided investments in an advanced data ecosystem including a cloud-based data and analytics environment. We continue expanding the scope of this ecosystem and strengthening our capacity to safely, and with member’s permission, exchange interoperable data.  This ecosystem will help lead to providers having patient information at their fingertips, empowering patients with data and information they need at the right time, and overall reducing complexity and gaining efficiency.

What are the key do's and don'ts that you would suggest to professionals in similar roles across different tech companies?

For professionals in similar roles across different tech companies, there are several key dos and don’ts to consider. Firstly, it’s crucial to prioritize security, particularly when dealing with sensitive health data, by implementing robust security measures. Embracing innovation is also essential; staying updated on emerging technologies can enhance digital capabilities, gain efficiency, and improve customer experience. Collaboration across IT and business teams is vital for driving alignment and achieving common goals. Additionally, focusing on data quality ensures informed decision-making. Investing in talent with diverse skill sets is another important aspect to drive innovation and tackle complex challenges effectively.

On the other hand, professionals should avoid neglecting compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards in the healthcare sector. Rushing technology implementations without thorough testing and consideration of potential impacts can lead to costly mistakes. It’s crucial not to underestimate the importance of ongoing training and upskilling for employees to adapt to new technologies effectively. Ignoring user feedback when designing digital solutions can result in poor user experience and dissatisfaction. Lastly, overlooking scalability in system and infrastructure design can hinder the organization's ability to accommodate future growth and evolving needs. 

What technological innovation within Digital Transformation intrigues you the most, and what potential impacts do you foresee it having on the industry?

The advancement of AI, ML and GAI applications in healthcare intrigues and inspires me the most right now! The potential impacts of AI and ML on the industry are profound. These technologies can revolutionize various aspects of healthcare, from improving patient outcomes and personalized medicine to enhancing operational efficiency and reducing costs. AI-powered predictive analytics can start to help in identifying trends and patterns in patient data, enabling proactive interventions and preventive care measures.   Additionally, AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants can streamline customer interactions, providing instant support and guidance to policyholders. Moreover, AI-powered fraud detection systems can strengthen security measures, mitigating risks associated with fraudulent claims. Overall, the integration of AI and ML into healthcare processes has the potential to drive innovation, enhance patient care, and transform the health insurance industry for the better.