Guest: Diana Sage, CPHIMS, PMP, Program Manager, MURJ
LinkedIn: Diana Sage
LinkedIn: MURJ
Joining host Beth Friedman on FINN Voices at HIMSS26 gave me a chance to reflect on a journey that has taken me from the front lines of hospital operations to the intersection of cardiac devices and healthcare technology.
I began my career in a large academic medical center, where I spent years helping implement electronic health records (EHRs) and enterprise systems across a variety of care settings. Like many in health IT, I rode the wave of rapid EHR adoption, moving from one implementation to the next as hospitals worked to digitize care. Eventually, I transitioned into consulting, supporting deployments across the U.S. and Canada.
While that work was impactful, I found myself looking for something more purposeful, something that connected the technical work more directly to patient outcomes. That search led me to Murj, where I now serve as Director of Portfolio Management.
Over the past three years, I have worked closely with cardiac clinics, helping them manage the growing complexity of cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) data, particularly for patients with heart failure and arrhythmias.
The day-to-day reality in these clinics is constant prioritization. Clinicians are inundated with data from remote monitoring devices and in-office interrogations. Their challenge is to quickly determine which data matters most.
- Which signals indicate risk?
- Which trends require intervention?
- When should care be escalated?
This is where MURJ comes in. Our role is to ensure they have access to the right data at the right time and in the right format so they can make those decisions confidently.
How to connect CIED clinicians with IT teams
A major part of that work is bridging the gap between clinical needs and technical capabilities. Clinicians want clarity and speed. Technical teams deal in systems, standards, and constraints.
Translating between those worlds requires a deep understanding of both. It also requires a focus on what truly matters, delivering actionable, discrete data into the EHR so it can be trended, interpreted, and used in care decisions.
Data Interoperability Meets Cardiac Device Management
Our conversation also touched on the challenges of interoperability, particularly in cardiac care, where multiple device manufacturers produce data in different formats. While standardization remains a work in progress, our goal is to reduce friction for clinicians by normalizing and integrating that data as seamlessly as possible.
Looking ahead, the goal is straightforward. Cardiac device clinicians should start their day with prioritized insights, not raw data. Patients should remain connected to their care teams without added burden, supported by automation and timely reminders. Healthcare organizations should benefit from more efficient workflows, including streamlined billing processes tied to remote monitoring.
HIMSS26 reinforced that progress is being made. With continued focus on interoperability, data quality, and practical applications of AI, I am optimistic about where cardiac device management is headed, especially as we shift from discussing possibilities to demonstrating real-world outcomes.
Listen to the Conversation
About FINN Voices Podcast
Amplifying the power of health innovation to improve people’s lives.
FINN Voices amplifies the power of health innovation and information technology. Hosted by health experts from FINN Partners, each episode offers a peek behind the curtain of innovation with healthcare’s leading changemakers. We talk about their ideas and challenges along the way; continually shaping critical conversations and introducing the new health technologies that lie ahead.
Follow the show’s hashtag #FINNvoices