St. Luke’s Hospital announces Nick Whichard has joined the staff as the information services director. With 18 years of information technology experience, Whichard has a strong background in telecommunications and healthcare information systems.

His formal education is focused in information technology and health sciences. He is certified by the American Board of Imaging Informatics as an Imaging Informatics Professional.  He worked as a telecommunications supervisor in the United States Army, managed Clinical Support Systems for eight years, and most recently, worked as the Epic Enterprise Training Project and End User Support Manager at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he received several awards and recognition.

“St. Luke’s IT team is a committed and talented group. I hope to add to their existing strengths by supporting patient safety efforts, capturing cost-saving opportunities, supporting reimbursements and improving the end user’s overall experience with software applications. I also hope we can implement new technologies to increase efficiencies,” says Whichard.

One of Whichard’s first tasks at St. Luke’s Hospital will be to understand its current state.

“It is difficult to go forward until you understand where you are,” Whichard explains. “This will include an inventory of existing systems and their cost, meeting with key stakeholders within the hospital for their input, interviewing each member of the IT team and reviewing the IT project list (existing and future) to make sure they are aligned with the overall goals and strategies of St. Luke’s Hospital,” he said.

Whichard is very excited to begin at St. Luke’s Hospital. “St. Luke’s Hospital is very different from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) where I have worked the last 16 years. These differences are positives for me. I was looking for a smaller, more focused organization. After interviewing with staff, it was clear the culture here was one of patient first, respect for all, close knit family and seeking to do the best for the community. This is extremely appealing to me,” says Whichard.

Ken Shull, St. Luke’s Hospital’s CEO, is looking forward to utilizing Whichard’s expertise with physician training. “As the manager of the EPIC Enterprise training project, Nick gained experience and expertise in bringing new users along as we continue to implement electronic health records. This is a huge investment for our hospital, so we look to Nick to help lead our staff and physicians to a higher level of confidence and understanding.”

Currently, Whichard resides in Shelby, N.C. When not working, his focus is on his faith, taking care of his family, teaching classes in the community and helping others.  For fun, he and his family enjoy joining local community events, visiting neighboring cities, sampling local cuisines and attending sporting events.

Submitted by Jennifer Wilson