Cloud-based solutions are the most comprehensive technology-enabled healthcare solutions. How is Adeel making it easier for healthcare to handle data and monitor care?
1. Kindly brief our audience about yourself and your journey as the Chief Technology Officer of CareCloud.
Thank you for having me today. My name is Adeel Sarwar and I am serving at CareCloud as Chief Technology Officer. My educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics and a Master in Software Engineering. In addition to formal education, I have also completed various professional development courses and certifications in Software Engineering and related fields.
My journey at CareCloud started in 2004 when I joined CareCloud, then MTBC, as a Software Engineer. I held a variety of positions, including Lead Software Engineer, Engineering Manager, and now serving as Chief Technology Officer. The path from software engineer to Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Global Enterprise has not been straightforward and has yet to reach a plateau. My success is inextricably linked to that of CareCloud, as we both evolved in tandem to meet the difficulties of the healthcare industry.
Transitioning the healthcare industry to the digital world and introducing new technological tools to this sector took a lot of work since, while being the greatest revenue-generating industry, the healthcare industry is the slowest to adopt the technology. We spent months persuading healthcare professionals to accept technological improvements that would facilitate their work and protect patient information. Slowly, at a formidable rate, we penetrated the industry with newer technology, tools, and services to better manage healthcare facilities, resulting in improved patient care.
So yes, there were obstacles, but we knew how to overcome them by holding hands,
negotiating, and bringing the best of both worlds. The most important thing I’ve learned
from the change to digitization is that every technology needs a human touch, as without
it, the medical process would continue to be degraded.
2. Please share with us your source of inspiration for exploring various facets of technology.
I have always been fascinated by how technology can be used to make a real-world impact, particularly how it can improve people’s lives. It is very exciting to be a part of an industry that is constantly evolving and pushing the boundaries of what is possible. It’s incredible to see how far technology has come in the last 20 years, from desktop-based thick client software to web and mobile applications, and now to AI and ML. This keeps me inspired and intrigued as I observe how various audiences and purposes might use various aspects of technology.
As I see it, technology has significantly improved patient care and care delivery models in the context of the healthcare industry. Health care is now more valuable and more reasonably priced thanks to innovations like telemedicine, IoMT, and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM). Virtual care technology saves patients time and money, minimizes patient transfers and emergency department and urgent care center visits, and saves payers money. Moreover, they are reducing the burden from hospitals, and it is only the start. We can explore so much more by responsibly utilizing technological trends for healthcare.
3. Kindly brief our audience about CareCloud and give us an overview of its solutions.
CareCloud, Inc. is a leading provider of proprietary cloud-based healthcare solutions for expanding healthcare companies.
Healthcare businesses want an innovative partner who can help improve clinical operations, increase revenue, modernize the patient experience, and cut operational expenses in today’s complex healthcare environment.
CareCloud (Nasdaq: CCLD, CCLDP, CCLDO), formerly known as MTBC, provides the most comprehensive technology-enabled solutions to healthcare organizations of all sizes and across the nation.
These solutions include complete revenue cycle management (RCM), electronic health records (EHR) system, practice management, telehealth, healthcare analytics tool, patient experience management (PXM) solution, chronic care management (CCM), remote patient monitoring (RPM), interoperability, workforce extension and much more.
4. What are the core values on which CareCloud is built, and what is the mission of the organization?
CareCloud was established in 1999 as MTBC (Medical Transcription Billing Corp) by the American entrepreneur Mahmud Haq. Mrs. Haq was a physician juggling quality patient care and medical billing procedures. Thus, Mr. Haq developed a system known as CareCloud.
Despite the company’s initial emphasis on manual medical billing transcription, they quickly understood that healthcare technology solutions are essential for providing great patient care.
Today, CareCloud provides comprehensive healthcare technology solutions that make it easier for medical practices to handle data, interact with colleagues, and monitor patient care.
CareCloud’s founding vision remains unchanged, but it has expanded its solutions and services to meet the industry’s most pressing demands.
5. Being the technological face of CareCloud, how do you strategize to further CareCloud’s mission and vision?
I believe that innovation is a complete discipline and a continuous process.
As the CTO of a leading health IT service firm, I plan to ensure that our solutions help healthcare providers be at the forefront of transformation.Technology is not meant to replace humans but to optimize their tasks. For example, if you are doing something regularly, why not automate it? It not only saves clinicians time but also reduces the chances of errors in patient documentation and claim submission, saving healthcare businesses from huge penalties.
Thus, we aim to become the facilitator of innovative health IT solutions that improve healthcare organizations’ clinical efficiency and financial performance.
6. How has your experience in designing and developing healthcare products given you the ability and advantage to align revenue growth, strategy, and innovation with IT business goals?
One person cannot align revenue growth with strategy and innovation. It gets a shared vision and team effort. A lack of alignment between IT and other business groups often stems from separated objectives. CIOs and other IT leaders must take the lead by collaborating across departments to develop a clear strategic vision and implement it collectively. IT leaders and their team members can serve as IT ambassadors. By listening to and comprehending the needs of business and strategies of departments then they can incorporate these inputs into IT roadmaps and decision-making. Seek allies that support this shift toward a collaborative approach to digital transformation and business outcomes. That’s how we have come so far – by working like a wolf pack!
7. Can you share with us some of the emerging trends of the new generation and how you plan to fulfill the dynamic needs of the IT space?
Ten years ago, the world was completely different, specifically in healthcare. The aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic, the economic slump, and a rapid increase in technology adoption and digitization have radically altered the landscape for patients and healthcare providers.
In 2023, the market for Artificial intelligence (AI) – specifically machine learning technologies in the healthcare industry is anticipated to surpass $20 million. Diverse AI-aligned technologies, including computer vision, natural language processing, and pattern recognition algorithms, are currently firmly established in the healthcare ecosystem and will continue to be used during 2023 as proof of their utility emerges.
AI also uses clinical workflows and even for back-office, such as analyzing the patient’s clinical data and providing suggestions to providers for the patient’s plan of care., making patient check-in experience easy, processing insurance claims, and managing or analyzing medical records. Besides, you can use it to evaluate data obtained from patient wearables or in-home sensors used in virtual healthcare environments (more on this in my next trend) to provide early warning or predictive diagnosis for various illnesses.
During the epidemic, telehealth services rose dramatically. Even while it is now typically safe to resume face-to-face routine consultations, many patients and providers have learned that for many ailments, remote care is more efficient and cost-effective.
There are numerous classifications for remote healthcare. There is an upsurge in home-based treatment due to studies indicating that a familiar setting and closeness to a patient’s family can positively affect patient outcomes and is far more cost-effective than inpatient care.
CareCloud has always strived to pioneer healthcare IT evolution; it launched its telehealth solution before the pandemic hit. We plan to focus on the same vision, to transform the care delivery dynamics. Last year, CareCloud launched chronic care management (CCM) and remote patient monitoring (RPM) in its digital health wellness suite to ensure the same.
8. What is your opinion about technological advancements like AI and ML, and how should industries plan on leveraging them in their best capacity?
AI and ML advancements are transforming various industries potentially and significantly improving efficiency, productivity, and decision-making. They can assist in the automation of mundane tasks, the streamlining of processes, and the provision of insights and predictions based on large amounts of data.
In order to leverage AL and ML, first, industries need to have a clear understanding of their use cases. Once they understand this, they will require a strategy for effectively implementing these tools. And secondly, it is critical to upskill their workforce so that they fully understand these tools and can implement them to best suit their needs.
If we talk about the healthcare industry, clinicians are increasingly interested in clinical use cases that supplement their current practices. When AI can provide new insights in a clinical setting, practitioners can boost their efficiency by arriving at educated conclusions more quickly. It can also reduce clinicians’ workloads by automating some activities. It was also evident during the pandemic and even before. The proliferation of symptom checkers on the market is a prime example.
9. Can you mention a few challenges and the most important lessons you learned from them?
Many believe that becoming a CTO is a walk in the park, but it is far from the truth. Since we all reside in a world continuously changing in various ways, businesses must do the same. Or, they are left behind since the competition is constantly superior.
Therefore, technology officers like me are tasked with strategizing for forward momentum while keeping an eye on the competitors and searching for newer, superior technologies to embrace on the horizon. In addition, they must prepare for new and unanticipated difficulties, such as the epidemic we experience.
One of the greatest obstacles I confront is the need for more IT specialists due to the high demand for them. Thus, we employ unique hiring tactics to recruit inventive employees. And begin with the initial stage of the job posting. The majority of organizations completely disregard this section. You must be creative with your job ads and advertisements. Moreover, hiring the ideal candidates for your technical positions is only a small part of the problem; retaining them is the greater obstacle. CareCloud gives up to a 40% performance bonus to its worldwide staff, a company-maintained vehicle, pick-up and drop-off service, and medical benefits, all of which contribute to a far reduced employee turnover rate.
Another major challenge is data security since we deal with patient data. To overcome this challenge, we have established a separate data security and compliance department that protects PHI from potential breaches. Moreover, we held quarterly HIPAA compliance and data security training for all employees.
10. What would be your valuable advice for budding entrepreneurs and industry professionals?
I would say there is little value in entering a business to enter the market. You must be passionate about your product or service and know it inside and out. You must develop Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) that no one else has. Refrain from falling into the trap of believing that you can approach the market with a scattershot strategy. You must specialize.
Regardless of your enthusiasm about your business concept, staying objective regarding its potential would be best. When your firm becomes your “child,” it is important to step back and reevaluate your actions. Consult an established entrepreneur or a person unrelated to your business for advice. Instead of pushing forward with ideals, you should concentrate on the practicalities of running your firm. Examine profit and loss projections, the existing market, and resources such as money closely. You can continue to innovate when you are confident that these things meet your standards.
Besides, most modern entrepreneurs are motivated by a desire to make money quickly, which results in the company attracting the wrong type of investors and workers and then failing prematurely. The concept is that the company must make sense and, ideally, alter the lives of those it affects. If this occurs, money will soon follow.
11. How do you plan to scale up CareCloud’s growth curve in 2023 and beyond?
A successful scale-up requires a focus on customers’ needs, a clear strategy for turning those needs into opportunities, a talented team to work on those opportunities, investment in technology, and a willingness to remain adaptable and responsive to changing market conditions.
To better prepare ourselves for 2023, we held the CareCloud Technology Conference in Q4 2022, inviting stakeholders and leaders from across the organization and listening to them about customers’ needs and industry opportunities. Based on that, we finalized our strategy for 2023 and started implementing it.
In 2023, we plan to launch our next-generation EHR, which will be focused on value-based care. In addition, we are also concentrating on Chronic Care Management and Remote Patient Monitoring programs.
Mr. Adeel Sarwar
Chief Technology Officer at CareCloud
Adeel Sarwar serves as the Chief Technology Officer at CareCloud. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics and a Master in Software Engineering. In addition to formal education, he has also completed various professional development courses and certifications in Software Engineering and related fields.
