CommonSpirit Health announced this week that it has chosen Daniel Barchi to be its new chief information officer.

WHY IT MATTERS
Barchi, who starts on Nov. 7, has more than two decades of health information technology and digital transformation experience at large and complex healthcare systems.

At CommonSpirit, his job will be to bring "vision and leadership to support growth, operational performance, digital innovation and IT security," according to the health system's announcement of his hire.

Barchi served most recently for seven years as CIO of New York-Presbyterian, where he managed clinical and information business systems, analytics, information security and telehealth.

Before that, he was CIO at both Yale New Haven Health System and Yale School of Medicine, where he led initiatives including implementation of an integrated electronic health record across three hospitals and launched a cybersecurity operations center. He has also served as CIO of Carilion Clinic.

Barchi holds a masters in engineering management from Old Dominion University and a bachelor of science degree from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, where he was Brigade Commander and served at sea. He twice earned the Navy Commendation Medal for Superior Leadership and has served on the boards of various corporations.

In his new role, Barchi will report to CommonSpirit CEO Wright Lassiter III.

THE LARGER TREND
CommonSpirit has faced a challenging few months, with the 142-hospital health system experiencing a security incident in early October that forced it to take certain IT systems offline, including some EHRs.

The incident, later confirmed to be a ransomware attack, disabled the health system for several weeks and reportedly disrupted medical operations across 21 states. Chicago-based CommonSpirit – the country's biggest Catholic health system and second-largest nonprofit hospital chain – was forced to scramble to maintain patient care while it conducted a forensics investigation into the attack and worked to get the EHR back online.

Early in his tenure, Barchi will "engage with internal and external stakeholders [and] support the ongoing response to the recent cyberattack," said CommonSpirit's announcement.

ON THE RECORD
"The CIO role is integral to our ministry, and the addition of Daniel to our team will help us further advance our mission in the communities we serve," said Lassiter in a statement. "I have no doubt that his expertise and leadership will help CommonSpirit deliver a more integrated digital experience for our patients, providers, and employees."

"It’s a privilege to join a mission-oriented organization focused on improving the health of so many people," said Barchi. "I’m excited about the many opportunities to leverage technology that can increase access to health care and support those who are delivering that care each day. I look forward to supporting CommonSpirit’s transformative work to improve the health and well-being of its communities."

Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com
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