At a time when a number of high-profile healthcare executives are taking jobs at big consumer technology companies, Providence St. Joseph Health has snagged another executive from Microsoft.
The Washington-based health system has named B.J. Moore, a 20-year veteran at Microsoft, as its chief information officer effective Jan. 28. At Microsoft, Moore held leadership positions overseeing the company’s cloud and artificial intelligence solutions and Windows platform. During his time there, he helped “evolve Microsoft from complex silos to a simpler business model,” according to a Monday announcement.
With 51 hospitals and 829 physician clinics across seven states, Providence St. Joseph has anchored digital transformation to its strategic plan and pursued outside experts to support that transition. Moore will replace current CIO Janice Newell, who is retiring at the end of the year.
"Healthcare is the last bastion to fully enter the digital age," Providence St. Joseph Health President and CEO Rod Hochman, M.D., said in a statement. "With data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence poised to enable and improve the way care is delivered, health systems need leaders who are well versed in the technology fields. B.J. has the depth and experience to guide our organization through this period of transformation, which will include collaborating with technology companies, as well as adopting enterprisewide solutions that will modernize healthcare operations."
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It’s the second executive Providence St. Joseph’s has poached from Microsoft after hiring 13-year finance veteran Venkat Bhamidipati as the system’s chief financial officer last year. Moore will report to Bhamidipati in his new role.
Bhamidipati said Moore would be “instrumental” in establishing partnerships with other companies around cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
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“I'm excited to work with healthcare experts and clinicians across the organization and look forward to contributing my expertise and outside perspective to support the important work they do to improve the lives of those in need,” Moore said.
The health system also hired former Amazon executive Aaron Martin as its chief digital officer in 2014. Martin also oversees the system’s venture capital arm, Providence Ventures, which funds digital health startups.
Moore’s appointment comes as several high-profile health system CEOs have been lured away from their positions to work with consumer tech giants. Former Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove landed at Google earlier this year. Geisinger Health CEO David Feinberg, M.D., also left the system in November for a position leading Google’s healthcare initiatives.