We have exceptional teams in all of our departments to work with to develop strategies and plans to improve our capabilities and drive us forward.
—Rick McCarthy
He may be UConn Health’s new chief information officer, but he’s not new to UConn.
Thirty-two years after captaining the UConn men’s swim team and graduating with a bachelor’s degree in health systems management, Rick McCarthy returns to the University to lead the UConn health information technology department.
“Rick has a proven track record of implementing effective IT solutions in hospitals and the US Navy,” said Dr. Bruce T. Liang, interim CEO of UConn Health. “We look forward to his leadership and strategic expertise in health IT as we meet the growing demands of our growing academic health system. »
During his time between Storrs and Farmington, McCarthy held IT leadership positions at civilian and military medical institutions. He has spent the past four years as Chief Information Officer at White Plains Hospital, where he reconfigured the IT infrastructure and oversaw the transition to the Epic electronic health record system, adopted by UConn Health in 2018.
“When I was looking for a new opportunity and saw that UConn Health was looking for a new CIO, I jumped at the chance to apply,” McCarthy said.
According to McCarthy, the biggest challenges in health informatics are getting the most out of technology and securely managing patient data transmitted from outside traditional healthcare settings through smartwatches. , smart phones, personal medical monitoring and other devices.
“UConn Health is well positioned,” he says. “Most importantly, we have a great IT team that manages and supports our IT systems. Second, we have some of the best systems (e.g. Epic) that are a base to take advantage of these technologies. Finally, we have exceptional teams in our departments to work with to develop strategies and plans to improve our capabilities and drive us forward.
McCarthy served in the Navy from 1991 to 2012, retiring with the rank of major. He has held various positions both at home and abroad, including CIO at a Naval Hospital in Italy, Medical CIO for the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Director of Corporate Information Assurance and Security IT at Navy Medical Headquarters in Washington, DC, and Chief Operating Officer. in a NATO trauma center in Afghanistan.
“I was fortunate that the Navy Medical Service Corps trained me to be a leader, healthcare administrator, and healthcare technologist.” said McCarthy. “This experience is the foundation from which I am able to work with our leaders and leaders at UConn Health to plan for our future and deliver systems that support our strategic and operational priorities, while empowering our staff and patients to have a positive user experience. .”
McCarthy lives in Monroe with his wife, Joelle, and three children, Beth, Lauren and Zachary. He succeeds Dr. Adam Buckley, who served as UConn Health’s interim chief information officer since July 2021.
