A few years ago, I did an interview with then MEDITECH CEO, Howard Messing, to look back at the 50 years MEDITECH had been providing IT software and solutions to healthcare. That interview gave me a new appreciation for the company and the success they’ve had all these years as they focus on their customers.
Given the relatively recent transition of leadership, I thought it would be a good time to check in with MEDITECH’s Executive Vice President & COO, Helen Waters. In our discussion, we cover a broad range of topics including how the leadership change has gone, the impact of COVID, and where they’re headed in the future.
Waters offered some great insights into the culture of MEDITECH and their efforts to continue that culture and legacy including a discussion of the majority female leadership team including their female CEO which is quite unique in the industry. She also highlighted how COVID had a tremendous impact on their organization and some of the functionality they’d built prior to COVID but hadn’t been adopted and utilized widely by customers became important for customers to start using quickly. Plus, I ask her how things like physician burnout have impacted MEDITECH’s approach to design and product development.
Outside of the leadership transition and COVID, I also ask Waters what MEDITECH is looking at next when it comes to innovation and innovative solutions for their customers. Given my recent conversation with MEDITECH and CommonWell about TEFCA and QHINs, I also wanted to get the MEDITECH Executive view of interoperability and the longer term vision there. Finally, I ask Waters what is the biggest misconception about MEDITECH that she hears about that isn’t fair.
If you want to get a feel for MEDITECH’s culture and approach to EHR and health IT, then you’ll enjoy this wide ranging discussion with Helen Waters from MEDITECH.
Learn more about MEDITECH: https://ehr.meditech.com/
Listen and subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today Interviews Podcast to hear all the latest insights from experts in healthcare IT.
And for an exclusive look at our top stories, subscribe to our newsletter.
Tell us what you think. Contact us here or on Twitter at @hcitoday. And if you’re interested in advertising with us, check out our various advertising packages and request our Media Kit.
Excellent interview with Helen Waters E.V.P and COO MEDITECH. I worked at Kelowna General Hospital (my boss was Dr. Duane Zilm PhD) in the early days (1990-1999) implementing software, training front-line users, and beyond into the community of Mental Health, Continuing Care/Home Care, and Public Health. So impressed with Helen and her vision. I was lucky to work with the best in the market, Systems Analyst and his reports were transformative across the continuum. He is still working with the MEDITECH user’s group called MUSE and coordinates the users groups/conference world-wide. That is one of the strengths of MEDITECH that should never be taken lightly. They are a user driven company and that is a strength. Please share with Helen how impressed I was with this video, and how confident I am in the company. I was honored to visit the facility and meet the teams and attend MUSE conferences many times. The challenge for us all is to make software for front-line across continuum (including all community agencies and esp Public Health and home care/Long term care) that can be shared with practitioners. COVID has shown us ho accurate data will drive decision making. Good, rapid, accurate data will save lives as decisions can be made faster. Well done and keep making video’s like this. Integrated information is the oil of the engine of reform – as per Dr. Duane Zilm, PhD, Kelowna General Hospital, Kelowna BC – and my dear friend. Barbara Carroll, Kelowna, BC