News Release

Contact:    Rebecca Sutcliffe
rsutcliffe@cphospital.org
Corporate Communications – 261-5401

October 29, 2009

Kahn Named Interim CIO at CPH

Phil Kahn, a principal consultant with Hayes Management Consulting of Newton Centre, MA, has been named Interim CIO of Canton-Potsdam Hospital following the departure of Corey Zeigler. Mr. Zeigler had been the Hospital’s CIO since 2005.

Mr. Kahn has over 15 years of experience in health care. He came to the Hospital to head up its information technology strategic planning process as a consultant. Kahn was formerly a senior managing consultant at IBM, a senior managing consultant at Healthlink, and a CIO at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, NY. He holds an MBA in Information Technology from the University at Albany, an MS in Operations Research from Union College, and a BS in mathematics and physics from the University at Albany.

“Phil’s leadership in the interim fits well with this transitional time for Canton-Potsdam Hospital in terms of its information technology,” said Hospital Chief Financial Officer Richard Jacobs. “Across the nation, hospitals are facing intense pressure to create electronic medical records (EMR). We put the infrastructure in place long ago to prepare us for the evolution to an EMR, and now we’ll need to make some strategic choices about the right direction for ensuring that digital record-keeping realizes its promise for greater coordination of care for patients, and greater ease of use for care givers,” said Jacobs. “Phil has been intimately involved in every aspect of our IT strategic planning process, and brings an industry perspective that will help us make the right choice,” he added.

Canton-Potsdam Hospital’s Information Systems Department provides technical guidance and support for inpatient and outpatient care services, as well as for administrative functions across all units of the Hospital, including its clinics. CPH also provides information systems support to E. J. Noble Hospital of Gouverneur, Carthage Area Hospital, Clifton Fine Hospital, and River Hospital in Alexandria Bay, NY.

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NR/09-142