Q&A with Nebraska Methodist CIO Kent Sona: “It’s about Caring for the Whole Person.”

Vendor relationships don’t have to be difficult — as long as they’re approached the right way.

Kent Sona is a firm believer in that. At Nebraska Methodist Health System, where he has held the CIO role since 2018, his team has always viewed vendor partnerships as precisely that: a partnership. “It’s not them and us; it’s us. That’s what I always preach to my staff,” he said during a recent interview with Kate Gamble, Managing Editor and Director of Social Media at healthsystemCIO.

In fact, he views vendors as extension of the team, inviting them to “roadmap sessions.” In exchange, he expects them to be responsive and ready to roll up their sleeves. “If any issue comes up, we get on a bridge call and work through it collectively.”

Because, like any health system, there is a lot they must work through. In the discussion, Sona talked about how Methodist is tackling the biggest challenges in healthcare today through innovation and strategic partnerships. He also discussed the qualities he values most in future leaders, what it takes to successfully incorporate social determinants of health into the care picture, and the valuable lessons he learned during his time in the military.

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Key Takeaways



* Methodist is tackling two of its key areas of focus — consumerism and efficiencies — by partnering with Oracle-Cerner on capacity management and pre-registration initiatives.

* One of the key components in leveraging social determinants is to “close the loop” by ensuring patients receive the care they need, and their providers are kept up to date.

* “A vendor partnership is truly that: a partnership. It’s not them and us, it’s us.” At Methodist, Sona’s team holds up their end by conducing regular meetings and “roadmap sessions” with vendors.

* Innovation isn’t just coming up with good ideas; it’s “getting the business engaged and letting them drive it.”

* The quality Sona values most in team members is a willingness to take ownership — even if it’s outside of the normal realm. “If someone reaches out to us, own it. Own and run with it.”





Q&A with Kent Sona, CIO, Nebraska Methodist Health System

Gamble:  Hi Kent, it’s great to speak with you. Let’s start with a high-level overview of the organization — where you’re located, what you have in terms of hospitals, things like that.

Sona:  Nebraska Methodist Health System is located in Nebraska. We have four hospitals: Methodist Hospital, Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital, Methodist Women’s Hospital, which is really focused on women’s health and labor and delivery, and then we have Methodist Fremont Health. We also have 34 clinic locations.

We do about 28,000 discharges a year; around 46,000 surgeries; and 670,000 clinic visits. We do have a little over 1,200 students tied to a nursing and health allied college that’s attached to our system, and we also run a distribution company in four states here for linens and different equipment.

 

Gamble:  What do you consider to be your core objectives?

Sona:  From a technology perspective, our primary areas of focus are around consumerism, security, and efficiencies within the system. Those are our key areas.

 

Gamble:  Let’s talk about efficiencies. What are you doing in that space?

Sona:  From an efficiency perspective, we have some solutions we’re putting in place around capacity management. We’re working with Oracle-Cerner on discharge progression boards that allow nurses to more quickly see the barriers to discharge and make changes to get pati...