For the last two decades, Jonathan Miller has worked to develop IT systems for nonprofits in the healthcare space. Now serving as Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Spectrum Health Systems, Jonathan’s critical role has been to oversee the management and execution of the organization’s information technology strategy.
Before joining the Spectrum team, Jonathan worked for a charter school organization, helping develop systems for schools in some of the most underserved communities in the country. Later, he was taken on as CIO and Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) for the children’s behavioral health organization, You Inc. “I spent 10 years developing their electronic health records, and moving their systems forward technologically,” he said. There, his greatest initiative would be to oversee the organization’s transformation from paper-based to digital-based medical records.
When his tenure at Spectrum began two-and-a-half years ago, he had another major transformation to oversee. It was the onset of COVID-19, and Spectrum was faced with the difficult task of implementing an effective telehealth system. “It forced organizations to really quickly adopt new technologies and change the way they were doing business,” he said. “So, when large portions of the workforce were going home for the pandemic, my team came to an empty office every day, ensuring that our systems remained steady and our employees had what they needed to provide essential services to our clients.”
Spectrum’s initial telehealth implementation was designed to meet the most basic and pressing need of continuing to provide care despite the pandemic. In the time that has elapsed since, as it has become clear that telehealth isn’t a temporary method of service but a permanent one, Jonathan has continued his efforts to streamline the system and reinforce its security, assuring that appointments can be held safely and efficiently from a host of locations.
Along with his accomplishments in telehealth, Jonathan has worked to ensure that all of Spectrum’s records are organized and accessible. “From an operations standpoint, it’s our job to ensure that our employees have the data and the tools they need to help the organization meet its mission,” he said. It’s important that the information a clinician might need to make a decision regarding a client’s treatment plan isn’t siloed somewhere they don’t have access.
As technology continues to advance, and more of Spectrum’s partners grow to rely on digital reporting and record keeping, Jonathan focuses on ensuring that its partners can also send and receive information as needed. “We now have the ability to receive electronic referrals from some of our bigger partners directly into our system,” he said. “So, that way we’re not receiving a fax and printing it out to see and dissect the data we need.”
For Jonathan, data is a crucial aspect of Spectrum’s future. Having access to a client’s pertinent data is imperative for healthcare professionals. It’s what enables them to make life-saving decisions. By ensuring they have secure access to that data in real time, Jonathan helps them provide the best level of care.
For more information about working at Spectrum Health Systems, visit the careers page on our website.
