Health IT Influencers: Bill Spooner, Former Sharp Healthcare CIO, Chapter 1

When Bill Spooner stepped down as CIO at Sharp Healthcare in 2014 after spending 35 years with the organization, he had mixed feelings. Although he was ready for a change from the frenzied pace of the CIO role, he hesitated to leave because “there were so many exciting things going in healthcare.”

Fortunately, Spooner found a way to remain involved in the industry — and pass on some of the wisdom he gained from his tenure — through his work as an advisor with Next Wave Health Advisors, and as an active participant with CHIME’s advocacy initiatives. In this interview, he offers insights on a number of pertinent issues, including why workflow is still a significant challenge for many organizations, the factor that most slows down the optimization process, and the surprising area in which healthcare is still far behind. Spooner also reflects on his own career, where we stand in terms of interoperability, and why perspective can be the best gift for leaders.

Chapter 1



* 35 years with Sharp Healthcare

* Value-based care’s origins

* “It was a lot of experimentation. We knew the next step in the evolution was an EHR.”

* Investing little by little to build a “robust environment”

* HITECH – “We saw the money as a bonus; a recovery of investments we already made.”

* Workflow challenges that remain

* Working as an advisor – “It’s interesting and rewarding.”



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Bold Statements

Reimbursements were getting cut. Managed care was coming into California, and all of a sudden, we were receiving a capitated payment and having to figure out how to provide the services for it. That pushed us into doing a lot of innovative things in the financial management area.

We had to make smart investments. And as we made an investment, we really looked carefully. We didn’t buy anything that we didn’t need. We tended to negotiate very thoroughly. We were looking to get the best results with the investments we were making.

Meaningful Use was the gotcha that we didn’t really appreciate when the monies first started coming in. It’s one of those things that lives forever, and today I question whether it was the right idea at the time.

You’re trying to adapt this system that the vendors produce for you with some flexibility, with the workflows you’ve developed over the years that have a lot flexibility, and bring the two of them together into a way that allows you to collect the data efficiently and to practice the kind of care you want to practice — that’s a challenge.

Gamble:  Hi Bill, thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us.

Spooner:  Thank you, Kate. I’m glad to be here.

 

Gamble:  I’m looking forward to getting your thoughts on where the industry is today, and where it’s going. But first, I’d like to talk about your career. You were with Sharp Healthcare for more than 30 years, correct?

Spooner:  Yes. I was with Sharp for 32 years, but I actually have 35 years tenure because I was with a related organization before coming to San Diego.

 

Gamble:  I’m sure you know how rare it is to have spent pretty much all of your career with one organization.

Spooner:  It is rare. But interestingly, when you look at health systems, you see long-time employees of 40 and 50 years — it makes my tenure look short. I think that’s part of the nature of health systems and hospitals.

 

Gamble:  During that time, I imagine there were several different periods of transition. Looking back, was there a time period that stood out as being one of dramatic change?

Spooner:  It’s really hard to pick one. But when I was at Sharp, the 1990s were really pivotal for us because we were merging into an integrated delivery n...