Penn State Health has appointed Dennis Sutterfield as senior vice president and chief information officer.
In a press release Monday, the health system said this move is a “pivotal step” in its journey to becoming a more agile, data-driven and patient-centered organization.
Why It Matters
Penn State Health is an integrated academic health system operating in 15 counties in central Pennsylvania. The health system includes five acute care hospitals, two specialty hospitals, a children’s hospital as well as 2,418 physicians and direct care providers at 186 outpatient practices.
The Penn State College of Medicine is located at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, the health system’s original facility that opened in 1970.
One of the main tasks Sutterfield will undertake is to oversee Penn State Health’s transition to Epic as its electronic health record and revenue cycle management platform. Sutterfield has experience with this platform, as he worked as an Epic consultant at Nordic Consulting Partners and Vitalize Consulting Solutions.
What To Know
Sutterfield previously served as the vice president and chief information officer at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, New York, where he was responsible for “building and leading a stable, secure, and high-performing Information Technology and Telecommunications functions for the organization.” Under his leadership, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University won two OnCon Icon Awards for being ranked in the top 100 for the Technology Team Award and in the top 50 for the Operations Team Award. He also ran IT applications at Temple University Health System for four years.
In this new role, Sutterfield will “guide the strategic and operational direction of Penn State Health’s information technology enterprise,” the health system said in a press release.
His responsibilities will include data and analytics, health information management and clinical engineering, as well as driving digital transformation to strengthen cybersecurity and align technology initiatives with organizational goals.
“Innovation must be at the heart of everything we do as an academic health system, and technology will play a big role in that,” Sutterfield said in a statement to Newsweek. “Whether exploring how we can use artificial intelligence or implementing Epic as Penn State Health’s electronic health record system, these are ways we can simplify processes, improve efficiency and give our teams the best tools to care for patients across central Pennsylvania. By aligning technology with our mission and fostering a culture of innovation, we’re making care safer, more accessible, and a better experience for every patient.”
This appointment comes as Penn State Health has announced several new members of its senior leadership team.
In October, the health system announced Kyle Snyder of Holy Spirit and Hampden medical centers would become president and chief operating officer and Tracy Moyer would be promoted to executive vice president and chief financial officer, after serving as interim CFO and senior vice president of system financial services.
Snyder said in a statement at the time that investments in new hospitals and advanced technologies like Epic mean the health system is “well positioned to enhance access, quality and safety.”
What People Are Saying
Penn State Health CEO Michael Kupferman said in a statement: “Throughout his career, Dennis has shown an exceptional ability to lead complex digital transformations, optimize IT operations and build high-performing, service-oriented teams. His strategic vision and collaborative approach have consistently delivered measurable improvements in efficiency, cost savings and clinical support.”
UPDATE on 11/19/2025 at 1:30 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Sutterfield.
Have an announcement or news to share? Contact the Newsweek Health Care team at health.care@newsweek.com.
link