By: Gwynne Jelbaoui, FHIMSS

This month, I’m pleased to highlight Doug McKee, MD, FAAFP, FAMIA, ABPM-CI. Dr. Mekee serves as the Associate CMIO at Orlando Health. Dr. McKee is completing his first year on the HIMSS Physician Committee and has already made an impact through his contributions to the recently published white paper, Operationalizing AI: A Strategic Framework for Safe Deployment in Healthcare.

Originally trained in Family Medicine, Dr. McKee recognized early on the challenges and unintended barriers that emerging technologies were creating for physicians and the impact they had on patient care. Driven to make a difference, he shifted his focus toward improving healthcare technology and became board-certified in Clinical Informatics in 2015.

Keep reading to learn more about Dr. McKee’s insights on digital health and his vision for the future of healthcare. I’m excited to continue working alongside him in 2026 as he continues to drive change on the Physician Committee. To learn more about the committee, click here.

HIMSS: What inspired you to pursue a career at the intersection of healthcare and technology?

Dr. McKee: I became a physician because I wanted to help people, but early in my career, I realized that the biggest barrier to compassionate care wasn’t clinical knowledge, but the barrier of the computer between the patient and me. I became passionate about informatics when I saw how the right technology could remove friction instead of creating it. Technology should give clinicians time back with their patients, not take it away. In 2022, I read a study showing that to deliver all recommended care for a primary care panel, a physician would need 26.7 hours every day. 26.7 hours!!My summary of that article is that it means that physicians must choose who they are going to disappoint every minute of the day: the patient, admin, or themselves/their family. No wonder there is so much burnout! That study validated my own experience and what I had heard from my colleagues for years. It also became what spurs me on to continue my informatics works!

HIMSS: What are some of the biggest challenges physicians face when it comes to health tech today?

Dr. McKee: Physicians are being asked to use technology that wasn’t designed with them in mind. Poor usability, poor workflows, and documentation burden turn doctors into data-entry clerks. The burden is unsustainable and dehumanizing. This has led to the perception, sometimes by non-physicians, that docs are Luddites and just don’t want to use technology. The reality is that physicians have been resisting technology that adds to their burden and burnout, and many welcome technology when it actually saves them time and makes their lives better.

HIMSS: What excites you most about the future of digital health and its impact on patient care?

Dr. McKee: With AI, we are finally seeing technology that removes administrative burden instead of adding to it. Digital tools can summarize charts, draft notes, help triage patients, and surface insights automatically, helping us return to why we became doctors in the first place. Plus, I am very optimistic about how AI will continue to transform medicine in ways we can’t even dream of now. The pace of innovation and change in the space is breathtaking, and I think ultimately will not only improve the lives of physicians and nurses but democratize access for patients while improving outcomes.

HIMSS: What advice would you give to physicians interested in becoming more involved in health tech?

Dr. McKee: Start with a single pain point and raise your hand to help fix it. You don’t need to code; you just need to care. Most systems are eager to get input from physicians in this space, and it is truly essential. Human-centered design dictates that you need to involve the end-user from the beginning of a project, not after it’s designed, which is where the physician comes in. Additionally, I would advise physicians to volunteer for committees in organizations like AMIA, and of course, HIMSS! You will not only get great experience doing this, but you will get exposed to colleagues from all over the world.