As a principal and project executive at IMEG, Corey Gaarde leads the Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) Advisory Services team and strategically aligns HIT to the collaborative design process. With 20-plus years of experience in HIT, his work focuses on strategic planning and execution of advanced solutions pertaining to facility design and transformation, budget development, clinical collaboration and communication, patient/family engagement, clinical workflow development, telemedicine, and medical device integration. His goal is to ensure that the voices of patients, their families, and care team members are heard so that HIT meets and exceeds their experiential needs and the owner’s goals.

In his role, Gaarde is known for pushing the traditional design process by encouraging clients to consider what might be possible though HIT while aligning to the overall design schedule and budget. For example, he recently worked with a pediatrics campus to map the journey of a pediatric patient, the family, and care team members and envision a multitude of HIT applications for the proposed new facilities. HIT systems are integrated into the built environment in a variety of ways to provide interoperability and a connected care experience. This can include experiential inpatient rooms, early warning patient care systems (i.e., command centers), advanced real time awareness, intelligent lighting, indoor/outdoor positioning, patient/staff safety, environmental monitoring, immersive and integrated operating rooms, clinical communications, and AI

Gaarde is also passionate about improving guidelines for the design and construction of healthcare facilities, which led to his recent involvement with The Center for Health Design’s Environmental Standards Council. Meanwhile, he also shares his knowledge during conference presentations, blog posts, podcast appearances, and co-authoring IMEG executive guides, including “Enhancing the Quadruple Aim through Data-Driven Decisions in the Built Environment.” His participation with associations—including the American Society for Health Care Engineering, the Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design, and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)—demonstrates his commitment to transforming the patient, family, and caregiver experience by leveraging technology by design.