Securing Healthcare's Passwordless Future with Imprivata

In this episode, host Sandy Vance chats with Dr. Sean Kelly, the Chief Medical Officer and the SVP of Customer Healthcare Strategy at Imprivata. Together, they unpack how healthcare organizations can strengthen cybersecurity without slowing clinicians down—exploring everything from mobile device security and passwordless authentication to adaptive authentication, risky user behaviors, and the very real implications for patient safety, workflow efficiency, and ROI for healthcare leaders.

In this episode, they talk about:

• How cybersecurity can be improved
• The impact that Imprivata has on clinicians 
• Why multi-factor authentication systems aren’t more prevalent in the healthcare industry
• The risky behaviors that open up organizations to security risks
• The different things that Imprivata offers organizations
• The risks of patient harm in cybersecurity and privacy
• Advice for CIOs or CFOs: workflow implications, security compliance, security and efficiency ROI, and financial value
• Adaptive authentication at Imprivata

A Little About Sean:

Dr. Sean Kelly brings a uniquely well-rounded perspective to healthcare, shaped by a career that spans emergency medicine, healthcare leadership, technology, teaching, and entrepreneurship. An emergency physician at Beth Israel Lahey Health in Boston and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School, he is also the Chief Medical Officer and SVP of Customer Healthcare Strategy at Imprivata, where he helps guide product vision, go-to-market strategy, and customer experience after more than a decade with the company from startup through IPO and private equity ownership. He has led high-performing teams in both clinical and executive settings, contributed to care delivery improvements impacting millions of patients, published widely in emergency medicine and medical education, and earned multiple teaching awards. His background includes training at Harvard College, UMass Medical School, and Vanderbilt University, co-founding a concierge medical practice on Martha’s Vineyard, international teaching and humanitarian work, and service in roles ranging from hospital administration to disaster relief—all grounded in a deep commitment to learning, mentorship, and collaboration.