Parkview Medical Center

Bo Clark

A leader in the IT sector having in-depth knowledge in data center management as well as various other subjects in the field, Bo Clark, is on the journey of adding golden feathers to his crown. Clark has worked as Director of Information Technology Infrastructure Operations, Director of Information Technology, Senior Director of Information Technology, Manager of Information Technology Services, M&A Manager, and much more. Currently, Clark serves as Chief Information Officer at Parkview Medical Center.

Please share with our readers the story of your career journey.

My career journey began as a Military Police officer in the U.S. Army where I have served for 18 years of my life. After leaving the military I joined as a firefighter paramedic and served for four years where my path took an unexpected turn when I met with an ambulance accident. From there I embarked on a new journey where I got into the IT sector. In 2005, I started my career in the IT sector as part-time tech support over the phone. And fast forward to 2023, I currently work as a Chief Information Officer in a prominent healthcare organization.

How according to you has the role of the CIO evolved in the ever-evolving healthcare industry?

I have been in the healthcare industry since 2011. Over the years, I have seen a dramatic change in technology within the industry. It is no longer solely about facilitating communication or managing networks. Instead, technology has become an integral part of the patient's journey in such a way that a patient's health records, diagnostic images, and other vital information are readily available at the click of a button and accessible across multiple systems. Technology has advanced in such a way that AI technologies have empowered medical professionals to speculate and forecast potential diseases before they even occur.

What according to you are some of the challenges in the healthcare industry?

One of the biggest challenges I noticed is the cybersecurity risks. There are constant malware and security risks in the healthcare industry targeted for ransomware. Due to the critical nature of our services and the vast amount of personal information we have about our patients, cyber threats are greatly amplified.

What are some of the elements that you have noticed lately to overcome these challenges?

The two-factor authentication and training of end users are some of the significant measures seen from the security perspective. End users are the biggest entry point for a malicious actor. Be it social engineering, or a phishing email, make sure everyone is aware of their cybersecurity role regardless of their position in an organization. We also implement controls that avert cybersecurity attacks.

"Embrace innovation and creativity among your people because the best ideas always appear to come from the bottom up."

Can you share any project initiative that you have been part of lately?

So I have been part of implementing some of the best-in-class applications and software services that help in averting cyberattacks which include malicious actors sending phishing emails, links to malicious sites, and so on. We have collaborated with some of our partners to implement this and as a result, we are filtering over three million emails per month. That was one of the huge projects I was part of. Along with it, we have also added other detection tools that dig out if the files are changed. For example, if a file or a bunch of files starts getting changed, the detection tools identify and disable that user account causing malware, preventing the whole system from being affected. This was one of the big focus points for us as in 2020 we were the victim of a cyberattack.

How do you envision the future of the healthcare industry a couple of years down the line?

AI is one of the technological aspects having a rapid rise in advancements. Through the power of AI and predictive analytics, we are able to foresee a patient's condition. For example, the former organization I worked has done research and found that AI can anticipate sepsis before they even occur. We have a chatbot service that serves as the initial point of contact. Imagine an input comment such as “Hey, my knee hurts”. Accordingly, it finds clinicians nearby, books appointments, fetches insurance details, and estimates out-of-pocket expenses and it also checks in automatically once you reach the facility. These are some intuitive and innovative technology trends that make the lives of patients much easier. 

What is your piece of advice to your fellow peers?

My piece of advice is to embrace innovation and creativity among your people because the best ideas always appear to come from the bottom up.