Brian Thomas, VP & CIO, Swope Health Services, Chapter 3

When an opportunity presents itself, smart people jump on it. For Brian Thomas, that moment came a few years ago when Swope Health Services was restructuring its executive team. Seeking to learn more about the business, Thomas asked to take on a 90-day assignment as interim VP of operations, and in doing so, impressed the board enough to earn a new title. In this interview, Thomas talks about what he believes it takes to become a successful CIO, why leaders must “get in the trenches” to better understand user needs, and his philosophy when it comes to innovation. He also talks about how his team is preparing for the ACO world, the dangers of over-customization, and the strong foundation he was able to build during his time with the Marines.



Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3



* Coming to Swope to “contribute to the community”

* The “tough business” of working with uninsured patients

* Forks in the career path — “I don’t regret any decisions.”

* Leadership lessons with the Marines

* Knowing the business “inside and out”

* Building trust: “It’s clearly about the team and the mission.”

* Disruptive CIO



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Bold Statements

You come to a fork in the road and have to decide which way to go. And believe me, there have been a few sleepless nights where I had to make those decisions. But I’m happy to say that I don’t regret any decision in my career.

On a moment’s notice, if you’re all the way down at the lowest levels and one of your leaders is taken out, you may be asked to step into that role. And so, knowing your organization’s business inside and out is essential.

If you can build trust at the highest level with your entire staff, you know you’re going to get from point A to point B, and get there on time. If you try to be a leader by yourself and sit in a silo and just because you have that title, life will be very difficult.

It was more of a hobby that turned into, ‘you know what? I like to talk about what I do in the industry and what other people are doing.’ I’m not the greatest writer, but I know that getting out there and sharing your experiences with people is helping them.

Gamble:  Now, as far as coming to Swope, what was it that made you interested in this organization in particular?

Thomas:  There was some interest there, obviously. But, as I had mentioned previously, when I was at the hospital system, my role was in jeopardy due to the sale of the organization to another system. Since I’ve been in health care about 20 years now, Swope was an easy choice. I knew it was an organization where I can actually contribute to the community of Greater Kansas City, and the people who are most in need. Of course, what I didn’t realize working in a non-profit community health center is that it has its own challenges on top of healthcare technology, which is challenging, to say the least.

Gamble:  What have you found to be the key challenges?

Thomas:  We have to compete, just like the big hospital systems, but on a lower budget. Just to give you some stats, about 53 or 54 percent of our patients are self-pay, meaning they’re uninsured. About 30 percent of those, or more, is on Medicaid. There’s a certain percentage on Medicare, and about 3 percent is commercial. So, as you can see, we work in a tough business.

Gamble:  Right. So, as you mentioned, you’ve been in health care for quite a while,