Digital Transformation and Platform Strategy at MedStar Health with Scott MacLean

Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Episode: Digital Transformation and Platform Strategy at MedStar Health with Scott MacLean
Release Date: February 22, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, host Laura Deardo interviews Scott MacLean, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at MedStar Health. The discussion delves into MedStar’s digital transformation journey, platform strategy, application rationalization, leadership philosophies, and the future of healthcare technology. Scott shares insights from his extensive experience, providing actionable takeaways for healthcare leaders navigating growth, technology adoption, and organizational change.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to MedStar Health (01:17)

• Scott MacLean’s Background:
  • Eight years at MedStar Health; prior experience at Mass General Brigham.
  • MedStar is an integrated delivery system in Baltimore-Washington, D.C., encompassing 10 hospitals, 300+ ambulatory care sites, a Medicaid insurer, research institute, and innovation division.

Platform Strategy and Application Rationalization (02:05)

• Platform-Centric Approach:

  • Emphasis on using major platforms (EHR, ERP, collaboration tools) for organizational efficiency.
  • Ongoing rationalization of all applications, especially during their EHR installation.
  • Focus: “Making sure that we're getting the value out of those platforms … and use some of the technologies around artificial intelligence and ambient speech … make it easier for our patients and clinicians to go through the care process.” – Scott MacLean [02:28]

• Extending Core Platforms:

  • Assessing whether new core platforms can replace existing functions.
  • “We're respectfully going through and having conversations with important stakeholders about how our new platforms are going to cover the functionality that they have in existing systems.” – Scott MacLean [05:37]
  • Rigorous retirement of outdated systems to minimize confusion and unnecessary costs.

Organizational Transformation & Execution (03:29)

• Process and Change Management:
  • Success starts with strong leadership and adherence to strategy.
  • Integration of people, processes, and technology is key for transformative success.
  • “Not just technology and the EHR platform, but also what it takes to have people change management and the right standard processes to do that.” – Scott MacLean [03:46]
  • Standardizing workflows and governance to ensure high quality, safety, and patient experience.

Recent Achievements & Areas of Pride (06:36)

• Mission-Driven Growth:
  • Continuing expansion in a strategic region while maintaining high quality and access.
  • Emphasizing both physical presence and digital access via the MedStar Health app and patient portals.
  • “That growth, the ability to have good growth but maintain quality inpatient experience across that growth in the region.” – Scott MacLean [07:15]

Digital Strategy: Priorities for Patient Experience (08:06)

• Modernizing Patient Access:
  • Major focus on configuring new EHR platform (go-live target: late 2027) for best-in-class patient experience.
  • Improving scheduling, urgent care access, and connection to specialty care.
  • Exploring AI and automation, leveraging both native vendor solutions and supplementary tools.
  • “With our new EHR platform … involve a better patient experience in terms of how they're able to seek and schedule appointments, access urgent care or specialty care or hospital ED if needed.” – Scott MacLean [08:23]

Leadership Advice for Emerging Healthcare Technology Leaders (09:55)

• Building Relationships:

  • Leadership is deeply rooted in building relationships, especially with clinicians.
  • Listening and understanding clinical workflows are fundamental for effective technology support.
  • “It’s so much of what leadership [is] about is relationships and particularly with clinicians … adapting technology the best ways that can support them is really important.” – Scott MacLean [10:05]

• Team Development and Lifelong Learning:

  • Importance of teamwork, resource allocation skills, and active participation in professional organizations (e.g., HIMSS, CHIME).
  • Recommends leveraging conferences and digital education for growth.
  • “Participating in those organizations … experimenting with different types of leadership that you wouldn't use at your home shop and learning that way was also really important.” – Scott MacLean [11:18]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Platform Rationalization:
  “There are a lot of things in the environment that have come along and have been helpful with the core systems we use today. But we’re going through a whole process of evaluating every one of them.” – Scott MacLean [05:14]

• On Patient Experience:
  “We can meet our patients for the care that they need and that growth, the ability to have good growth but maintain quality inpatient experience across that growth in the region.” – Scott MacLean [07:15]

• On Leadership Philosophy:
  “So much of what leadership is about is relationships and particularly with clinicians ... adapting technology the best ways that can support them is really important.” – Scott MacLean [10:10]

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Important Timestamps

• [01:17] – Scott MacLean introduces his background and MedStar Health
• [02:05] – Discussion of digital transformation strategy and platform approach
• [03:29] – Organizational transformation, execution, and change management insights
• [06:36] – Achievements and areas of pride in the last 6–18 months
• [08:06] – Digital strategy: EHR, AI, and improving patient access
• [09:55] – Leadership advice for technology professionals

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This episode provides a pragmatic and visionary look at how digital transformation, platform strategy, and leadership converge to power MedStar Health's mission of regional growth, access, and quality. Through Scott MacLean’s experience, listeners get a roadmap for tackling technology-driven change in complex healthcare environments.

Transcript

[A]

Every year, Becker's annual meeting brings healthcare leaders together to unpack the most pressing issues facing the industry. And every year, those conversations shift in profound and unexpected ways. This April, more than 3,500 healthcare executives will return to Chicago for Becker's 16th annual meeting. 795 elite speakers will offer new lessons, new case studies, and predictions about what comes next. Join us April 13th through the 16th. For the agenda and event details, visit BeckersHospitalReview.com and click on the Events tab in the upper right.

[B]

This is Laura Deardo with the Beckers Healthcare Podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Scott McClain, senior vice president and chief information officer at MedStar Health. Scott, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.

[C]

Thanks, Laura. I'm really happy to be here.

[B]

Absolutely. No, I'm excited to catch up with you. I know you've spoken with Beckers for years and really been a great resource for us, you know, very much on the cutting edge of technology and everything that's happening in the digital health space. So this will be a great opportunity to catch up, learn a little bit more about how you're thinking about the future as well. But before we dive in, can you just tell me a little bit more about yourself and you know, MedStar Health overall, especially for our listeners who just started to join the Beckers podcast?

[C]

Sure. I have been at MedStar Health for eight years now and we are a integrated delivery system in the Baltimore, Washington, D.C. region. We have 10 hospitals and over 300ambulatory care sites. We have a Medicaid insurer both in Maryland and D.C. and we're a teaching affiliate of Georgetown University Medical Center. And so we're a full service integrated delivery network with insurer. We have a research institute and as well as an innovation area.

[B]

That's fascinating to hear. I know there's so much that goes into putting it all together. So I'm curious, what are some of the big things that you're watching right now, some of the trends that you're most focused on as you're thinking about how you need to prepare for the future?

[C]

Well, it's a great question. I think that the strategy is to use platforms. I think a lot of people are talking about the ehr erp, the collaboration platforms and making sure that those are implemented as fully as possible. And we're going through a rationalization of all our applications now as we do our EHR install and making sure that we're getting the value out of those platforms and then there as you well know, and I'm sure we'll talk about lots of of opportunities to build functionality on top of those platforms and use some of the technologies around artificial intelligence and ambient speech and various things that will make it easier for our patients and clinicians to go through the care process. And lots of good features and functionality in the administrative areas too.

[B]

Absolutely. I think that makes a lot of sense. And when you are looking at that process of doing that rationalization of the applications, thinking through everything that has to happen and go correctly in order for it to be done, and then continue to add value to the organization overall, what is really important within that process for you and your team to stay focused on? How do you make sure that everybody is doing what they need to do and you're able to be efficient and effective with that rationalization process?

[C]

Well, I think it starts with good leadership. And our CEO often talks about having a strategy, having leadership and being able to execute on that. And that's how we approach things at MedStar Health. And as part of this strategic plan that we're in right now, which we are looking to continue our growth and ability to serve our patients and make a better patient access and experience in this time period, the foundation of that is organizational transformation around not just technology and the EHR platform, but also what it takes to have people change management and the right standard processes to do that. And so I think as we talk about these things, you start with core values of, again, making sure that we have the right approach for our patients and the access that we want them to have to our caregivers and system. And then I think that there's a lot of respectful listening you can imagine. We have a good governance structure set up for our implementation, and we want to hear from people about what is important in the various care areas, the specific unique locations that we have in different types of hospitals and communities and ambulatory sites, but holding to those values of being standard about our approach, that we would have the best level of quality and safety in all of our care areas and things that we do and the best patient experience from registration, scheduling, handling, billing, and various other communications that we have with them. So there are a lot of things in the environment that have come along and have been helpful with the core systems we use today. But we're going through a whole process of evaluating every one of them and can the new platform do that function, at least for a great percentage of it? And then we're respectfully going through and having conversations with important stakeholders about how our New platforms are going to cover the functionality that they have in existing systems. And then you have to be rigorous about being able to set up and support the new platforms and any integrations that need to take place there. But also be very disciplined about eliminating and retiring the old systems and making sure that you're not in a place where you're still using things that are confusing for clinicians or patients, or certainly not paying for things that are not in use anymore.

[B]

Got it. That makes a lot of sense and it's really helpful to understand the gravity of everything that goes into these types of processes, you know, across the system. I think so often it can be just seen as, hey, you know, we need this to happen and then you magically make it happen. But there's a lot of work that actually goes into it. When you think about the last six to 18 months or so, what work are you most proud of? What are you focused on and excited about?

[C]

Well, I think, you know, our mission is to deliver very high quality healthcare in this region. It's an important strategic region in the country with the nation's capital. And we want to do that again by being available to the patients that want to see us. And that's been part of our way of going about things, of being available and having lots of physical locations in the region for people to access. And we also have a digital strategy of ways that patients can connect to us through our MedStar Health app and portals. And so I'm excited about the way that we can meet our patients for the care that they need and that that growth, the ability to have good growth but maintain quality inpatient experience across that growth in the region.

[B]

Absolutely. That makes a lot of sense. And I'm curious when you talk about growth and talk about that patient experience and everything else, I know that encompasses many departments system wide in many initiatives. But from your seat and thinking about the digital strategy, what are kind of the things that are bubbling to the forefront you, especially in the next year that are going to be critical for that patient experience? How do you really see your efforts behind the scenes and then in front too becoming a big part of that strategic value that you're looking for?

[C]

Well, I'm going to go back to the platform idea and what we talked about of being able to utilize the functionality. So with our new EHR platform that we're implementing that we expect to go live in late 2027, we looking at the ways that we can configure that platform to take advantage of best practices. And this would involve a better patient experience in terms of how they're able to seek and schedule appointments, access urgent care or specialty care or hospital ED if needed. That, I think, is what we're focused on mostly here and excited about. I think that there are, I know you're Talking to other CIOs and leaders about the capabilities that the technology environment is producing, again with artificial intelligence algorithms that need to be experimented with and proven. And we're looking at taking advantage of that functionality as well. Again, hoping to take advantage of what is provided through our core vendors, but then also have some discussions about supplementary interventions that may not be provided yet by those vendors.

[B]

That's helpful to understand. Thank you for digging a little bit deeper there. Now, before we wrap up, I wanted to ask you a little bit about leadership. What advice would you give evolving leaders today, especially in the technology space? I know we've touched on AI, but that's making a big difference across the board in healthcare and everything else. And so how do you talk with leaders as they're thinking about growing their careers in the healthcare and technology space?

[C]

Well, thanks for asking, Lauren. And as I've been reflecting, it feels like it wasn't very long ago, although it was 30 years ago that I was an intern and an applications analyst at Mass General Brigham and kind of grew up there before coming here to MedStar Health to be a CIO. And I just think so much of what leadership about is relationships and particularly with clinicians, I find being able to listen, listen to them and be able to study their workflows and understand what their pain points are and how that they work and then adapting technology the best ways that can support them is really important. But it's, you know, we lead through teams, sub leaders that manage a number of associates and information services. There are other administrative leaders that I need to relate to and support as we work through the allocation of resources because we can't do everything at once, right? So I think that's so important for younger folks. I always took advantage of organizations like himss and then later on when I became a CIO in chime. I think those are really important ways to get education. There's so much digital online education now, as well as the, the conferences that happen. So I found in my coming up as a leader, participating in those organizations and maybe experimenting with different types of leadership that you wouldn't use at your home shop and learning that way was also really important. I love that.

[B]

Scott, thank you so much for your time today. This has been such a helpful conversation I really appreciate the opportunity to speak with you, and I look forward to connecting again soon.

[C]

Thanks, Laura.