Vadiraj Guttal is an Infosys stalwart. Joining the company in 2000, he has held various positions within the organization and has been at the frontline of technological advances in the IT sector.
Today, Vadiraj is head of the company’s Helix division, whose core purpose is to orchestrate a care marketplace and ‘Uber-ize’ access to healthcare through the use of artificial intelligence platforms.
Interestingly, despite the hype around and investments into the likes of generative AI and data and analytics capabilities, Vadiraj has observed a sense of ‘going back to basics’ when it comes to working with payers.
“I see a lot of investments being planned in retooling core admin systems… if they can perform their basic core operations efficiently and effectively, obviously there will be [greater] customer satisfaction,” he says during the conversation with Fierce Healthcare’s Rebecca Willumson.
Hear more from Vadiraj by listening in to the full interview.
Rebecca Willumson: Hi there. My name's Rebecca Willumson. I'm the publisher of Fierce Healthcare, and I'm here today with Vadiraj Guttal, Business Head at Infosys Helix. Vadiraj, thank you for joining me.
Vadiraj Guttal: Oh, it's my pleasure to be here.
Rebecca Willumson: So before we begin, can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your role at Infosys?
Vadiraj Guttal: In my current role, I head the platform book of business for Infosys Healthcare. Infosys Helix is our flagship platform that we are taking to market targeted from the payer segment.
Rebecca Willumson: Tell me, where do you see the greatest opportunity in working with payers?
Vadiraj Guttal: I think that's a great question. There are so many opportunities that we see in working with payers and over the years that has evolved as well. There was a period when there were so many investments in the data and analytics, and of course now in recent months, it's all about generative AI. But the thing that stood to me was really in last couple of years, the interest from the payers to get their basics right. There have been significant engagements we are participating in as we speak, as well as I do see a lot of investments being planned by the payers in retooling their core admin systems and which makes it to, if they can perform their basic core operations efficient and effective, obviously there will be a customer satisfaction, be it your plan sponsor or be it your member or provider. So I think that's where we see most of the opportunities in coming months and years. Focusing on helping them with modernizing and transforming core admin systems.
Rebecca Willumson: What do you need from a payer partner to really make that relationship work?
Vadiraj Guttal: I think, and I'm wearing my business head of Infosys Helix hat as I respond to this. We are a startup within the larger sys healthcare vertical. And as we ideate and incubate, for lack of a better word, game changing ideas, there are not many takers in the peer organization. Now I do see and understand where they come from because they are burdened with a lot of regulatory requirements. They can't mess up any of their existing processes because there will be several penalties, fines and press beats them up. So they are very, very conservative. So my ask of the both business and IT leaders of the peer organization is really take a bet, bet on the innovation and that's how other industries have evolved and be very successful. So healthcare doesn't need to be a laggard in adoption of technology. So of course you've got to take calculated bets, but please do take a bet.
Rebecca Willumson: What is the role of technology in delivering harmonized healthcare for the patient, the payer, and the provider
Vadiraj Guttal: This goes back to the response to my first question, which is really getting the basics right. Some organizations call the initiative brilliant basics, which I like because the areas that payers haven't really paid attention to and have not invested in last couple of decades are really the core admin business processes. A lot of them are still batch and responsiveness hurts because of your batch and the demands of the business. And in the world that we, in the consumer experiences that are expected of these organization is substantially high. And in order to meet those expectations, payers will have to invest in technology to build those systems as well as if there are already latest systems, they need to be connected well to perform, to achieve and deliver those experiences. So I see technology being the front running that enabling initiative within the organization, peer organizations in delivering harmony in healthcare.
Rebecca Willumson: Well, that feels like a perfect place to close out. Thank you so much for joining me today. I appreciate it.