Siemens Healthcare announced Friday the appointment of long-time Partners Healthcare CIO John Glaser as chief executive officer of Siemens Health Services Business Unit. Glaser, who sits on the editorial board of Healthcare IT News, will be responsible for leading Siemens’s global healthcare IT business, including product development, strategy, portfolio management, financial performance and overall customer satisfaction.

When Glaser's appointment goes into effect on Aug. 16, he will begin leading more than 4,500 employees, multiple health information system brands, a robust Global Services arm and Siemens’s Information Systems Center.

Tom Miller, CEO, Workflow & Solutions Division, Siemens Healthcare Sector, said Glaser "is regarded as one of the world’s most influential experts on healthcare information technology, and it is a great privilege for me to welcome him to Siemens Healthcare."

He added that, through his private and public roles, Glaser "has shaped the way that hospitals, physicians and regulators are currently embracing information technology to deliver safer, faster and more efficient healthcare while also addressing concerns of privacy, security and cost savings. This expertise and insight will be a tremendous asset to Siemens as we continue to lead the delivery of innovative IT solutions to the marketplace."

Most recently, Glaser served as adviser to David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for healthcare IT, providing counsel to the Office of the National Coordinator and the Department of Health and Human Services on the HITECH portions of the federal government's stimulus bill, particularly regarding national efforts to adopt electronic medical records.

Since 1995, Glaser served as vice president and CIO of Partners HealthCare in Boston, directing IT for an organization of 10 hospitals, 7,000 physicians and 45,000 employees, including a team of 1,300 IT professionals.

He is founding chair of the College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME), past president of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and has served on multiple industry boards.  Glaser received the 1994 John Gall CIO of the Year award and CHIME has established a scholarship in his name.

“Throughout our 17-year history, CHIME has had the distinct privilege of John’s guidance and leadership,” said CHIME President and CEO Rich Correll. “His ability to tackle the steepest of learning curves has been evident in his career growth as a CIO and in the additional leadership roles he has assumed, such as his recent position at ONC.”

Glaser’s new role will be help benefit both Siemens and the CIOs of CHIME, Correll added. “With John’s vast knowledge of the provider side of healthcare, and the needs of CIOs, he is certain to facilitate more closely aligned product offerings in the best interests of our members and the industry,” he said.

Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, president and CEO of Partners HealthCare, echoed those sentiments. "John Glaser has helped put Partners HealthCare on the forefront of health information technology nationally and has enabled us to deliver safer care to our patients," he said. "John's work at Partners has shaped the conversation about electronic medical records and his efforts have helped to improve the American health care delivery system."

(This story was updated on June 28.)