“An Educator & Influencer”

Todd Capriotti, CIO, Wahiawa General Hospital, is focused on “customer oriented” solutions to IT challenges. He recognizes that technology is a tool to solve problems and make workflows more efficient. When someone comes to Todd and says, “my widget isn’t working,” Todd doesn’t just fix the widget; he takes the time to understand what the widget is being used for and explores ways in which the purpose or task can be better accomplished with alternative solutions.

Todd has brought a high level of strategic and operational IT expertise to Wahiawa General Hospital. His ability to come in and accurately assess the current state of our IT Infrastructure and then to plan and implement the next evolution of their IT environment has been one of the keys to the forward movement as an organization, especially during these most challenging of times.

Todd has also recruited additionally needed expertise to the already committed IT team, which has established the skill sets they needed to take on the numerous IT challenges in healthcare. He has instilled a “can do” approach within and outside the IT department, which has been instrumental in moving even some of the most difficult projects forward.

"Todd has brought a high level of strategic and operational IT expertise to Wahiawa General Hospital. His ability to come in and accurately assess the current state of our IT Infrastructure and then to plan and implement the next evolution of their IT environment has been one of the keys to the forward movement as an organization, especially during these most challenging of times"

His understanding of Coaching Leadership, along with the Art and Science of moving projects forward, has vastly improved the speed and agility in the hospital’s rapidly changing environment. He is also an educator in that he can break down complex IT systems and principles so that the rest of the team can understand and appreciate what needs to be accomplished. “We are incredibly confident in Todd’s ability to lead our IT efforts into the future of our organization.”

Todd, over many years as first a supervisor and now a C-Level colleague, has followed an approach to listen to his concerns, challenges, and proposals, and then begin to ask the hard questions: Why do we need this? Why now? What are the alternatives? What are the consequences of delay or of not doing this? And then always the most important question: “How are YOU going to pay for this?” As such, every new purchase is explored in the context of “What are we not going to do so that we can do this?” or “How is this going to be cheaper, more efficient, more cost effective than the way we are doing this now?” Todd has known for a very long time now that he’s going to have to answer these questions, so every time he starts on a project, all of these questions are top-of-mind, and he doesn’t proceed until he’s thought through not only the technological questions, but this business bottom-line focused questions as well.

According to Todd, in any business, there is always a better way to do things. The first step to improving any process is to understand what is being done with that process and why. “What are we trying to accomplish? Lots and lots of people go to work every day doing the same thing they’ve done for years, and if you ask them “Why do you do that in that way?” their answer will be, “We’ve always done it that way.” If you don’t know why you’re doing something, then you have no idea if you are doing it efficiently or well, or even if it really needs to be done,” he says. “So many companies have implemented technology over the years to mimic some pre-existing paper process. Instead, they should be asking, how will this technology help me make better widgets, get things done faster, or – in the case of healthcare – improve the quality of patient care.” Todd’s implementation of technology in the patient care departments always goes back to these fundamentals first.

“In the world of healthcare – hospital management specifically – where the market is increasingly controlled by larger and larger conglomerates, small hospitals are not going to succeed by “thwarting competition,” but rather by finding the niche – the customer base – that they can provide for best. Know your patient base and serve those patients with understanding, compassion, and most importantly, good quality. Quality healthcare is about relationships with patients,” says Todd. IE