Q&A with CIO Pamela McNutt: “Deliberate Growth,” Being Financially Focused & Looking for ‘Gotchas’

Since Pamela McNutt first became CIO at Methodist Health System back in 1993, the role itself, along with the industry, has undergone a significant transformation. “When I got here, IT was doing basic automation of administrative functions,” she said in a recent interview with Kate Gamble, Managing Editor of healthsystemCIO. Now, CIOs are seen as consultants who must have a wide range of knowledge on everything from cloud computing to finances to contract negotiations.

It’s a big change, and one that she believes “is only going to get more dramatic” in the coming years.  And McNutt, who has been recognized numerous times as one of the most influential leaders in healthcare IT, is up for the challenge. During the discussion, she talked about what it’s been like to serve the same organization for so many years—and what has kept her at Methodist. McNutt also shared insights on the major transformations her team has led; the “herculean efforts” during the pandemic; why CIOs need to be “financially focused,” and the value of being involved in advocacy work.

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Key Takeaways



* On growing from the ground up: “We very carefully select sites for growth, and then build new hospitals in emerging communities. We’ve been very successful with that.”

* On Methodist’s binding culture: “You can tell pretty quickly if somebody really doesn’t believe in and isn’t engaged in our culture and our mission. They generally don’t last very long.

* On standardization as a foundation: “my helpdesk can so quickly and accurately address a need on one of their devices because of the great deal of standardization that we’ve done and the tools we’ve put in place. What we’re contributing to the organization is that rapid response.”

* On “heroic” efforts during Covid: “What struck me was how they would do anything to make sure patients who were isolated from their families could make contact with them through electronic means. It was quite a passion for my teams to get that done.”

* On being financially focused: “You have to have a broad grasp of the financial impact of your operations. You have to be able to guide other people as they’re looking at proposals for a system, or a program that has an IT component.





Q&A with Pamela McNutt, CIO, Methodist Health System

Gamble:  First off, congratulations on 30 years. That’s really remarkable.  I don’t have to tell you that in this industry, being in the same organization is amazing.

McNutt:  That’s true. It is unusual. I know from how many people I’ve known in the industry, there are some – like I think David Weiss had 30 years before he retired at Barnes-Jewish Christian, but it’s not very common.

 

“Deliberate” growth & conservative finances

Gamble:  No, certainly not. So, I’d like to talk about the organization has evolved over the years, as well as your role. When you have the type of growth Methodist Health has had in recent years, I would think that comes with challenges. You have to make sure it’s done in a sustainable way. Has that been a very deliberate approach?

McNutt:  Yes, we are very deliberate about it. A few of our hospitals have been added through acquisition, and then others we’ve grown from the ground up. We’re probably best at growing from the ground up. I think that’s been a great testament to Methodist; we very carefully select sites for growth, and then build new hospitals in emerging communities. We’ve been very successful with that.

But we are very deliberate in everything we do.