Preserving the Human Connection in Healthcare's Digital Evolution with Dr. Craig Norquist

This episode’s Community Champion Sponsor is Ossur. To learn more about their ‘Responsible for Tomorrow’ Sustainability Campaign, and how you can get involved: CLICK HEREEpisode Overview: In healthcare's technological revolution, the balance between innovation and patient-centered care has never been more critical. Our next guest, Dr. Craig Norquist, brings an extraordinary perspective as CMIO of HonorHealth, drawing from his unique journey from Navy nuclear operator to emergency physician. While together, Craig shares his vision for technology that enhances rather than compromises the sacred provider-patient relationship and how this approach is transforming care delivery. With dual board certifications in Emergency Medicine and Clinical Informatics, Craig champions high reliability principles learned in both nuclear power plants and hospital settings. As a 19-time Ironman triathlete and cancer survivor, his patient experience profoundly shapes his approach to healthcare technology. Join us to explore how Dr. Norquist is leveraging informatics to reduce provider burden, improve safety, and create a learning health system that truly puts patients first. Let's go!Episode Highlights:Navy Nuclear Experience: Craig brought high reliability principles from his Navy career to healthcare safety.Personal Cancer Journey: His lymphoma battle transformed his view on patient access and care delivery.Protecting Provider Focus: Craig shields clinicians from technology overload to preserve patient interactions.AI Enhanced Documentation: Language models can reduce chart review time and boost patient engagement.Health System Collaboration: Phoenix hospitals worked together during the pandemic to manage patient loads.About our Guest: Dr. Craig Norquist currently serves as the CMIO of HonorHealth after practicing as an Emergency Physician for almost 20 years. He is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Clinical Informatics. He serves as the Program Director for the Clinical Informatics Fellowship at HonorHealth and as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Informatics Fellowship at University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Fellowship in Informatics.Prior to becoming the CMIO, he was the Network Patient Safety Officer for HonorHealth, and has previously served as Department Chair of Emergency Medicine as well as Chief of Staff for the Thompson Peak Hospital. In 2017-2019, he completed professional development programs through academic and professional organizations that prepared him for his leadership roles, including Intermountain Health's Advanced Training Program and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Patient Safety Executive training. His additional credentials include EPIC physician builder certification, executive training at Harvard Business School in healthcare delivery, and training in artificial intelligence from MIT.His areas of interest are process, quality, and outcome improvement as well as improving the patient and provider experience with information technology in healthcare. His expertise has resulted in invited membership on panels and reports with the ECRI Institute and the National Quality Forum. He continues to work on the state level on opioid prescribing, use disorder recognition and treatment, as well as risk reduction methodologies including naloxone distribution from the Emergency Department. He has organized and chaired the Arizona College of Emergency Physicians opioid prescribing summit for the past 9 years.Dr. Craig is passionate about the use of technology to facilitate the improvement of care and development of a learning health system.On a personal level, he has been married to his wife Laura for 25 years and is an enlisted Navy nuclear power plant operator veteran. He is an active Ironman Distance Triathlete, having completed his 19th full distance Ironman, and an accomplished Ultrarunner who completed the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning in 2015. In 2021, he completed chemotherapy for non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and is currently in remission.Links Supporting This Episode:HonorHealth Website: CLICK HEREDr. Craig Norquist LinkedIn page: CLICK HEREHonorHealth LinkedIn: CLICK HEREMike Biselli LinkedIn page: CLICK HEREMike Biselli Twitter page: CLICK HEREVisit our website: CLICK HERESubscribe to newsletter: CLICK HEREGuest nomination form: CLICK HERE