Where do you work, how long have you been there, and what kinds of projects are you working on?

I am currently employed at LifePoint Health as the Director of Clinical Technology – Ambulatory/Post-Acute Systems. I have been at LifePoint for about 3.5 years. I lead a team that focuses on the EMR implementation support, project management, build and configuration, and technical operations of the eClinicalWorks and athenaHealth applications for nearly 1,600 employed providers across our physician practice enterprise. My teams work closely with our physician service operators to ensure that we are driving patient engagement strategy execution, enhancing operational efficiencies through proper implementation of technology solutions, and focus on the overall strategy of clinical technology deployments across the LifePoint enterprise.

Describe your path to becoming a TN HIMSS Ambassador. How did you first become interested in health IT, and what motivated you to become more involved in the state’s HIMSS chapter?

I have always been enamored with technology since I was young, though I began my health IT career roughly 8 years ago when I started working on EMR implementation deployments in multi-specialty clinics across the US. I became involved with HIMSS and the TN Chapter after completing the HIT Workforce Accelerator Program, co-sponsored by the TN HIMSS Chapter and the Belmont University Executive Education Program back in 2015. I have a passion for understanding and utilizing technology to enhance patient care and healthcare overall in the US, and feel that HIMSS, and more specifically, the TN HIMSS Chapter, is poised to be a change agent in this challenging effort.

What excites you most about health IT? What do you see as being the biggest challenges that the industry faces?

I truly believe that health IT is positioned to bring huge value to our complex and broken healthcare industry. With the advances in technology in other industries, consumerism and transparency is quickly gaining momentum and will fundamentally change healthcare over the coming decade. I am excited to see how the new and emerging technologies (blockchain, AI, IOT, machine learning, etc.) will positively impact the healthcare ecosystem, so I plan on keeping a watchful eye on how these technologies mature in the coming years. The biggest challenge the industry faces, in my opinion, are related to the fact that the incentive structures for patients/consumers, as well as other stakeholders in the industry are misaligned. A tumultuous policy environment makes it challenging as well, as the innovations in technology are moving faster than policies are able to keep up with.

You are a graduate of the Workforce Accelerator Program, you received a CPHIMS Certification, and you now have a Healthcare MBA from Belmont University. You would be what I call a “Lifelong Learner.” What advice would you give those who are early in their health IT careers and who are looking to grow professionally?

I have studied many successful businessmen, entrepreneurs, and leaders across various industries and sectors for years. The one underlying theme that the vast majority (if not all) of these successful individuals carry is their hunger for learning and growth. They are all lifelong learners. I believe I have this same hunger for knowledge and improving myself each day (my personal motto). I feel like the more I learn and grow, the more it enlightens me on how little I actually know, which continues to fuel my hunger for learning and gaining knowledge even more.

My advice to young and aspiring professionals would be to get better every day. Whether that is setting goals to read trade publications or industry articles on the latest trends and news, or simply reading books that are relevant to the industry, business, or leadership in general. Just be consistent and make incremental improvements to yourself (professionally, physically, mentally, etc.) each and every day. The more you learn, the more you will grow, and the more you grow, the greater success you will gain in your career. And, of course, being a good person with high integrity is a key foundation to anyone highly successful, so always have that mentality at your base.

Nashville SC is making a serious statement in the team’s inaugural season in the USL. As a native of Nashville and a former collegiate soccer player, are you surprised to see how popular soccer has become here?

I am so thrilled and excited about professional soccer in Nashville! As a Nashville native, I grew up following the Nashville Metros (and the various iterations they went through) and when the Metros folded, I was disappointed in the void it left the city. That is why I got involved as a Board member of what is now Nashville Soccer Club, and I am so excited to see the success they have had in their inaugural United Soccer League (USL) season. They have a great leadership team and ownership group that has done a fantastic job, and I cannot wait to see it mature into an MLS soccer franchise in the coming years. Nashville is such an amazing and growing city that another major sports franchise is just what it needed to continue the momentum and evolution of the city as a whole.