Michael Saad, MBA, CHCIO, CDHE

I'm a Chief Digital Information Officer for a regional health system, leading technology strategy for eight hospitals, dozens of clinics, and the teams who care for patients across a broad rural footprint.

Over the past two decades, I've worked in academic medical centers, large integrated health systems, community hospitals, and healthcare consulting. I've led enterprise EHR and ERP implementations, built cybersecurity programs from the ground up, migrated data centers to the cloud, and opened a new hospital with a fully integrated technology infrastructure. I've also served as interim CIO twice, stepped into operational crises, and navigated mergers where two IT organizations had to become one.

In 2022, I was honored with the Tennessee ORBIE CIO of the Year award. I've been named to Becker's Healthcare "Top CIOs to Know" multiple times, and I currently chair the Technology Committee for a statewide hospital association. I've also served on boards for healthcare and nonprofit organizations and have chaired technology committees for state hospital associations.

What drives me isn't the technology itself. It's what technology makes possible. Better clinical decisions. Safer patient care. Teams that can do their best work. Communities that can access care when they need it most.

I write here because healthcare IT is changing fast, and most of the conversation happens behind closed doors in vendor demos and board meetings. I think there's value in reflecting out loud on what's working, what's hard, and what other leaders might find useful as they navigate the same challenges.

I also write because leadership is learned through practice, failure, and the willingness to keep getting better. If something I share here helps another leader make a smarter decision, avoid a mistake I made, or think differently about a problem, that's worth the effort.

Outside of work, I spend time with my wife and three adult children. I'm a believer in mentorship, a fan of good barbecue, and someone who's learned that the best leadership lessons often come from places that have nothing to do with technology.