Podcast Summary: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

Guest: Joshua Wilda, MPA, AVP for Information Systems & Chief Information Digital Officer, University of Iowa Health Care

Date: December 4, 2025
Host: Laura Dardo

Episode Overview

This episode features a conversation with Joshua Wilda, newly appointed Associate Vice President for Information Systems and Chief Information Digital Officer at the University of Iowa Health Care (UIHC). Joshua draws from two decades in healthcare IT to discuss driving digital transformation, enhancing patient experience, balancing technology innovation with costs and cybersecurity, and the power of community partnerships in advancing healthcare delivery in Iowa.

Guest Background & Leadership Perspective

[00:19–03:14]

• Joshua brings 20+ years of experience in healthcare IT, starting as an EPIC implementer, which gave him deep insights into the intersection of patients, providers, and technology.
• At University of Michigan HealthWest, he led initiatives to connect patients and providers, enhancing organizational effectiveness through technology.
• In his move to UIHC—the only academic medical center in the state—Joshua emphasizes the unique opportunity to serve Iowans, especially in rural areas, and the mission of "changing medicine, changing lives."
• Leadership style: Uses previous experiences to ground digital health projects, transformation efforts, and builds on the strong foundation at UIHC.

“My career has gone full circle, allowing me to bring a breadth of expertise in digital health, digital transformation, and leadership to the great foundation here at UIHC.”
— Joshua Wilda [02:41]

Key Challenges & Opportunities in Healthcare IT

[03:38–07:30]

• Patient Experience: Focuses on connecting patients to care even when they're not physically at the hospital, emphasizing technology's role in rural and agricultural communities.
• Tripartite Mission Alignment: Stresses the importance of integrating healthcare, research, and academics so research quickly benefits bedside care.
• Cybersecurity Risks: Identifies cybersecurity as the single greatest risk for healthcare systems today, even as cloud technologies offer resiliency.
• Balancing Technology and Cost: Addresses the challenge of implementing innovations amidst tight budgets and reduced reimbursements, especially in rural healthcare with federal funding considerations.

“How do we balance cost, risk, and innovation to push forward where healthcare can go?”
— Joshua Wilda [06:45]

Innovation Priorities & Examples

[08:01–10:51]

• Prioritizes foundational tech like telemedicine and telehealth delivery.
• Moving to a “cloud smart” organization—using cloud tools to support resiliency rather than as primary delivery.
• “Hospital of the future” is now: Deploying sensors, AI, and tele-nursing to enrich patient-provider engagement.
• Digital Wayfinding: Innovating to improve the patient journey within hospitals, easing stress so they can better focus on care.

“When they come here you should really be focused on how can they come in and be well and engage. But the first thing they got to figure out is how do I get where I need to be, where do I need to park? So digital wayfinding … is helping folks relieve some of the pressures of what it takes to engage with healthcare.”
— Joshua Wilda [09:27]

• Artificial Intelligence: Beyond clinical tools, AI is being explored for HR, supply chain, and operational efficiency—“raising all boats” across the organization.

Measuring Value & Driving ROI

[11:29–14:12]

• IT is traditionally seen as a cost center but Joshua advocates for IT as a value center that drives organizational advancement.
• Focuses on intentional innovation, reducing legacy and overlapping systems, and aligning pilots with true organizational problems.
• Example: Transitioning tele-nursing from point solutions to platforms to multiply value, standardize user experience, and maximize resource utilization.
• Champions agile approaches and strategic planning to sunset outdated tech and reinvest savings.

“Our focus is how do we reinvest in ourselves by really focusing on eliminating legacy technologies, overlapping technologies, and then driving new innovations in intentional ways.”
— Joshua Wilda [12:02]

The Power of Partnerships

[14:52–17:27]

• Partnerships with community and critical access hospitals are vital for achieving scale, resource sharing, and cost efficiency.
• Highlights the success of UIHC’s participation in the EPIC Community Connect program, extending advanced technology to community hospitals at a lower cost and encouraging collaboration.

“The secret sauce is actually then those critical access hospitals that we're extending to … how they've come together and they've talked as a community now on how they leverage the tools. That's where you're going to get investment returns.”
— Joshua Wilda [16:02]

• Notes a shift in Iowa toward “raising all boats” through community focus, rather than strict competition prevalent in other markets.

Future Growth Opportunities

[17:58–19:44]

• Growth will come from both expanding internal capabilities and deepening community impact.
• Talent development is key—investing in local and diverse IT talent, and adapting to remote work and AI-driven change.
• AI and automation will drive efficiency but must be used to strengthen, not diminish, patient-provider relationships.
• Data and EMR will evolve with AI, enabling greater insights for patient care and operational improvement.

“I'm excited for the growth and possibility of how can we be more efficient, but come at it with an all new light of innovation, connection, partnerships, and collaboration.”
— Joshua Wilda [19:12]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the mission:

  “How can you not get behind that? And so it's very exciting to be a part of it now.”
  — Joshua Wilda [02:58]

• On IT’s evolving value:

  “Is it an expense center or a value center? … it is about what are we bringing to the table and pushing to the forefront.”
  — Joshua Wilda [11:30]

• On partnership:

  “It's a team sport.”
  — Laura Dardo [17:37]

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Guest intro & background: [00:19–03:14]
• Main challenges & focus areas: [03:38–07:30]
• Specific innovation initiatives: [08:01–10:51]
• Measuring impact & value: [11:29–14:12]
• Community partnerships: [14:52–17:27]
• Opportunities for future growth: [17:58–19:44]

Joshua Wilda’s vision centers on digital transformation grounded in patient connection, intentional innovation, robust partnerships, and a focus on talent and community. His perspective offers actionable insights for health IT leaders seeking not just to adopt technology, but to align it to mission, value, and collaboration.