Crozer Health Recruits Clinical Informatics Leader

Samuel L. Alfano, D.O.

At the dawn of a major upgrade to its electronic medical record (EMR), Crozer Health recruited a director of clinical informatics to help lead the project.

Samuel L. Alfano, D.O., brings to Crozer Health a great depth of experience in health care informatics. He was formerly regional chief medical information officer for Catholic Health Initiatives, responsible for informatics at 34 hospitals and 400 outpatient facilities in 11 states.

During his time there, he served as clinical lead for EMR implementations, which included Meditech, Cerner, Allscripts and EPIC. At Crozer Health , Alfano will be helping launch a new Cerner Millennium platform this year, to upgrade the health system’s current EMR.

“Crozer Health ’s plan to upgrade its informatics architecture requires participation from the best in the field, which is why we recruited Dr. Alfano,” says Thomas J. Bader, M.D., the system’s chief medical officer. “His talent, particularly with the Cerner brand, will be of substantial value to our community as the new EMR at Crozer Health facilities will dramatically impact our patients’ experiences.”

The Cerner Millennium platform will enable physicians, nurses and the entire Crozer Health staff to share data and streamline processes across the organization. Through seamless integration and easy access to patient records across the health system, Cerner Millennium delivers the complete patient picture, allowing clinicians to act quickly, make more informed decisions and deliver safe, superior patient care.

Alfano also has held positions in medical operations oversight and practice leadership at Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pa., and the St. Joseph Regional Health Network in Reading, Pa. He is board certified in both internal medicine and geriatrics, and earned his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Alfano is published extensively in the field of clinical informatics, and he is board certified in clinical informatics by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. He has also taught information systems management at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

In addition to his leadership role in Crozer Health ’s clinical informatics, Alfano will also see patients at Internal Medicine Associates at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Upland, Pa.