As a leader of transformational change at Ozarks Healthcare, it is no surprise that Priscilla Frase, MD, CMIO, and hospitalist was recently recognized as a 2024 HIMSS Changemaker in Health Award winner.
Dr. Frase has been with Ozarks Healthcare in the Chief Medical Information Officer role since joining the organization over ten years ago. In her decade-long tenure, she has successfully led the health system in the implementation of Expanse, and committed to the integration of Ozarks’ unique programs and specialty-focused areas into our intuitive and personalized MEDITECH EHR.
A shared understanding
On the This Week Health podcast, Dr. Frase shares insight that she has gained in her years of experience as a practicing physician. She brings an element of shared experience, knowledge, and responsibility to the clinicians at her organization. Physicians approach her with ease when they have feedback or concerns, knowing that she understands their struggles first-hand.
Holding an administrative role coupled with a clinical background, Dr. Frase has often shown her ability to bring stakeholders together as a seasoned leader in health IT. She is in a dual position where she is not only able to support and train physicians, but learn from other physicians as well.
During the Expanse implementation at Ozarks Healthcare, Dr. Frase excelled in earning provider support by illustrating the potential of the customizable and personalized features of the platform. Every provider operates differently and wants a workflow that best fits their personal needs, and Dr. Frase is no stranger to this sentiment. The Expanse implementation gave providers the opportunity to see their value as individuals with a unique voice, rather than feeling they needed to accept that generic functionalities were the only option.
Dr. Frase often turns to her clinical expertise in her role as CMIO when implementing improvements for her physicians, but also makes use of her unique perspective to ensure she is always considering what is best for her organization as a whole.
HIMSS Changemaker
The patient is at the heart of every initiative led by Dr. Frase at her organization, and is the reason she loves what she does. With technology that is always evolving, many healthcare professionals believe becoming a master of the EHR is what will allow them to do their job – caring for patients – to the best of their ability. But Dr. Frase has a different philosophy.
She believes the thing that will propel providers and end users forward at Ozarks Healthcare is to embrace change. “It's not becoming so much a master of the EHR, but a master of change because the EHR is always going to be changing,” explains Frase.
Dr. Frase’s continued dedication to her patients, community, and providers drives her to improve health outcomes and helps power Ozarks Healthcare toward transformational change. Dr. Priscilla Frase will be accepting her much deserved HIMSS Senior Executive Award at the 2024 HIMSS event.
Catch Dr. Frase at this year’s HIMSS conference, where she will participate in panel discussions along with other senior executive leaders.
