Dr. Tinu Tadese, Vice President and Enterprise Chief Medical Informatics Officer at Boston Medical Center

Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Summary

Episode: Dr. Tinu Tadese, Vice President and Enterprise Chief Medical Informatics Officer at Boston Medical Center
Release Date: August 5, 2025

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Introduction

In this insightful episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, host Laura Dardo engages in a comprehensive discussion with Dr. Tinu Tadese, the Vice President and Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO) at Boston Medical Center (BMC). The conversation delves into Dr. Tadese’s role in transforming healthcare through informatics, the challenges and opportunities facing BMC, and the critical importance of investing in people to drive digital transformation in healthcare.

Dr. Tadeshe’s Background

Dr. Tinu Tadeshe begins by sharing his professional journey and passion for health informatics:

[01:11] Dr. Tadeshe: "I'm a physician executive currently serving as a Vice President and system CMIO at Boston Medical Center. I got into health IT about 14 years ago and I am originally trained as a pediatrician."

He emphasizes his commitment to building informatics structures and multidisciplinary teams that support complex healthcare systems, highlighting his dedication to nurturing the next generation of informaticians, especially physicians.

Current Opportunities and Challenges at Boston Medical Center

Laura Dardo probes into the current landscape at BMC, focusing on the integration of new hospitals and the resulting transformations.

[02:26] Dr. Tadeshe: "We're focused on scaling and integrating all our informatic structures to support this very diverse health system. We have two new hospitals—Boston Medical South and Boston Medical Center Brighton—and our health plan, Clairway Health."

Dr. Tadeshe outlines the complexities of expanding Boston Medical Center’s Electronic Health Records (EHR) across newly acquired hospitals while maintaining high standards of patient care. He discusses the dual focus on enhancing patient experience and ensuring appropriate reimbursement, navigating cultural integration, and building cohesive teams within a rapidly growing system.

Growth and Adding Value through Investment in People

The conversation shifts to strategies for growth and adding value to the organization. Dr. Tadeshe underscores the importance of investing in human capital:

[05:21] Dr. Tadeshe: "Growth for me and for my team in this healthcare space would be making sure that we have the right people in the right place. Investing in our physician informaticians and our informatic structures is crucial."

He elaborates on the need to develop quality, safety, and equity through effective workflows and a deep understanding of patient demographics. By fostering a pipeline of physician informaticists through partnerships with Boston University’s medical school and ACGME programs, Dr. Tadeshe aims to create a robust support system that aligns clinical operations with revenue cycle management and IT.

Key Investments for Digital Transformation

When asked about critical investments amidst financial constraints, Dr. Tadeshe advocates for prioritizing investments in people over technology:

[08:20] Dr. Tadeshe: "If I'm going to make any investment this year, it will be in people—those who support our physicians and nurses. Investing in physician informatic leaders is worth making."

He highlights that while technological advancements like AI are appealing, their longevity is uncertain compared to the lasting impact of well-trained professionals. By developing human resources, healthcare systems can ensure sustainable improvements in patient care and operational efficiency.

Future Opportunities and Personal Development

Discussing his own growth, Dr. Tadeshe emphasizes continuous learning and the practical application of new technologies:

[11:13] Dr. Tadeshe: "I must continue to develop and understand new technologies, beyond AI, and how they can support our population health initiatives."

He advocates for moving beyond the allure of new technologies to focus on tangible returns on investment (ROI). By integrating AI in meaningful ways that enhance primary care and population health, Dr. Tadeshe aims to drive practical benefits rather than superficial implementations.

Conclusion

The episode concludes with Laura Dardo expressing her appreciation for Dr. Tadeshe’s insights:

[13:11] Laura Dardo: "This has been a really amazing conversation. I've learned a lot and I look forward to continuing the conversation again soon."

Dr. Tadeshe echoes her sentiments, emphasizing the value of such dialogues in advancing healthcare informatics.

[13:25] Dr. Tadeshe: "I am grateful for this opportunity."

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Key Takeaways

1. Investment in People: Dr. Tadeshe strongly advocates for investing in human capital, particularly in developing physician informaticists, as a cornerstone for sustainable digital transformation in healthcare.

2. Integration and Scaling: Boston Medical Center is undergoing significant expansion by integrating new hospitals and health plans, necessitating robust informatic structures to maintain high-quality patient care.

3. Practical Application of Technology: Emphasis on utilizing technologies like AI in ways that deliver tangible ROI and support population health initiatives, rather than adopting them for their novelty.

4. Educational Partnerships: Building pipelines through partnerships with medical schools and training programs is essential for nurturing the next generation of informatics leaders.

5. Cultural Cohesion: Maintaining cultural integrity while integrating diverse institutions is a critical challenge that requires strategic informatics planning and team building.

This episode offers valuable insights into the strategic role of informatics in modern healthcare systems, highlighting the balance between technological advancement and human-centered investments.

Transcript

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[Laura Dardo]

This is Laura Dardo with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Dr. Tinu Tedesche, who is the System CMIO at Boston Medical Center. Dr. Tedesche, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.

[Dr. Tinu Tadeshe]

Thank you very much. I'm excited to be here.

[Laura Dardo]

Absolutely. Well, I'm looking forward to our conversation because I know there's a lot happening at Boston Medical center right now and we're particularly as you're bringing on some new hospitals and just a lot of transformation. So I'm excited to learn more. But before we dive in, can you tell us a little bit more about yourself and your background?

[Dr. Tinu Tadeshe]

Yeah, I'll be glad to. Thank you. My name is Tinu Tadeshe. I'm a physician executive currently serving as a Vice president and system CMIO at Boston Medical Center. I got into health IT about 14 years ago and I am originally trained as a pediatrician and today my passion lies in building the informatics structures and multidisciplinary teams that support the complex healthcare system. So that's where my passion lies. I'm really committed to raising the next generation of informaticians, especially physicians. So that's my focus right now at this point in time, making sure our clinical and operational sides of healthcare and health it all all work well together. That's a little bit about myself. I'm sure we'll talk more.

[Laura Dardo]

Absolutely. Well, that's fantastic to hear it. I know, you know there's so much need for especially that bridge between the clinical and IT side and so it's fantastic to hear that you're so committed to growing in that space. Now what opportunities and headwinds do you have your eye on right now?

[Dr. Tinu Tadeshe]

That's a great question. One of the most exciting opportunities where I work right now. It's a little complex, but I'm excited about it. Right now we're focused on scaling and integrating all our informatic structure to support this very diverse health system, our health system. We Have a health plan. We have several things going on. So when you think about it, we have two new hospitals, we have just onboarded or we're onboarding. We're blessed to have Boston Medical South. We used to call it Good Sam or Good Samaritan. It's now called Boston Medical south. And then we also onboarded. And part of our family now is St. Elizabeth, so we call it Boston Medical Center Brighton. And then our Wellsense health plan, our Clairway Health. And we just have a lot going on with community health centers. So with that kind of complex environment, we do face headwinds. Of course, right now we are expanding our ehr to this new hospitals we've just acquired and yet we continue to provide great patient care. That's our plan with this new hospital. So the opportunities are ahead of us, making sure we're able to do this speedily so our physicians and other clinicians can work and so that we can continue to provide great care for our patients. So my headwinds, not headwinds, like we can't solve it, but how to expand our informatic structure across these two hospitals, our health plans, our community health centers, and build teams that will continue to support not just patient care, patient experience, patient safety, but also make sure that we're reimbursed appropriately as we deliver this care. So headwinds, in a way, very complex challenges. Trying to make sure that we keep the cultures alive and yet be integrated as one. So that's where my head is right now. That's what I'm focused on. And it's exciting, but challenging.

[Laura Dardo]

Absolutely. Wow. A lot going on there for sure. Especially looking at, you know, just trying to make sure you've got that great patient care. Bringing on the new hospitals and then forming a team and a culture that is excited about providing that experience for patients. And really, truly, I know technology supports a lot of that. So how are you thinking about growth and adding value for the organization in the future?

[Dr. Tinu Tadeshe]

That's another good question. Growth for me and for my team in this healthcare space would be making sure that we have the right people in the right place. So making sure that we're investing in our physician informaticians and our informatic structures and our non physicians as well, to make sure that they can actually bring all this vision to pass. When you think about it, creating quality, safety and equity, it's not just about the tools, it's more about the workflows and an understanding of who our patients are. Making sure that whether they're underserved population or Whether they, they're robust financially, making sure that patient care does not suffer, that we give them great care. That's our mission at Bishop at Boston Medical Center. But then you now need folks who can, who can deliver this. We have great physicians, great nurses, but you need great physician, physician informaticians. So I am thinking that we need to not just have what we have in house, but we need to grow it. I'm looking forward to growing a pipeline of physician informatic at our health system, looking into our medical school, Boston University's affiliated with us, looking into our ACGME programs, making sure that we're creating pathways for residents and fellows who might be interested in this and just mentoring them and also making sure that we're well integrated with our clinical operations, our revenue cycle space, and that we have a very tight culture when it comes to health it. So that's how I foresee us adding growth and value to our health system at this point in time.

[Laura Dardo]

I love that. I think it's such an important thing to remember as you're looking at that pipeline of new physician informaticists and figuring out a way that you can bring that level of connectivity to them right from the beginning when you're mentoring them as residents and fellows and developing not only the clinical and technology expertise, but then also understanding how revenue cycle comes in. I know you mentioned earlier just some of the challenges with reimbursement and figuring out how you can, you know, truly capture all the pain that's there and available for you. So I think that's amazing to hear in what a great way to set up the program. Now, from your perspective, what is one risk or investment that's still worth making this year? Even as though I know, you know, there are a lot of hospitals and health systems are facing tight margins and some uncertainties. What would you still say is crucial for hospitals and systems to invest in as they're thinking about digital transformation in the future?

[Dr. Tinu Tadeshe]

Yeah, that's a great question too when I look at it. And informatics, the field of clinical informatics especially is pretty young when you compare it to the rest of the, the specialties and subspecialties in medicine. So this is an opportune time for us to expand it more practically. So when we cut back, and we are cutting back in every way, just like other health systems are just the headwinds in the country right now as we try to become more fiscally responsible in every way as a nation, one of the things that I think we can pull back on is again developing the Next generation of informatics leaders. I know folks think about technology as, oh, you're in the EHR space, you're in the tech space. At the end of the day, people, humans, actually use this technology and you got to get folks in there that understand clinical informatics, that is, you understand the clinical side, but you have to design systems that work. So if I'm going to make any investment this year, as we get into the new fiscal year, it will be in people, people that support our physicians, our nurses, making sure that even if I don't add a new application, new technology, I invest in folks that can support our clinicians, make sure that what we're doing is helping our rep cycle space, it's helping our finance space. But I also want to invest in physician informatic leaders, make sure they're well mentored, they're well trained, make sure we give them the materials they know they need to grow. So that would be my investment. It's worth making. You will reap the benefits for, for many years to come. Technology and AI, all of these things come, they're very shiny, but they do pass away because new things replace them. But for people, when you invest in them and you develop them, they give you a lot of, I guess, return on investment over in the next years to come. So that's where my head is, investing in people and developing new physician informatic leaders.

[Laura Dardo]

That's fantastic to hear, you know, and certainly it makes a lot of sense when you look at where the future is headed and how technology is integrating into basically every aspect of the healthcare system. System. Now, when you look for yourself, where do you see some of the best opportunities for growth in the future? How are you continuing to elevate from your role as the system cmio?

[Dr. Tinu Tadeshe]

Well, for myself, looking inwards, the same thing I would want for my team and people around me is development. I must continue to evolve, I must continue to develop. I must continue to understand the new technologies, technologies that we have. Understand AI. I'm into that space, but understand beyond AI. Get beyond the shiny new objects into the practical details of how does this help us? How can we make it so useful that it drives our systems but it does not replace our people? You will always need a human. There's just nothing that can replace a human. But then yet I still need to understand this thing, new technology. So that's where I see myself developing, understanding how I can use this support to support our population health initiatives. It's new in the healthcare space. We've been driving this for a while. Since my days when I just started in informatics in one of the vendor spaces where there was a lot of development in machine learning. There's a lot going on now. It's front and center for Everyone.

[Laura Dardo]

1.

[Dr. Tinu Tadeshe]

But we need to move beyond, oh, I want to use AI into let's start to get a return on investment on that. So I want to develop in that area AI, but more in the area of actually having practical, tangible ROIs in the AI space. And it, it can't just be a catchphrase. We're using AI. It has to be. We used AI and in POP Health, this is what we delivered with it. Primary care physicians, this is what we delivered with a tangible roi. That's where I see myself growing and just invest in my own time.

[Laura Dardo]

That's Amazing to hear. Dr. Tabeshi, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. This has been a really amazing conversation. I've learned a lot and I look forward to continuing the conversation again soon.

[Dr. Tinu Tadeshe]

Thank you so much. I am grateful for this opportunity.