BAMC CIO: Tech & Clinical Alignment
- Brooke Army Medical center is prioritizing nurse-IT collaboration to drive digital transformation and improve patient care.
- This initiative replaced one-on-one patient monitoring with remote observation, freeing up staff and preventing falls.Cordero said the program emerged from close work between the nursing division and the...
- The tele-sitter program, initially a 25-unit proof of concept, prevented nearly 3,000 falls in its first year, according to Cordero.
Brooke Army Medical Center’s CIO, Col. Chani Cordero, champions nurse-IT collaboration to revolutionize digital transformation and enhance patient care. Discover how the tele-sitter program, a prime example of this synergy, drastically cut falls and freed up staff, demonstrating the power of strategic governance and early clinician involvement. Col. Cordero proactively engages clinicians, leveraging external insights and virtual nursing pilots to streamline workflows and improve efficiency. Learn how strategic alignment, robust governance, and transparent communication, supported by visual planning tools, build trust and ensure IT bandwidth. Budgeting with empathy, Cordero prioritizes solutions that deliver tangible value, even if it’s not always financial. News Directory 3 explores how realistic expectations and user education are critical to delivering impactful results, and make clinicians’ lives more manageable. Discover what’s next as BAMC continues its innovative journey.
Innovation Through Collaboration at Brooke Army medical Center
Updated May 28, 2025
Brooke Army Medical center is prioritizing nurse-IT collaboration to drive digital transformation and improve patient care. Col. Chani Cordero, CIO, is spearheading initiatives that conserve resources while enhancing clinical outcomes.
one key example is the tele-sitter program. This initiative replaced one-on-one patient monitoring with remote observation, freeing up staff and preventing falls.Cordero said the program emerged from close work between the nursing division and the IT team.
The tele-sitter program, initially a 25-unit proof of concept, prevented nearly 3,000 falls in its first year, according to Cordero. The program also saved an estimated 60 full-time equivalents by reducing the need for constant bedside monitoring. The medical center is now exploring expanding the use of the technology for elopement prevention, patient mobility and bed management.
Cordero’s team proactively engages clinicians, sometimes bringing solutions based on external benchmarking and peer networking. “Attending conferences and staying connected with other cios gives you insight into what’s working elsewhere,” Cordero said. “You take those ideas to your users and ask: would this help?”
A virtual nursing pilot, supported by an embedded officer, is another example. By virtualizing the discharge workflow, patients can be discharged from their beds, freeing up nurses. This initiative leverages existing resources more efficiently.
Governance anchored in Strategic Alignment
Each proposal is evaluated on alignment with strategic goals, cybersecurity readiness, and resource availability. The Technical Assessment Review Tool (TART) involves engineers, cyber staff, and the business owner. The first question is always: what problem are we solving?
The process includes a scan for duplicative capabilities. Cordero said they avoid bringing in new systems if existing ones can do the job. Her governance structure mirrors private-sector rigor, focusing on action plans that support the association’s strategic plan.
This clarity has elevated IT to a strategic partner. When Brooke identified a goal to enhance communications,Cordero aligned her team’s efforts,securing funds for infrastructure like a distributed antenna system. “Without that, innovation falls flat,” she said.
Visual planning tools communicate IT bandwidth,avoiding the perception of stalled projects. Resource allocations are mapped across projects, helping users understand potential delays.
Cordero said transparency builds trust, even if clinicians don’t understand IT constraints.Seeing bottlenecks and prioritization based on strategy helps.
Budgeting with accountability and Empathy
Cordero approaches budgeting with precision and empathy. “especially now, when everyone’s dealing with constrained resources, we can’t afford to chase ideas that don’t produce a return,” she said.
Returns aren’t always financial. While the tele-sitter program generated cost savings, other investments, like the patient portal help desk, deliver value in subtler ways. One informatics staffer helps 20 to 40 patients a day navigate the portal, improving access to online scheduling and reducing strain on the call center.
Cordero avoids overpromising, being candid about what new technologies will and won’t do. She emphasizes realistic expectations and user education,aiming to make clinicians’ lives more manageable.
“Our goal isn’t to dazzle,” Cordero said.“It’s to deliver solutions that make a real difference in the day-to-day lives of our clinicians and patients.”