The healthcare industry stands at an unprecedented inflection point. While technology promises to revolutionize patient care, the real transformation lies in understanding how human experience shapes technological adoption. Few people embody this intersection better than David Cummings, a healthcare veteran whose journey from New York City paramedic to healthcare technology strategist offers unique insights into where our industry is heading.

From the Streets to the C-Suite: A Foundation Built on Real Experience

David's healthcare journey began in the most visceral way possible, as a paramedic in New York City. The city that never sleeps, and spits out some gnarly ambulance stories. Inspired by the television show "Emergency" (which I learned is a cultural touchstone that motivated an entire generation of EMS professionals), he found himself on the front lines of healthcare delivery on the chaotic streets of my home town! While I’m glad I didn’t have a chance encounter with him here, I was happy to catch him in the mood to sit down for an interview. 

"It's 95% boredom and 5% madness," David reflects on his paramedic days. "But in that 5%, someone's coming in trying to die and you're trying to stop them from dying."

This foundation of high-stakes decision-making under pressure became the bedrock of his approach to healthcare technology. David has experienced healthcare from every angle—working on the front lines as both a paramedic and nurse, establishing Johns Hopkins' patient transport helicopter program (pretty f*cking cool), and later deploying technology solutions to enterprise healthcare customers. This comprehensive healthcare journey, spanning from emergency response to strategic technology implementation, gives him a unique perspective that few in the industry possess.

The AI Revolution: Beyond Human Behavior Replication

Today, David is working on cutting-edge AI projects that reimagine how healthcare technology should function. No, he doesn’t think it will fly our helicopters anytime soon, but within healthcare there is a ton of opportunity. 

"Right now, a lot of the things we're trying to duplicate human behavior, but human behavior isn’t always optimal," he notes. "We don't want to duplicate all of it. We want to optimize it a little bit better." But where is the opportunity within healthcare to deliver exponential impact? More on that later…

David sees immense potential in the intersection of how different stakeholders—patients, clinicians, and back-office staff—will each have unique use cases and adoption criteria for AI technology.

The Patient Engagement Revolution

Perhaps David's most forward-leaning insight centers on patient engagement. He identifies this as the most significant untapped potential in healthcare; not just sending appointment reminders, but creating meaningful interactions that improve quality of life and "participate in the bending of the cost curve." As someone who operates in patient relationship management systems (Salesforce everyone!!), this resonates! I appreciate you David for doing my selling for me 🙂. 

Patient engagement throughout their care journey, unlocking the potential for informed healthcare decisions, is a secret weapon for value-based care providers.

The Wise Wolves Perspective

David Cummings represents the kind of healthcare technology leader our industry needs: someone who understands that technology serves humanity, not the other way around. His journey from paramedic to strategist demonstrates that the most effective healthcare innovations come from those who deeply understand the human stakes involved.

As we implement Salesforce Health Cloud and other advanced healthcare technologies, David's insights remind us that success isn't measured by technological sophistication alone; it's measured by improved patient outcomes, reduced costs, and the ability to meet people where they are in their healthcare journey.

The future of healthcare technology isn't about replacing human judgment; it's about augmenting human wisdom with intelligent systems that learn, adapt, and optimize for better outcomes. Leaders like David Cummings are showing us the way forward.

David is a results-driven healthcare leader who specializes in bridging the gap between clinical reality and digital innovation to streamline workflows and improve patient outcomes. He is available for short or long-term help in aligning technology with the front lines, or to assist with your specific strategic needs.

Wise Wolves is a Salesforce consulting partner specializing in healthcare technology implementations. We work with provider organizations, value-based care entities, and medical device companies to deploy transformative technology solutions. Connect with us to learn how we can help your organization navigate the future of healthcare technology.