Expert Spotlight: Shahid Mohammed – Centers Of Excellence For Tech Innovation

Shahid Mohammed, a technology leader with proven expertise in building high-performance cross-functional teams talks about fostering innovation culture in tech teams and how he sees the future of healthcare technology evolving. Follow him on LinkedIn here

1. How do you see the role of technology evolving in patient care over the next decade?

Technology will become increasingly incorporated into all aspects of patient care over the course of the next decade. We will employ AI and machine learning to analyze extensive patient data, thereby facilitating the development of personalized and precise treatment plans by predicting individual health risks and outcomes. 

Telemedicine will expand rapidly, significantly increasing healthcare accessibility and dismantling geographical barriers. Furthermore, the examination of social determinants of health factors will facilitate the provision of more equitable treatment to diverse populations. 

Wearable devices and IoT technology will enable real-time data collection and proactive medical intervention before issues escalate, thereby enabling continuous health monitoring. The implementation of innovation in healthcare systems will be expedited by the use of open-source tools and research collaborations. 

Technology will also significantly benefit clinicians and administrative staff through capabilities like Ambient AI and robotic process automation (RPA). Ambient AI can provide non-invasive data capture and natural voice processing during clinician-patient interactions, reducing administrative burdens on doctors/nurses. This allows them to remain focused on providing quality care versus manual data entry. 

RPA solutions can automate repetitive, routine administrative workflows and processes like patient intake, billing, scheduling, etc. This drives efficiencies and frees up staff to concentrate on higher-value tasks. The time/cost savings and reduction in human error creates a force-multiplier effect for healthcare organizations.

2. Which emerging technologies do you believe will have the greatest impact on healthcare in the near future?

In the near future, healthcare will be significantly impacted by a few critical emerging technologies: The manner in which we interact with patients, automate administrative workflows, and enhance medical research endeavors will be revolutionized by generative AI and large language models.

Efficiency will be significantly enhanced by data management solutions that are capable of managing extensive healthcare datasets. The combination of digital twin technology and wearables will open up new frontiers for personalized, preventative care by generating virtual replicas of patient bodies. This will be achieved through simulation and monitoring.

3. What role does/will artificial intelligence play in your current and future projects?

AI is indispensable to my present initiatives and future objectives. At present, we are employing it to improve risk models, claims auditing processes, and the prediction of patient healthcare requirements.

AI is also playing a crucial role in automating medical necessity policy reviews, enhancing HCC capture rates, conducting comprehensive risk adjustment reviews, and generating longitudinal views with summarized medical record timelines. Additionally, we are leveraging AI pose estimation to enhance patient safety and preventive care by identifying fall risks and implementing proactive interventions to prevent injuries and improve overall patient outcomes. 

I aspire to see AI play an even more significant role in operational efficiency benefits, early disease detection, predictive analytics, and individualized treatment planning in the future. The overarching objective is to utilize AI to transform healthcare into a more patient-centered, precise, and proactive environment. 

4. Can you share an example of a major project or initiative in healthcare technology that inspired you?

Leading the modernization of the claims auditing platform at Performant Corp. was one initiative that left a lasting impression. We were able to identify and rectify $2 billion in erroneous payments while simultaneously increasing the capacity from 85 million to 200 million members by incorporating machine learning models. 

This illustrated the transformative potential of AI and advanced analytics to produce significant operational efficiency gains and cost reductions in the healthcare sector. The capacity of technology to transform this industry was genuinely encapsulated by the magnitude of its positive impact. 

5. How do you foster a culture of innovation within your technology teams?

The establishment of dedicated Centers of Excellence is the first step in the process of cultivating a culture of innovation. These offer a structured environment for subject matter specialists to specialize and advance domains such as AI, data science, and machine learning, while also disseminating best practices throughout the organization. The CoEs serve as innovation centers, ensuring that efforts are in accordance with strategic objectives and regulatory requirements. 

The establishment of comprehensive frameworks, such as governance models and innovation playbooks, provides safeguards for responsible experimentation. Structured processes for the development, prototyping, and scalability of innovative solutions are outlined in these playbooks. Governance frameworks guarantee that we maintain compliance while balancing innovation with ethical AI practices. 

Nevertheless, innovation cannot be achieved in a vacuum; it is imperative to consistently incorporate stakeholder input and align these initiatives with core business objectives. It is essential to acknowledge successful innovations and establish an environment in which teams feel confident in taking calculated risks without concern for failure in order to advance. Teams require the autonomy to experiment, refine, and view failures as educational opportunities. 

6. What are the key skills and qualities you believe are essential for a successful CTO in the healthcare tech sector?

I am of the opinion that the following talents are essential for a healthcare technology CTO to succeed: 

• Strategic vision to ensure that technology roadmaps are in alignment with business objectives and to lead digital transformation initiatives. 
• The capacity to cultivate cross-functional collaboration across teams and departments, as well as exceptional leadership capabilities. 
• The ability to quickly integrate new, impactful technologies and remain ahead of industry trends; adaptability. 
• Strong ethical discernment is required to ensure that AI is used responsibly and that regulatory compliance is maintained. 
• A human-centric perspective that prioritizes the quality of care and human relationships, rather than merely relying on technological capabilities.

Shahid Mohammed is a technology leader with proven expertise in building high-performing cross-functional teams spanning infrastructure, security, product development and data science. He  possesses a unique intuition for the arc of technology – foreseeing its maturation, pitfalls and growing pains.

Over the past decade, Shahid has developed deep healthcare domain expertise, delivering cost savings for payers and providers, improving patient care, and architecting compliant SaaS products. He guides full lifecycle efforts from greenfield builds to modernization, product roadmaps and platform evolution.

With a background in software engineering, product management and cybersecurity, Shahid is a cloud orchestrator who modernizes legacy systems into secure, agile architectures. He leverages data capabilities and emerging technologies like AI to drive competitive advantage through human-centric solutions.

As a fractional CTO, Shahid mentors startups, passionate about developing the next generation of technologists and unlocking their innate talent through his collaborative leadership and track record of flawless execution. Connect with Shahid on LinkedIn to explore partnering opportunities.