Cutting Application Clutter with Laura Marquez

In this episode of QuickHITs, guest host Abby Polich, SVP of Client Services at Health Data Movers, sits down with Laura Marquez, VP of Applications at Sharp HealthCare. Laura shares how Sharp is tackling application rationalization at scale, including the organization's goal to reduce its application portfolio by 20% over the next four years. She explains why a clean, living CMDB is the foundation for that work, how engaging the people closest to the day-to-day use of an application surfaces the best opportunities to consolidate, and why contract hygiene, including addending BAAs and MSAs as vendors roll out new AI features, has become essential to protecting patient data. The conversation also covers how Laura evaluates new AI tools against real operational pain points rather than novelty, what the next five years could mean for revenue cycle automation and the call center, and why she believes the patient is the most underutilized member of the care team. From application rationalization to AI-ready vendor contracts to rethinking the physical and virtual exam room, this episode covers a lot of ground for anyone thinking about how to modernize a complex health system's application landscape responsibly.