Above, left, Judy Oliver, director of patient processing services and Debra Sleigh, director of software services. Right, the Sutter data center team.

Sutter Health is a nonprofit network of community-based hospitals and healthcare facilities. In 2001, Sutter spent $417 million on community benefits in the areas where it does business, including health services for the underserved.

“Healthcare today has a great need for advanced IT,” says Keith Vencel, Sutter’s human resources product manager. When Vencel arrived at Sutter in 1997 there were forty full-time IT employees at the home office. Today there are nearly 400.

In addition to new applications like its eICU patient-safety system, where doctors can “see” patients in distant locations via computer, the IT department focuses on standardizing all aspects of healthcare delivery. It has a need for many kinds of IT professionals.

“We have the nuts and bolts employees, the desktop team and the cutting-edge technology professionals,” explains Vencel. “We and the bedside caregivers work together to make healthcare services seamless for the patient.”

www.sutterhealth.org Headquarters: Sacramento, CA Employees: 38,000 Revenues: $101 million in 2001 Business: Not-for-profit network of hospitals and physician organizations serving Northern California and Hawaii

The Sutter Health network includes more than two dozen locally run acute-care hospitals plus physician organizations, medical research facilities, region-wide home health, hospice and occupational health networks and long-term care centers. Most have their own IT staffs, but Sutter provides the centralized structure: home office IT pros work in cross-functional teams to standardize processes in all Sutter organizations.

Of home-office employees, says IT recruiter Monica Lunardi, 5 percent are Asian, 5 percent Hispanic and 4 percent African American, with 1 percent from the Indian subcontinent. Almost half are women.

Of six senior execs, two are women. Eight women from the admin support staff have moved into jobs as programmers, data security specialists and application analysts over the last few years.

“Sutter Health IT is dedicated to helping women and minorities achieve their career goals by giving them training and opportunities to advance,” Lunardi declares. “If we do it right, our investment in training will help all our employees advance their careers and improve our overall IT efforts at the same time.”

The Sutter Health website has been a useful diversity recruitment tool, Lunardi notes. “Applicants can apply from anywhere, anytime.” But, “Our employee referral program is still the best way to recruit talented candidates. Employee involvement helps us attract a diverse group.”

This year Sutter Health plans to hire two dozen more people in IT. It’s helpful if they have some experience with healthcare applications. Even more important is the ability to influence and educate – even train – the medical professionals who use the computer applications.

“Right now we’re moving our baseline applications out to hospitals. So there’s a real demand for application analysts who have the skills and know how to educate people in a friendly manner,” explains Vencel. “One of the biggest compliments we get is that our people are so friendly. That is the environment and culture we have nurtured.”

The winning Sutter Health helpdesk staff led by Laurie Lock.

The friendly IT environment starts at the top. Sutter Health’s senior VP for IS, John Hummel, places a strong emphasis on support, Vencel says. For example, he meets with each new hire within the first month and talks, among other things, about his belief in diversity and innovation.

Hummel has also initiated a customer excellence program, which gets his IT teams thinking about strategies for satisfying customers, the company and other clients within the IT team. He promotes monthly gatherings to celebrate department successes and contributions. Once a year there’s a banquet for IT pros and their significant others.

Involving family members promotes a healthy work environment, Hummel believes. “One of the biggest issues IT confronts is that our business is so electronic,” says Vencel. “Sometimes it’s easy to lose the human touch. In order for IT to be successful, we must communicate effectively one on one.”

A number of Sutter Health programs support employees’ home lives. “Take your child to work day” is popular, as is the day when professional women are invited to attend a local event dedicated to them. The company also gives time off for family issues, puts on birthday celebrations, sends anniversary cards and provides domestic partner benefits. The IT department offers flextime.

Vencel notes that Sutter Health has received several prestigious awards. Information Week listed it as one of 500 top IT innovators. Hospitals & Health Networks included Sutter facilities on its list of “100 most wired hospitals.” BestJobsUSA.com has named the company as an “employer of choice” for the past two years. And in 2002, Computer World picked IS VP Hummel as a top innovator.

“It’s all built into our culture,” Vencel says. “We realize that technology pros work in a very different culture today. We are focused on creating a work environment that includes a balance between career and personal life.”

D/C