Jeff Gautney, CIO at Rush University System for Health, reveals how partners including Salesforce and Ahead are powering its digital transformation
RUSH UNIVERSITY SYSTEM FOR HEALTH
Jeff Gautney, CIO at Rush University System for Health, reveals how partners including Salesforce and Ahead are powering its digital transformation
Rush University System for Health predates the founding of Chicago itself. It would not be a stretch to say it has been woven into the fabric of the city for generations. Jeff Gautney, SVP and CIO at Rush, describes the organisation as a Chicagoland-based health system.
“ We serve Illinois, Southeastern Wisconsin and Northwestern Indiana,” Jeff explains.“ We have a dual mission: innovation, because we’ re a university and academic health centre, and equity, raising the health of the whole community.”
Rush’ s mission is very straightforward. Rush’ s CEO often notes that closing the“ death gap” between neighbouring communities is less likely to be profitable compared to simply studying it.
Rush’ s academic centre sits in Chicago’ s West Loop, an integrated system with two community hospitals in Oak Park and Aurora, and 30 + ambulatory locations. Rush’ s service lines include oncology, neurology, orthopaedics and cardiology.
The university includes colleges of nursing, medicine and health sciences – each with programmes that have been ranked by U. S. News & World Report.
Quality, Jeff says, is the organisation’ s defining trait:“ We’ ve been number two in Vizient, one of the top 20 hospitals in the country based on the U. S. News & World Report ranking for seven years running and, by almost every quality measure, we’ re viewed as the top health system in Chicago.”
A health system transformed Jeff joined Rush in 2021, between the two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unsurprisingly, it was a period of exhaustion and pent-up demand across the organisation.
Rush had treated more COVID patients than any other Chicago health system, but that effort came at a cost: chronic underinvestment in basic infrastructure, from printers and licensing to its ERP system.
“ It was really easy to figure out what to work on, because everywhere I looked there was something,” reflects Jeff.“ My rule of thumb is cybersecurity gets top billing. If it relates to making this a safer place, that’ s what we prioritise.”
That prioritisation evolved into a programme called Foundations, which is now in its third phase. Over five years, it has helped rebuild Rush’ s core software, data, hardware and cybersecurity infrastructure. rush. edu