Unvendor

In Unvendor: Innovate Healthcare with a Diverse IT Stack, Dr. Harm Scherpbier challenges the healthcare industry's reliance on single-vendor IT systems. While single-vendor solutions offer ease of maintenance, they often stifle innovation, hinder agility, and result in costly monopolies. In this timely and thought-provoking book, Dr. Scherpbier argues for a return to diversity in healthcare IT-a "best-of-breed" approach that integrates advanced technologies from multiple vendors to power a more dynamic, competitive, and resilient healthcare ecosystem. Drawing on decades of experience as a health IT strategist, physician, and CMIO, Dr. Scherpbier explores the history of healthcare IT dominance, its limitations, and the pressing need for change. He outlines actionable steps for organizations to embrace modular, interoperable technologies, enabling faster adoption of AI, machine learning, and patient-centric tools. Unvendor is a call to action for healthcare leaders-CIOs, CMIOs, CEOs, and CFOs-to create flexible, future-ready IT environments that improve care delivery, clinician satisfaction, and organizational efficiency. Practical, insightful, and forward-looking, this book provides the framework to transform healthcare IT, ensuring organizations can adapt to a rapidly evolving landscape.

Dr. HARM SCHERPBIER is a physician and leading expert in health information technology with a career dedicated to improving healthcare through innovative IT solutions. Born in the Netherlands, Dr. Scherpbier earned his medical degree and a master’s in medical informatics before moving to the United States, where he has served as a CMIO and health IT strategy advisor. He has partnered with organizations to implement clinical systems, data analytics, and population health solutions while teaching at Jefferson College of Population Health. A fellow of HIMSS and AMIA, Dr. Scherpbier is passionate about advancing modular and agile healthcare IT systems. When not transforming healthcare, he enjoys outdoor adventures with his family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Introduction Part One: How Did We Get Here? Chapter 1: How Did We Get to Single-Vendor Dominance? Part 2: Why Do We Care? Chapter 2: Healthcare’s Changing Landscape Chapter 3: The Case for a Diverse Health IT Stack Chapter 4: Breaking Out of the Fixed-Price Trap Chapter 5: Vendor Diversity in the Real World Part 3: Let’s Do This Chapter 6: The New Interoperability Chapter 7: The Unvendoring Journey: A Phased Approach Chapter 8: Stacking Up on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Part 4: What’s Next Chapter 9: How Do Megavendors Fail? Chapter 10: Unvendor Healthcare Acknowledgments Contact me