Kathy Ross, VP & CIO, Sacred Heart Health System and Providence Hospital, Chapter 3

If Kathy Ross could offer one piece of advice to fellow CIOs — especially those who are new in the role — it’s this: don’t try to do everything on your own. That might mean finding a mentor, networking with peers, or just reaching out to others going through similar experiences. And in fact, one of the key advantages in being part of an organization like Ascension is the ability to share best practices, something that comes in handy when your team is replacing the acute and ambulatory EHRs at the same time. In this interview, Ross talks about how she balances the roles of CIO at both Sacred Heart Health System and Providence Hospital, the work her team is doing with Optum to give physicians “a clear picture,” and what she believes is the most difficult aspect of the EHR overhaul. She also shares her thoughts on change management, patient engagement, and leadership.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3



* Using care navigators to engage patients

* 20 years of dramatic change — “IT is constantly changing.”

* Previous CIO role at Beaufort Memorial

* Her leadership style: “I give them guidance, but there’s no micromanaging.”

* A responsibility to mentor

* Advice for CIOs: Don’t be afraid



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Bold Statements

It’s a new world in healthcare right now — to get people and individuals to take ownership of their health in general is a change. It’s not really the way that healthcare has ever been done.

The first year was quite challenging, but the biggest part of it was learning the environment, learning the culture, learning the structure of Ascension as a whole. Once I was passed that part, it was great.

I allow them to be their own boss, if you will. I empower them to make the right decisions, I support them, I give them the guidance and mentoring, the leadership that they need, but there’s no micromanaging in my organization.

I had a great mentor that helped me to grow and to be where I am today, so I’ve always felt that’s a leadership responsibility that we prepare and grow our employees so they can take the next step.

Don’t try to do everything on your own — ask people, reach out, network. The best thing that you can do is have a solid network to help you with your problems.

Gamble:  The other part that’s really starting to take a bigger stage is patient engagement. This is something where the levels of participation can be so different across organizations. How has the experience been in your hospitals as far as patients getting engaged in their health and adopting portals?

Ross:  It’s a challenge, it really is. The thing that we find is that the people who are engaged are generally not the ones who use a lot of the healthcare. So for the population that really needs to be engaged, it’s a challenge. We have, of course, a portal, just like most people. We also have, especially in our ACOs, care navigators to assist the patients who really need help to be engaged.

It’s a new world in healthcare right now — to get people and individuals to take ownership of their health in general is a change. It’s not really the way that healthcare has ever been done. It was more, ‘I’ll do whatever the doctor says,’ and now we’re moving to, ‘we need you to participate to make sure that you stay healthy.’ And we’re doing probably the same thing that every other organization is doing. We’re trying to educate our patients; we’re providing different levels of opportunities for them to be enga...