Excela Health Welcomes New Chief Information Officer
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GREENSBURG, PA, Sept. 18, 2022 … Excela Health continues to advance its commitment to the safe, effective and meaningful utilization of information technology and business technology systems in welcoming Vasanth Balu as the new Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for the health system. He will help to set and lead the technology strategy for the enterprise following the retirement of Janice Devine earlier this year.
Balu brings more than 22 years of information technology experience to his role. For the past decade he has held various leadership positions with Optum and led large-scale initiatives by executing IT strategies that resulted in greater productivity and cost savings. In particular, he was responsible for implementing technology solutions that improve the care of the community, advance provider capabilities, and improve operational efficiency.
“Excela’s commitment to information technology as a means to improve the quality and safety of patient care in our community as well as enhance day-to-day operations is unwavering,” said John M. Sphon, Excela Health Chief Executive Officer. “Vasanth will help us keep pressing forward in this regard as we leverage his expertise to evaluate and implement the best tools and processes within the healthcare setting.”
Balu was responsible for the design, development, and implementation of innovative health care technologies in New Mexico, Utah, and Idaho for Optum Behavioral health. In addition, he has received the Optum Innovation award for leading the Salesforce Provider Stitch program and leveraging the reusable IT frameworks for Optum’s multiple clients.
Before joining Optum, Balu played pivotal IT leadership roles in Medco Health Solutions, TMG health, and ESPN.
He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Marist College and earned his MBA in Business Administration from International Technological University with an emphasis in Information Systems.
Excela Health is recognized by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), among the Most Wired healthcare organizations for the second consecutive year. The honor reflects Excela Health’s demonstrated commitment to implementing technologies and strategies such as population health/cost-of-care analytics, health information exchange integration and patient portals to help analyze data and to achieve meaningful clinical and efficiency outcomes. Excela also deploys more advanced technologies, like telehealth, to expand access to care beyond traditional settings.
