EHR Vendor MEDITECH Announces New Chief Operating Officer

EHR vendor MEDITECH has announced Executive Vice President Helen Waters as its new chief operating officer. She will work in both roles in tandem.

In this new position, MEDITECH said Waters will define the strategic direction of MEDITECH, set operational priorities, and place communication strategies. In addition to these responsibilities, Waters will lead customer engagement, product direction, business partnerships and offer executive oversight to other MEDITECH leaders.

“Helen is keen to challenge the status quo and consider new organizational structures, business models, and approaches to deliver the best outcome for the customers and the company,” CEO Michelle O’Connor stated in the press release.

 “Her approach and skills overall have served us very well. Helen has moved MEDITECH forward in every capacity and position she has undertaken throughout her career. She lives up to her reputation as being a customer-focused leader, and her dedication will help shape us for a long and successful future. I am excited to work with Helen to shape the next chapters for MEDITECH,” O’Connor added.

Since 2018, Waters has served as a member of the College of Information Management Executives (CHIME) foundation board. Her involvement highlights her commitment to addressing issues that impact healthcare IT, MEDITECH said.

Waters was a significant figure in growing MEDITECH’s presence in the midwest. She also served as a lead business relationship manager for Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), one of the largest MEDITECH customers.

"I'm delighted to be taking on this new role, as I see tremendous opportunity and potential for MEDITECH," stated Waters. "We are meeting the needs of both large and small healthcare organizations, as they face complex challenges and many new opportunities with evolving care delivery models. We are incredibly proud of our customers and the impact we have made together in the evolution of health IT, but we are even more excited about what lies ahead.”

Recently, MEDITECH received a 2021 CHIME Collaboration Award for its health IT partnership with Jim Jirjis, chief health information officer of HCA Healthcare. The partnership produced innovations to better healthcare IT, such as the INSPIRE Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. The program used intelligent prompts and custom codes to guarantee medication recommendations for pneumonia patients.

MEDITECH said the partnership enhanced medication management efficiency and accuracy; pharmacists can now draft patient discharge medication as “pending” until the physician confirms.

“We have high regard for the success of HCA Healthcare,” said Waters. “Throughout our multiple decades of partnership, they have proven you can be both focused on quality healthcare and fiscal responsibility while driving impactful innovation.”