Physician Informaticians in the Digital Era: Value-Add or Moving to Obsolete? - A PINA-Sponsored Panel (Panel)

Presentation Type: Panel
Presentation Time: 11:15 AM - 12:30 PM

Abstract Keywords: Leadership and Strategy, Health Policy, Reimbursement and Affordability, and Sustainability, Innovation Partnerships, Implementation Science, and Learning Health Systems, Outcomes Improvement and Equity
Primary Track: Driving Change at Scale through Effective Leadership and Governance


Healthcare faces rising burnout, resource strain, electronic health record (EHR) burden, and regulatory complexity, challenging care quality and sustainability. Physician informaticians are positioned as strategic connectors linking clinical workflows, technology, and operations to drive quality, safety, efficiency, and innovation. This panel debates whether physician informaticians remain essential or if non-physicians can provide similar value at lower cost. It explores workforce needs, return on investment, role clarity, and emerging technologies that require physician-led oversight. Arguments for physician informaticians emphasize diagnostic thinking, change management, and end-to-end understanding of care delivery. Opposing views question cost, redundancy, and whether governance should prioritize skills over credentials. The session aims to inform strategic workforce planning and reframe informatics as a transformative specialty guiding digital health’s future success. This is a PINA-sponsored debate panel.

Moderator:
Brian Levy, MD
Oracle Health

Speaker(s):
Matthew Sakumoto, MD
Sutter Health

Deepti Pandita, MD, FACP, FAMIA
University of California Irvine

Adam Landman, MD
Brown University Health

Victoria Tiase, PhD, RN, NI-BC, FAMIA, FAAN, FNAP, ACHIP
University of Utah

Brian Levy, MD
Oracle Health

Author(s):
Brian Levy, MD - Oracle Health; Deepti Pandita, MD, FACP, FAMIA - University of California Irvine; Adam Landman, MD - Brown University Health; Victoria Tiase, PhD, RN, NI-BC, FAMIA, FAAN, FNAP, ACHIP - University of Utah; Matthew Sakumoto, MD - Sutter Health; Joel Gordon, MD - UW Health, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; Kristian Feterik, MD, MBA - Kaleida Health;

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