Joining the Discussion

Siemens recently began sponsoring the Healthworks Collective and I am the first Siemens Healthcare contributor to this forum. With so many luminaries competing for your attention, we made the decision to participate in an independently moderated discussion.  Through this platform, we can learn from colleagues around the world and I look forward to being part of this community. One thing I won’t do is use this forum to promote Siemens Healthcare products or solutions.

Siemens recently began sponsoring the Healthworks Collective and I am the first Siemens Healthcare contributor to this forum. With so many luminaries competing for your attention, we made the decision to participate in an independently moderated discussion.  Through this platform, we can learn from colleagues around the world and I look forward to being part of this community. One thing I won’t do is use this forum to promote Siemens Healthcare products or solutions.

This is my first contribution to the Healthworks Collective but it is not the first time I have contributed to a blog. In the past, I wrote (albeit irregularly) a column for a healthcare information technology community blog (www.HIStalk.com).  At the time I was Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Partners HealthCare. Since then, my career has brought me from the provider side to the vendor side and, while I will not bore you with my C.V., any one who wants to check out my professional background can do so here.

My role at Siemens and travels provide me with a global perspective for the issues affecting providers. Nearly ubiquitous is the concept that more must be done with less. There is a need for those delivering care to work harder, achieving better results (faster!) while taking on new responsibilities. In my business and in healthcare, across the board, I see people step up to meet those challenges every day and that’s what makes me proud to be a contributor in this area. I look forward to sharing those experiences with you in this community. Here’s to an exciting and rewarding 2012!

John Glaser, PhD, is Chief Executive Officer of the Health Services Business Unit of Siemens Healthcare, Malvern, Pa. Dr. Glaser is responsible for heading Siemens’ global healthcare IT business, including product development, strategy, portfolio management, financial performance, and overall customer satisfaction. In this capacity, he leads over 4,500 employees, multiple health information system brands, a robust Global Services arm, and Siemens’ world-renowned Information Systems Center. Prior to joining Siemens, Dr. Glaser was Vice-President and Chief Information Officer, Partners HealthCare Inc., Boston. He was the founding chairman of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and a former Senior Advisor to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).