MedStar Health does things a little bit differently. In addition to the chief information officer — a role Scott MacLean has held since 2018 — the 10-hospital system also has a chief innovation officer, chief digital transformation officer, and a VP of performance improvement and analytics. And MacLean wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I like the way it’s organized because our technology infrastructure is what runs all of these things and enables programs to be able to thrive,” he said during a podcast interview with Kate Gamble, Managing Editor at healthsystemCIO. It has also enabled a focus on digital transformation “that’s more than just technology.”

It’s a philosophy that he believes will serve MedStar well as the organization surges ahead with plans that were altered due to the pandemic and moves toward the ultimate goal of “systemness.” In the interview, MacLean talks about how his team is dealing with the myriad challenges brought on by Covid; the enormous step he took when he first came to MedStar; what he hopes to accomplish with the CHIME Board; and how volunteering in Baltimore has helped him became part of the community.

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Key Takeaways

* For MacLean, collaboration across different areas is critical to an organization’s success. “I have regular conversations with other leaders – not just technology leaders, but also business leaders.”

* His reason for taking on an enterprise CIO role? “I wanted a challenge. I wanted to grow, and I have certainly found that to be the case.”

* Being involved with CHIME – and particularly the Public Policy Steering Committee – has given MacLean an opportunity to “give back” while also advocating for critical issues.

* Implementing a unique patient identifier “would be very useful, not only for safety, but for organization of our systems and interoperability.”

* Through his volunteer work with the We, Our, Us Movement, MacLean has “learned so much” by taking community walks and offering services to those in need.

Q&A with Scott MacLean, CIO, Medstar Health, Part 2 [To view Part 1, click here.]

Gamble:  You’re in the Chief Information Officer role, and MedStar also has a chief innovation officer and a chief digital officer. I’m sure you work together on different types of initiatives. How are you able to stay in lockstep with different leaders?

MacLean:  We also have a Vice President of Performance Improvement and Analytics who sits in the Chief Financial Officer’s organization. When I came to MedStar four years ago, it was my first Enterprise CIO role. I knew when I came here that this is the way we’re organized. I knew what to expect.

And there’s enough work for everyone to do. I like the way it’s organized because our technology — our fundamental infrastructure — is what runs all of these things and enables these programs to be able to thrive. Our technical folks help with the extract, transfer, and load for our analytics platform. We help with the integration layer for the digital health platform. We help with how the telehealth program, and other innovations are run, from both a technical and support standpoint.

Digital transformation – beyond technology

I get along well with the other leaders. They’re all great people who run these other organizations. That helps us because there is focus on innovation that can be used across the enterpris...