Emerging Technologies in Healthcare

Suzanne Richins, DHA, is known as an early adopter of technology and innovation. As a senior leader in healthcare, she was one of the first to look at using analytics to structure staffing schedules based on patient arrival acuity to the emergency department for her master's thesis. The methodology was adopted throughout Intermountain Healthcare (Salt Lake City, Utah) and various other well-known healthcare systems. While serving on the American Hospital Association board and the Joint Commission Advisory Committee, Dr. Richins conducted her dissertation on patient satisfaction prior to the adoption of these standards by both of these respected organizations. Her latest work is in using analytics to predict patient outcomes and improve quality. She also teaches DBA, DHA, and DNP students for various universities.

Dr. Richins earned her nursing degree from Weber State University, her professional arts degree from St. Joseph's College (North Wyndam, Maine), her MBA from Utah State University (Logan), and her doctorate in healthcare administration at the Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston). She earned her degrees while advancing from staff nurse to manager of the operating rooms, director of emergency and urgent care clinics, director of medical/surgical services, administrator of freestanding surgical centers, and chief operating officer.

Due to her varied education and experience, Dr. Richins currently provides consultation and advice to clients about software for electronic medical records, revenue cycle management, and predictive and retrospective analytics. She is the senior vice president for healthcare at Global Targeting, Inc.