Who: Gerry Lewis, 52
New role: Ascension senior VP and CIO as well as CEO of the system's health IT arm, Ascension Information Services.
Background: Lewis has filled the CIO role on an interim basis since July 1. He previously served St. Louis-based Ascension as VP of IT strategy and business development and chief data officer for the information services subsidiary. In the new roles, he oversees systemwide IT operations, strategy, project execution and service delivery.
Volume to value: The shift from fee-for-service to a focus on value means IT vendors have big challenges ahead. “We need to find the least disruptive solutions using technology and workflows” to support clinicians, he said, but “still need to worry about capturing the elements that support billing under fee-for-service while enhancing the ability to capture elements that paint the full view of the patient.”
Using IT to improve care: “We are business and clinical leaders first, with expertise in leveraging technology to meet strategies and objectives,” Lewis said. He said his team will need to rapidly deliver information technology capabilities to support enterprise clinical and business processes.
