In conversation with Mr. Surjeet Thakur, Co-founder & CEO of TrioTree Technologies, we explore how Indian hospitals can embrace patient-centric innovation, build trust under the new data-protection law, and harness AI, connected devices, and ABDM to transform care delivery and digital ecosystems.
CIO&Leader: What’s the biggest mindset shift hospitals need to make for true digital transformation?
Surjeet Thakur: True digital transformation in hospitals requires a mindset shift from viewing technology as merely an operational tool to adopting a patient-centered, innovation-driven culture. Hospitals must automate workflows to enhance experiences for both patients and providers, focusing on technologies that solve practical problems amid staffing shortages. Long-term investment in integrated digital infrastructure is essential to support connected ecosystems and data-driven decision-making. Most importantly, fostering a culture of continuous innovation, adaptability, and learning among all staff is critical. This mindset embraces flexibility and creativity to anticipate and address future challenges, beyond the mere implementation of tech products, making digital transformation a holistic strategic evolution for better patient outcomes and provider efficiency.
CIO&Leader: Where do you see AI creating real, measurable value in Indian healthcare today?
Surjeet Thakur: AI is creating tangible value in Indian healthcare by improving clinical outcomes, expanding access, and reducing workload for overburdened providers. Indian healthcare professionals increasingly trust AI to enable early diagnosis, personalized treatment, and continuous patient monitoring, particularly for chronic diseases. It helps bridge capacity gaps created by workforce shortages and rising healthcare demand. AI-powered tools enhance clinical quality by aiding decision-making, reducing errors, and automating administrative tasks. Patient acceptance is growing, aligning with rising optimism among 76% of Indian healthcare professionals who see AI as a catalyst for better care quality and more empowered providers. This trust lays the foundation for AI’s scale and impact in enhancing both efficiency and care outcomes.
CIO&Leader: What are the key lessons in building HIS–EHR systems that doctors actually use and patients benefit from?
Surjeet Thakur: Effective HIS-EHR systems must be purpose-built around clinicians’ specific workflows and clinical artifacts, not generic templates. Including specialists early to map precise clinical needs ensures the system supports exact coding, decision support at order time, and data segmentation for privacy. Robust architecture for interoperability, real-time data synchronization, and regulatory compliance is critical. Systems must avoid alert fatigue by integrating clinically relevant alerts and supporting offline or distributed environments. Simplicity and intuitive UI reduce learning curves. Designing around operational needs such as secure, closed-loop medication management and seamless lab and imaging interfaces leads to smoother adoption. Balancing clinical, operational, and identity management aspects together makes EHR systems usable and beneficial for both doctors and patients.
CIO&Leader: How can hospitals and healthtech companies build stronger patient trust around data security under India’s new data protection law?
Surjeet Thakur: Hospitals and healthtech companies can build stronger patient trust by fully implementing the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act 2023, which gives patients control over their health data with rights to access, correction, and erasure. Demonstrating transparent data handling, including robust technical and organizational safeguards that ensure confidentiality and prevent breaches, is essential. Complying with stringent security audits and embedding privacy-by-design in systems fosters trust. Regular staff training on cybersecurity and clear patient communication about data use also helps. Commitment to ethical data stewardship, aligned with patients’ rights and regulatory mandates, reassures patients about privacy, strengthening trust in digital healthcare ecosystems.
CIO&Leader: Can connected devices and home-based care truly reduce hospital load and improve chronic care outcomes in India?
Surjeet Thakur: Connected devices in mobile health units and home-based care are proving effective in reducing hospital load in India by enabling real-time remote monitoring of chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension. These devices transmit health data via mobile networks to centralized systems and specialists, allowing timely intervention and reducing unnecessary hospital visits. This approach improves compliance, lowers travel costs for patients in rural areas, and supports continuous care outside hospitals. The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies with telemedicine expands access in underserved regions and enhances chronic care outcomes by supporting early detection and management. Thus, connected devices play a crucial role in decentralizing healthcare delivery and optimizing resource use.
CIO&Leader: What advice would you give healthtech founders on balancing innovation with practical adoption in hospitals?
Surjeet Thakur: Healthtech founders should focus on seamless integration with existing hospital IT infrastructure to avoid adding complexity. Demonstrating a clear business case with measurable ROI, such as cost savings, improved clinical outcomes, or productivity gains, is critical in winning hospital adoption. Engaging clinicians early in development ensures solutions address real-world user needs, increasing buy-in from staff. Prioritizing simplicity and reducing friction across workflows helps avoid resistance. Mastery of technology with the ability to adapt in complex environments, combined with robust APIs for interoperability, makes solutions scalable and sustainable. Balancing breakthrough innovation with pragmatism in execution drives meaningful impact in hospitals.
CIO&Leader: How do you see the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission changing the way health records and interoperability work in India?
Surjeet Thakur: The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is transforming health records in India by enabling interoperability through patient-consent-based health data exchange between providers. The Health Information Exchange and Consent Manager (HIECM) gateway facilitates standardized, secure sharing of EHRs. The Unified Health Interface (UHI) supports seamless digital health service integration. ABDM mandates pre-integration application validation and security audits to protect patient data, encouraging adoption of common EHR standards via the National Resource Centre for EHR standards (NRCeS). Multilingual, accessible tools like the ABHA portal and app increase inclusivity and digital literacy. ABDM’s ecosystem approach aims to make health records portable, secure, and accessible, revolutionizing care coordination and patient empowerment.
CIO&Leader: How do your personal values of ethics and diligence influence your leadership in technology-driven healthcare?
Surjeet Thakur: Ethics and diligence are fundamental leadership values that guide technology-driven healthcare transformation. Ethics ensure respect for patient privacy, equity, and trust in data handling and system design. Diligence drives a thorough, responsible approach to innovation, emphasizing safety, compliance, and quality. These values foster transparent communication, build trust among patients and providers, and strengthen organizational culture. Ethical leadership encourages inclusion and conscientious adoption of technology, aligning digital initiatives with overarching care goals. Such principled stewardship is crucial for sustainable and impactful healthcare innovation.
CIO&Leader: Which emerging technology, like AI, blockchain, or cognitive computing, do you believe will redefine healthcare in the next decade, and why?
Surjeet Thakur: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to redefine healthcare most profoundly due to its ability to augment clinical decision-making, personalize treatments, and automate processes at scale. AI’s capacity to analyze large datasets for early diagnosis, predictive analytics, and operational efficiencies uniquely positions it as a catalyst for transforming healthcare delivery. Blockchain will enhance data security and interoperability, while cognitive computing will enable adaptive learning systems, but AI’s broad applicability and maturity make it the key driver of clinical and system innovation for the next decade.