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Listen to this masterclass in healthcare IT leadership from Marty Paslick, retired SVP and CIO of HCA Healthcare. He shares experiences from his nearly four decades in HIT and covers topics from workplace culture where “technologists see themselves as healthcare professionals first,” to financial and operational resiliency during adversity. He's not shy about sharing what worked and didn't work when mentoring leaders. Plus, he explains his approach to achieving innovation and quiet operations, authentic communication and three fundamental leadership principles. Enjoy this story-packed conversation with Marty and host Phil Sobol, vice president of business development at CereCore. 
Key topics 
00:02:12 - Becoming a CIO 
00:06:10 - Quiet Operations and Continual Improvement 
00:10:10 - Evolution of Healthcare IT and CIO Role 
00:11:38 - Building Authentic Relationships 
00:14:03 - Communication Strategies 
00:17:09 - Leadership Style and Flexibility 
00:18:05 - Storytelling in Leadership 
00:20:44 - Final Words of Wisdom 
Connect on LinkedIn 
Marty Paslick, Retired Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, HCA Healthcare 
Phil Sobol, Vice President of Business Development, CereCore 
Learn more 
Interested in what other CIOs have to say about current healthcare challenges? Check out the feedback shared in an online survey of CHIME (College of Healthcare Information Management Executives) members about IT priorities and pressures facing their health system.      
Results part 1- Top IT Priorities and Pressures
Results part 2 - Hiring Contractors and Investing in Automation
Is your organization going through a change in executive IT leadership? CereCore offers advisory services and fractional leadership for CIOs, CTOs and CISOs roles. Find more details. 
Contact CereCore
https://cerecore.net/contact

Strategic plans and EHR technology fueled with data are key for rural healthcare operations today. And what else? Step into the shoes of Alma Alexander, CFO from Cuero Regional Hospital. In this conversation with host Phil Sobol, Vice President of Business Development at CereCore, Alma shares what she’s learned as a healthcare finance leader in both large health systems and rural healthcare settings and how each are different and unique.  

How does a chief financial officer (CFO) tackle top challenges in rural healthcare today? What’s the secret to financially preparing for and managing large IT investments like EHR systems? Alma gives practical advice on using strategic plans as communication tool to align C-suite leaders and the board of directors. Hear first-hand CFO advice as Cuero embarked on a multi-year process to prepare, plan and implement a modern EHR.  

Key Topics  

00:05:04 - Financial operations across different healthcare settings 
Alma compares financial operations in reference labs, metropolitan, and rural hospitals. 

00:08:16 - Top challenges for rural healthcare leaders   
Alma talks about specific challenges faced in managing finances in a rural healthcare setting. 

00:10:35 - Technology's impact on healthcare 
Discussion on how IT advancements like AI and telemedicine are influencing rural healthcare. 

00:14:43 - EHR implementation and strategic planning 
Alma discusses the strategic planning and implementation process for a new EHR system. 

00:18:37 - Decision making in EHR modernization 
Hear about key decisions and pivotal moments in the EHR modernization process and what success looks like from a CFO perspective. 

00:22:40 - Maintaining leadership alignment 
Learn how this leadership team maintains alignment and communication regarding strategic plans. 

00:25:59 - Closing thoughts and advice 
Alma offers final thoughts and advice about the people side of healthcare.  

Connect on LinkedIn 

Alma Alexander, Chief Financial Officer, Cuero Regional Hospital 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alma-alexander-cpa-3b048a10/ 
Phil Sobol, Vice President, Business Development at CereCore 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-sobol-8696991/ 

Related Episodes 

Rural Healthcare: A CEO's Take on Advocacy, Tech and More 
https://podcast.cerecore.net/rural-healthcare-a-ceos-take-on-advocacy-tech-and-more 
Rolling Out EHRs in the Rural Setting: An Expert Guide
https://podcast.cerecore.net/rolling-out-ehrs-in-the-rural-setting-an-expert-guide 

Why EHR Optimization is Worth the Effort and Budget
https://podcast.cerecore.net/why-ehr-optimization-is-worth-the-effort-and-budget 

Learn More 

Wherever you are in your healthcare technology journey, CereCore can help you navigate big decisions and plan for the future. Let’s talk about expertise and resources you might need to make progress with your EHR, application management, IT support and more. Check out these resources to get started.    


How to Transition from MEDITECH Legacy EHR to Expanse 
https://resources.cerecore.net/how-to-transition-from-meditech-legacy-ehr-to-expanse 
EHR Hosting and Backup: Budgeting and Planning Tips that Avoid Surprise Costs
https://resources.cerecore.net/ehr-hosting-and-backup-budgeting-and-planning-tips-that-avoid-surprise-costs 

Unlocking the Full Potential of Your EHR: Why Optimization Pays Off
https://resources.cerecore.net/unlocking-the-full-potential-of-your-ehr-why-optimization-pays-off 

Next Steps 

Understand what you have and what you need. Get an EHR assessment. https://cerecore.net/meditech-current-state-assessment? 

Contact CereCore 

https://cerecore.net/contact 

 

 

Cyber criminals only have to be right once to wreak havoc. In healthcare, we have to be right 100% of the time to manage the risk of cyberattack. In this episode, Phil Sobol, Vice President of Business Development talks to Darcy Corcoran, Principal for Cybersecurity Advisory Services. Hear how she uses her extensive background in the Department of Defense and work with NATO and the Pentagon to inform organization-specific tactics and industry best practices for cybersecurity in healthcare. In their conversation they cover the must haves and explore an often-overlooked aspect of considering AI use cases. 
Key topics:   
Thoughts on cybersecurity in healthcare through lens of extensive cybersecurity background in defense   Misconceptions about malicious actors  Factors to include in cybersecurity strategy   The AI considerations leaders may overlook  Leadership responsibilities for cybersecurity in healthcare organizations Connect on LinkedIn with show host Phil Sobol, Vice President of Business Development, and Darcy Corcoran, Principal Cybersecurity Advisory Services.  
Did this topic resonate with you? Reach out and start a conversation to learn more.  
For more on Cybersecurity Advisory Services, check out these resources.  
Six Cybersecurity Points Healthcare CIOs Should Explain to Their Boards  Partnership is Key for Maximum Intelligence Against Growing Security Risks  2024 Healthcare Technology Industry Trends: Top Challenges for CIOs 

Many healthcare organizations are facing single digit or negative EBITDA and are searching for strategies to improve profitability, patient care and sustained growth. Examining revenue cycle is often a great place to start because of its far-reaching impact, explains Kim Waters, Principal Consultant for Revenue Cycle at CereCore. In this episode with host Phil Sobol, Vice President of Business Development at CereCore, Kim shares her unique perspective having worked with healthcare leaders in managed services, revenue cycle, payer disciplines and now CereCore clients. Kim explains how her conversational approach uncovers quick wins, identifies root causes, and helps teams navigate complex changes. She brings business acumen and healthcare experience working with a variety of C-suite roles, health system boards of directors, and clinical teams. What common problems warrant an outside perspective? How can you achieve a productive partnership with a consultant? Kim answers these questions and explains why evaluating change readiness is important to innovation. She wraps up the conversation with a client story that highlights the impact care navigation can have on positive financial results for a health system, a patient and their family. 

Key topics 

How to derive the most value from a consulting engagement 
Top areas C-suite leaders are looking to improve today 
Data, storytelling and the why behind decisions 
Revenue cycle optimization can be ripe with opportunity 
Care navigation client story: strategy yields savings for health system and patients 
Connect
Connect with Phil Sobol, Vice President of Business Development at CereCore, on LinkedIn.   
Connect with Kim Waters, Principal Consultant for Revenue Cycle at CereCore, on LinkedIn. 
Would your organization benefit from an outside perspective with deep healthcare expertise? Reach out and start a conversation about how we could help.   
More resources to explore: 

Advisory Services Six Cybersecurity Points Healthcare CIOs Should Explain to Their Boards 

CIOs Rank Top Healthcare IT Priorities and Pressures for 2024 (Part 1) 
How Commitment to ROI can Improve a Health System’s Bottom Line 
2024 Healthcare Technology Industry Trends: Top Challenges for CIOs

 

Maximizing the investment in an EHR platform is work that’s never really finished, and having the organizational discipline, resources, and mindset to continue pursuing EHR optimization often can feel like a battle. In this episode, Phil Sobol, Vice President of Business Development, talks with EHR experts Bob Gronberg, Assistant Vice President of MEDITECH Professional Services; John Walsh, Manager of MEDITECH Professional Services; and Stephanie Murray, Senior Director of Epic Services. Hear their strategic approaches for discovering optimization opportunities, common issues facilities face, and how assessments can help leaders prioritize optimizations and uncover root causes. The panel covers a wide range of topics such as managing through education needs and staff turnover, why getting behind on system updates can be costly and what a consistent maintenance and optimization process could look like. Each panelist shares parting words of wisdom based on their passion for healthcare and experience working in the EHR vendor setting and with healthcare leaders and clinicians in health systems across the US and abroad. 
Key topics:  
Strategic approaches to EHR optimization and maintenance  How an EHR optimization assessment works   Things you can learn from an EHR assessment  Quick wins and trends from an assessment  Change management best practices  Governance, clinical council and budgeting advice  Connect with show host Phil Sobol, Vice President of Business Development, and optimization panelists on LinkedIn: 
Bob Gronberg, Assistant Vice President of MEDITECH Professional Services  John Walsh, Manager of MEDITECH Professional Services  Stephanie Murray, Senior Director of Epic Services   Did this topic resonate with you? Reach out and start a conversation to learn more. 
For more on EHR assessments, check out these resources. 
MEDITECH Rules: How to Start Optimizing and Solving Pain Points  Get more from your MEDITECH EHR  How to Determine When It’s Time to Optimize Your Epic EHR  Get help with Epic optimization, staffing and more  {Podcast} EHR Optimization: How to Keep Improving After Go Live, Cory Lane, OakLeaf Surgical Hospital   

An EHR implementation is a massive project, especially for rural healthcare locations. Ismelda Garza, CIO of Cuero Regional Hospital and senior consultant at CereCore, explains the multi-year journey their hospital has been on to prepare for the transition to a modern EHR like MEDITECH Expanse. What prep work is involved? Ismelda shares practical advice and her experiences in this conversation with Phil Sobol, Vice President of Business Development at CereCore. Hear more about the importance of infrastructure stability and early collaboration with third party application vendors to head off potential implementation delays and issues. Plus, Ismelda talks about her personal experience building solid relationships with her leadership team colleagues, staff and end users. 
Key topics: 
How to prepare for EHR change, from infrastructure and vendors to staff  The broad impact of technology implementation in a rural setting  How to build solid C-suite relationships   EHR investments in rural health  HIT leadership career journey and passion for rural health  Learn more about Cuero Regional Hospital. 
Connect with Ismelda Garza on LinkedIn. 
Connect with Phil Sobol on LinkedIn. 
Ismelda and Phil mention a conversation with Lynn Falcone, CEO of Cuero Regional Hospital, on the podcast. Hear more about the unique challenges of running a rural hospital and Lynn’s goals and vision for a modernized EHR platform in the episode Rural Healthcare: A CEO’s Take on Advocacy, Tech and More. 
What does your healthcare organization need for your EHR today? Considering a move to MEDITECH Expanse? Looking to maximize your investment and ready to optimize your existing EHR? 
Let’s talk. We are a comprehensive EHR services partner and work with healthcare organizations of all sizes in the US and UK so that EHR technology is the tool you need it to be for your care teams and patients. 
Next step resources 
Consider starting with an EHR assessment.  Get ready to move to Expanse. Download the ebook.  Implement MEDITECH Expanse Ambulatory for a single EHR. Download the ebook.  Subscribe to the CereCore newsletter for the more resources.  Read how our healthcare operations background makes us a unique healthcare IT partner in this flipbook.