Celebrating Passion at the Best in KLAS® Award Show
Each year during HIMSS, KLAS puts on an exclusive Best in KLAS® Awards Show for all the top-ranked companies and firms in the year’s Best in KLAS report. Throughout the evening, we recognize the efforts of these companies and firms in being the best they can be for their customers. Our goal is always to make this ceremony a celebration of excellence, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of improving healthcare.
2024’s show was made all the more special by our hosts, Theresa Meadows, Senior Vice President and CDIO of Cook Children’s Health Care System, and Dr. Rasu Shrestha, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation & Commercialization Officer of Advocate Health. As longtime provider friends of KLAS, they graciously agreed to help and took the place of what has traditionally been a pair of KLAS employees. Their presence signified KLAS’ focus on representing provider and payer voices and showed that the awards are deserved because they are directly based on customers’ experiences.
Inspiring Keynote Messages
As part of the show, Theresa and Rasu gave inspiring keynotes on passion, leadership, and the importance of continuing to serve providers, payers, and patients. I’d like to share some of their words with you here as inspiring encouragement for any healthcare IT companies out there striving to do more for their customers and patients.
Theresa gave inspiring thoughts on what true partnership looks like with customers and reiterated that both sides share a passion for improving patient care that needs to drive them above all else. She encouraged the audience, “It is passion that needs to drive you as you continue to move forward. Because you can’t stop now. Achieving a Best in KLAS award is an incredible accomplishment. But for those of us on the provider side, it’s also a promise that you will continue to partner with us in moving the needle. We need you and your ideas, and even more your listening ear.”
Rasu later introduced the Japanese concept of Ikigai, which translates to “a reason for being,” encouraging these Best in KLAS vendors to dig deeper and align what they do and their passions with what will best benefit the world. He said, “I challenge you to think even more deeply than you already have about how you can align your company and even your individual work in each element: passion, profession, vocation, mission. In no particular order, think about what you love and what your company is good at and can innovate further on. Take the time to carefully consider what the world of healthcare really needs. I have a hunch that doing so will set you and your company up for greater heights and more fulfilling careers where you get paid to do what you love, but more importantly, you make a difference in the world. You will continue to serve your customers and truly partner with them.”
Continuing to Build
KLAS is honored to work with so many amazing companies and firms that are making a true difference in healthcare. The awards show is a special and fun occasion, and we love being able to take a moment to see the hard work of so many pay off. We love to see the success of both vendors and their customers that culminates in a Best in KLAS award.
As Theresa and Rasu pointed out, however, there is only more work to be done from here. Continued trust and transparency are crucial to keeping up the momentum in healthcare IT. It is our hope that the award show also serves to underscore the importance of these values and that it encourages the higher standards needed to improve the world’s healthcare.
We hope to see you there next year!
