The Balancing Act: 4 Insights on Innovation vs. Maintenance from Top Healthcare IT Leaders

Does this challenge sound familiar to you? Drive groundbreaking innovation at the hospital WHILE maintaining day-to-day stability hiccup-free.

It’s a classic balancing act, one that was at the center of a recent CHIME virtual focus group Medix Technology hosted with some of the industry’s leading hospital CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. The conversation made it clear: Healthcare IT leaders are under pressure to rapidly implement new technologies, like AI and analytics, while keeping core systems running smoothly.

This pressure often creates tension between a team’s capacity to innovate and its responsibility to maintain operational excellence.
If you’re also riding this high-stakes teetertotter, here are four considerations to help guide you to the right balance:

1. Hold On to the Real Meaning of ‘Innovation,’ Then Focus

As one CIO in the focus group pointed out, the term “innovation” can be a misnomer that hospital leadership often misuses. It goes beyond buzzwords — it’s about solving real-world problems.

Another Healthcare IT leader noted that a major challenge is simply prioritizing which new technologies to pursue. Providers and executives constantly suggest ideas, but IT teams must have a logical and strategic governance process to execute on the most impactful projects while avoiding distractions. The goal is to solve problems, not just pursue technology because it’s new.

2. Strategic Staffing to Maximize Team Potential

The strategic use of talent was a key theme of the focus group. One CTO stressed the core competency of a hospital is patient care, not IT. This may seem obvious, but it’s a point that can get lost in the day-to-day chaos. However, it’s precisely this deep understanding of your health system — combined with IT expertise — that makes your team so valuable.

This is where a blended staffing approach comes in. By partnering with external, specialized talent for “keep the lights on” tasks, you can free up your internal experts to focus on the high-impact strategic initiatives that truly move your organization forward. This not only fuels innovation but also addresses the significant issues of staff burnout and turnover that many leaders face today. When employees get to work on exciting, strategic projects, they feel more engaged and valued.

3. Culture and Knowledge Transfer Matter

While bringing in outside talent is a widely accepted practice, the success of this strategy hinges on two critical factors: cultural fit and knowledge transfer. The healthcare IT leaders stressed that external talent must integrate seamlessly and become true partners, not just temporary contractors. A consultant who is seen as an outsider can create resentment among the existing team.

Equally important is a clear plan for knowledge transfer. Some organizations bring in consultants for a project without a knowledge transfer strategy, thus siloing them, one HIT leader noted. This can lead to a long-term, expensive dependency and prevent the internal team from ever truly taking ownership. A successful partnership elevates and empowers the internal team while the external team provides a knowledge transfer that makes the entire department stronger.

4. Overcoming Talent Gaps

Finding and retaining the right talent remains a significant challenge. Several of the healthcare IT leaders spoke about the struggle to find candidates who truly fit job descriptions, the high turnover in entry-level roles, and the difficulty of keeping their teams up-to-date with new technologies.

One solution is Medix Technology’s own blended approach to staffing. This leverages your FTEs first while expanding your team with local talent — we provide Epic certification and mentoring — on a contract-to-hire basis (try before you buy) for day-to-day tasks, as well as bringing in expert guidance. This model reduces hiring risk, fills talent gaps quickly, ensures the right people are in the right long-term roles, and empowers your carefully curated team.

At the end of the day, striking the right balance between innovation and maintenance is not about choosing one over the other. You can build a robust and flexible IT department that can do both. By making strategic choices about how you staff your teams and where you focus their energy, you give your organization everything it needs to drive meaningful progress while ensuring operational stability.

Want to learn more about how a blended staffing model can help you drive innovation and maintain a stable IT environment? Let’s connect.