Harlan Baker Named to ‘Hospital CIOs to Know’ National List

MACOMB, Ill. – For the second year in a row, McDonough District Hospital’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) Harlan Baker was selected by Becker’s Hospital Review as a ‘Community Hospital CIO to Know’.

Baker, who was one of 100 CIO’s mentioned on last year’s list, made the list of ’72 Community Hospital CIOs to Know’ in 2018.

A 38-year employee at MDH, Baker has worked in the Information Systems department since 1990. As the organization’s CIO since 2016, Baker oversaw MDH’s transition to an integrated electronic health record (EHR) system. He worked with Cerner to implement the “Healthy Athlete” application, which allows athletic trainers to check on injured athletes over iPads.

“Earning this recognition is a team effort. It honors the whole staff and the work they do to provide the best patient experience from the time they check in to checking their medical records at any time through our Patient Portal system,” said Baker. “Our goal is to do what’s right for the health of our patients, the betterment of the community, and our providers who serve them.”

Hospitals and health systems rely on CIOs and IT department leaders to develop a long-term technology strategy and oversee EMR implementation, as well as support telehealth, data-gathering and cybersecurity initiatives. Those who lead community hospital and health system IT departments encounter unique challenges in connecting staff members at many locations and providing access to care for rural Americans with limited resources.

Hospitals & Health Networks last year named MDH among Health Care’s Most Wired for rural and small providers.