Hackensack Meridian Health on Wednesday announced the hire of Kash Patel as its new chief information and digital engagement officer.

WHY IT MATTERS
Patel arrives at Hackensack Meridian – which has grown by merger and acquisition in recent years into New Jersey's largest health network – from his most recent role at Penn Medicine.

In Philadelphia, he served as chief digital technology officer, leading innovation, digital transformation, infrastructure and software development at the Perlman School of Medicine and elsewhere.

Patel has more than two decades of IT experience at healthcare and other organizations. He served as vice president of population health and analytics for a dozen years at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. Before that, he developed software and managed delivery teams for companies such as Avaya.

He holds a degree in engineering from the University of Sheffield in the UK.

THE LARGER TREND
Hackensack Meridian has grown substantially over the past five years. The health system itself was created by the mega-merger of Hackensack University Health Network and Neptune, New Jersey-based Meridian Health. In 2018, it got even bigger through its merger with Edison, New Jersey-based JFK Health. Since 2019, it has been working to gain approval for another merger, with Englewood Health.

Hackensack Meridian has long been a technology leader, too, with a committed and satisfied workforce. It was a perennial top-finisher in Healthcare IT News' old Best Hospital IT Departments feature.

ON THE RECORD
"Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hackensack Meridian Health IT team has done an incredible job seamlessly leading team members through the network's transition to Google Cloud," said Patel. "I look forward to being part of this talented team and helping to enhance the patient experience while advancing research and innovation."

"We are pleased to welcome Kash Patel to the Hackensack Meridian Health family," said Hackensack Meridian Health CEO Robert C. Garrett, in a statement. "His focus on innovation and building strong teams in the healthcare industry will help our network continue transforming health care delivery for patients across New Jersey."

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