Full Name
Mitchell Thornbrugh
Job Title
Chief Information Officer
Company
IHS
Speaker Bio
Mr. Mitchell Thornbrugh is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Indian Health Service (IHS). The IHS, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is the principal federal health care advocate and provider for American Indians and Alaska Natives. He is an enrolled member of the Muscogee Creek Nation.
Mr. Thornbrugh leads the IHS in all aspects of information resource management and technology, and promotes adherence to federal information technology laws, regulations, and policies. Under his leadership, OIT designs, develops, implements, and maintains policies, budgets, standards, architecture, and systems for IHS information technology, to include the IHS Health IT Modernization Program. He also manages OIT’s participation in cross-government initiatives with federal, tribal, state, and other partners to serve American Indians and Alaska Natives.
As CIO, Mr. Thornbrugh is a key leader in the IHS Health IT Modernization Program. The Program offers an enterprise electronic health record (EHR) system to IHS health partners to provide consistent patient-centered care across Indian Country through proven best practices, secure technology, and shared data. He, along with members of the Program’s Executive Steering Committee, work closely with tribal, urban, and federal partners to plan, acquire, build, deploy, and operate the new system and associated business processes. Once in use, the EHR can help improve patient safety and patient outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native communities, improve disease management and clinical quality measures, liberate siloed data for informed clinical care and patient access, increase third-party revenue generation, and create a sustained financial model into the future.
Previously, Mr. Thornbrugh served as the chief operations officer for the Cherokee Nation Hastings Hospital from 2008 to 2017 and as its chief information officer from 2005-2008. While there, he led the implementation of a commercial electronic health record, streamlined administrative services, and improved inventory management systems. He is also a long-time member of the IHS Information Systems Advisory Committee.
Mr. Thornbrugh leads the IHS in all aspects of information resource management and technology, and promotes adherence to federal information technology laws, regulations, and policies. Under his leadership, OIT designs, develops, implements, and maintains policies, budgets, standards, architecture, and systems for IHS information technology, to include the IHS Health IT Modernization Program. He also manages OIT’s participation in cross-government initiatives with federal, tribal, state, and other partners to serve American Indians and Alaska Natives.
As CIO, Mr. Thornbrugh is a key leader in the IHS Health IT Modernization Program. The Program offers an enterprise electronic health record (EHR) system to IHS health partners to provide consistent patient-centered care across Indian Country through proven best practices, secure technology, and shared data. He, along with members of the Program’s Executive Steering Committee, work closely with tribal, urban, and federal partners to plan, acquire, build, deploy, and operate the new system and associated business processes. Once in use, the EHR can help improve patient safety and patient outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native communities, improve disease management and clinical quality measures, liberate siloed data for informed clinical care and patient access, increase third-party revenue generation, and create a sustained financial model into the future.
Previously, Mr. Thornbrugh served as the chief operations officer for the Cherokee Nation Hastings Hospital from 2008 to 2017 and as its chief information officer from 2005-2008. While there, he led the implementation of a commercial electronic health record, streamlined administrative services, and improved inventory management systems. He is also a long-time member of the IHS Information Systems Advisory Committee.
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