CTO Interview: Key Insights on Interoperability

In a recent episode of Trending NOW, recorded live at HIMSS25, Vik Sheshadri — Chief Technology Officer at Med Tech Solutions — dove into the evolving role of AI, interoperability challenges, and the importance of accurate data for more effective healthcare.

See the recap below, and tune in to the full podcast here.

Topics covered in the podcast range from enhancing AI, interoperability strategies, to the importance of clean data and available digital tools.

Discussion topics include:

 

Healthcare organizations are focused on enhancing AI and interoperability strategies.

• To facilitate an effective AI strategy, provider organizations must prioritize even greater interoperability between systems.
• Successful AI utilization depends on first achieving a robust data infrastructure.
• Workflow optimization, specifically within the back office, is an ideal area for introducing AI.
• While regulatory requirements have led to the creation of various interoperability solutions, hospitals and health systems haven’t fully implemented those tools due to both business and technical challenges.

 

Data must remain a top priority for hospitals and health systems.

• While trendy solutions may be enticing, Vik warns that data is the real foundation for health system success.
• Before exploring new digital health tools, organizations must secure clean, accessible, and unified data.
• Proving IT ROI starts by leveraging clean data to generate meaningful insights for executive decision-making.
• HL7 standards, third-party integrations, and external data sources are key enablers of data-driven care.

 

Smaller healthcare organizations are most likely to need support from interoperability partners.

• Smaller providers often face limitations in resources, bandwidth, or technical skills, making system integration more challenging.
• Search for managed service providers, like MTS, that offer scalable solutions to simplify integration without burdening internal teams.

 

MTS offers a one-stop solution for Health IT support services.

• MTS is a full-service IT Managed Services Provider, helping healthcare organizations host, support, maintain, and streamline technology for operational alignment.
• Services also include software solutions for EHR integration and data archiving to create a truly connected network of patient data.
• Healthcare organizations can benefit from single-vendor support across multiple domains, which eliminates integration bottlenecks that are more common with multiple-vendor arrangements.

As Vik makes clear, the future of healthcare innovation starts with getting the data right and building partnerships to turn that data into real, measurable outcomes.

To drive interoperability efficiency among your IT systems, contact a MTS team member to learn more about the CareBridge integration tool.

 

Vikram Sheshadri, PhD

Vik oversees all product research, development, and optimization for Med Tech Solutions, enabling healthcare providers to better leverage their EHR and IT systems to drive operational alignment and patient care efficiency. Before his role with MTS, Vik served as VP of Product Development for eMedApps. He holds 26 years of direct experience in healthcare IT, focusing on technology innovation, especially for underserved community health centers, FQHCs, and tribal health facility needs. Vik received a PhD in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and was a Postdoctoral Fellow with a joint appointment at Northwestern’s School of Medicine and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He and his family live in the Houston area.