When healthcare organizations implement Epic electronic health record (EHR) systems, the technical work isn’t everything. Equally vital is the translation of priorities—and that’s where roles like Epic’s Emeritus CIO Advisors, like Robert Slepin, shine.
1. What’s an Epic Emeritus CIO Advisor?
These are veteran health IT leaders—often former CIOs—who now work as strategic advisors to health systems during Epic deployments. They serve as senior guides for implementation teams, executive leadership, clinicians, and IT staff, ensuring alignment and tackling organizational change head-on.
Robert Slepin, for example, has held senior IT roles at Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Sutter Health, and University Health Network and now advises organizations implementing and optimizing Epic environments.
2. The “Translator” Role: Bridging Diverse Stakeholders
🔄 Fluent in Multiple Languages
Slepin emphasizes that CIOs and CMIOs must “speak the language” of both clinical and IT stakeholders. They must translate clinical workflows into IT specifications and vice versa, reconciling different professional cultures for shared goals.
đź‘€ Visible Leadership Matters
He advocates visible, active sponsorship—not merely delegating, but being present during kickoffs, training, and go-lives. This fosters trust and ensures team alignment amid rapid change.
3. Epic Is Complex—Success Hinges on Strategy and People
- Every Epic implementation teaches that no two deployments are identical. Tailoring planning, training, staffing, and workflows to each organization’s context is essential.
- Operational continuity matters: teams pulled into build and testing still need backup so ongoing functions—like registrations or billing—remain uninterrupted.
4. Emerging Trends: The Evolving Role of CIOs
- The modern healthcare CIO is no longer a technologist only—they are strategic business partners, reporting directly to CEOs or COOs and helping shape models of care delivery, such as telehealth and patient outreach platforms.
- IT functions are becoming more distributed: central IT works alongside embedded teams in clinical and operational units—a matrixed structure that requires clarity and strong cross-functional coordination.
âś… Why This Role Matters: Impact at Multiple Levels
| Area | How the Emeritus CIO Adds Value |
|---|---|
| Strategy alignment | Balances clinical, operational, financial goals with IT transformation efforts |
| Change management | Ensures visible leadership and structured communication facilitate adoption |
| People readiness | Oversees staffing and burnout mitigation via role design and backfill planning |
| Go-live success | Supports intensive training and at-the-elbow coaching during launch moments |
| Sustainability | Helps organizations transition to stable Epic support post-implementation |
âť“ Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What exactly does an Epic Emeritus CIO Advisor do?
A: They provide strategic guidance to CIOs and health system leadership—interpreting organizational goals across IT, finance, and clinical leadership to align Epic projects with broader transformation objectives.
Q: Why is visible leadership so critical?
A: Presence from senior leaders during go-live and training builds credibility, reassures staff, and speeds adoption—especially when major operational changes disrupt norms.
Q: Are these advisor roles only for Epic systems?
A: While built around Epic deployments, the role’s core skills—translating between stakeholders, strategic planning, and visible leadership—are generalizable across major digital health initiatives.
Q: What happens if core clinical staff are assigned to IT work?
A: Advisors help ensure clinical or operational roles are backfilled, mitigating service disruption and burnout during high-demand phases.
Q: How should health systems prepare for transformation beyond technical build?
A: By building cross-functional governance, embedding communication champions, mapping change roles early, and planning post-live stabilization and continuous support.
đź“ť Final Thoughts
Epic’s Emeritus CIO Advisors like Robert Slepin embody a modern leadership archetype: they facilitate digital transformation not just through technical execution, but through translation—across clinical, operational, and IT domains. In today’s complex health systems, success hinges not only on software—but on the ability to align diverse stakeholders under a shared vision.
Sources Healthcare IT News
