Miami University

Senior Project Manager at Speedway LLC

Healthcare IT consulting group focused on client value, based on quality measures as determined by the client. Ensuring that healthcare delivery systems are ready and able to secure success for the client.
Strong familiarity with project management software such as Planview/Daptiv/Clarity, MS Project, MS Office 365, Sharepoint and Visio. Experienced in SQL to mine and manipulate data. Database expert. Experienced at leading integration teams to enable data sharing among disparate applications using tools like Mirth or Cloverleaf integration engines. Significant experience leading development teams using Agile methodology.

Stack / Apps:
SQL Server, (several flavors of SQL), ASP.net, Jscript, Web Services such as REST and SOAP, SDK’s/IDE’s/Libraries, C#, VB.net, SSIS, SSRS, Tableau, AD, Azure, TFS, Jira, QA apps such as SmartBear suite

Office 365, Ms Office, Ms Project Online, Planview, Daptiv, VMWare and Citrix virtualization,  Onbase (with Epic or Meditech), Pyxis, Dragon NS, Visio, Clarity, Data Repository, Corepoint or Cloverleaf integration engines

Epic Connection Inc.

Sr. IT Program/Project Manager

Implemented Azure cloud computing for mid sized Insurance firm with the goal of streamlining development operations providing for the ability to scale.
Migrated file shares and O365 files to Azure cloud to reduce maintenance costs and provide for reliable disaster recovery solutions anticipating hurricane season.
Effective conflict management in a fast-paced environment, took responsibilities working with cross functional team who are working on multiple priorities.
Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills with ability to influence stakeholders and team members with variety of personal styles to focus on right priorities under pressure and tight deadlines.
Gathered requirements from all stakeholders and providing documentation of decisions made.
Utilized experienced technical background which provided credible guidance to engineering teams and accurately evaluate complex project risks and issues.
Familiarity with Microsoft Dev Ops and/or other work organization tools (Confluence, Jira, O365, SharePoint, ServiceNow).
Experience operating as the liaison between engineering teams and users, driving delivery in the right direction.
Firm grasp on how software, databases, storage and cloud computing function in a mixed (onprem vs. in cloud) environment.
Ability to thrive on a team in a fast-paced environment while juggling a variety of projects and wearing multiple hats.
Strong technical writing, verbal communication, and presentation skills. Consistently delivered clean solutions within scope, on time and within budget.

Cloud Operations Project Manager

Epic Connection Inc. - Cloud Migration Project Manager
Tasked with migrating some 120 IPsec (VPN) tunnels that handle mission critical application traffic so the large Health system could provide various medical and research activities for patients in need. This involved working directly with internal Networking and Security engineers and multiple external vendors as well as end users who were needed to effectively test application functions and performance post migration. Many of these required migration after hours due to patient needs.
These efforts required motivating external vendors and internal staff to embrace the often after hours migration event. Over half of the tunnels had outdated contacts so a good deal of time was spent discovering who the needed system owners / testers were and aligning them to the project’s goals. Thus a campaign of email messaging was launched with standardized templates to secure the correct players.

Developed a weekly sprint where the team would gain CAB approval and then implement the migration, producing about four migrations per week. These migration events required all team members knowing their roles and responsibilities. Most migrations went smoothly, especially Azure clients, but some were excruciatingly slow, such as AWS clients, for all involved, yet successful in completion.
We broke the migration project into multiple phases (contact, build request, design walk through, pre/migration, test app) in order for the right folks to review the relevant issues at the proper time to ensure progress.

Extensive documentation in Service Now application ensured Leadership knew status with every migration. Several migration events required our Networking staff to educate and troubleshoot not just our side of the tunnel but also required troubleshooting the vendor's side of the tunnel (ie- firewall). This methodology was practical and required repeated due diligence in order to properly complete the event.

Program Manager

Managed multiple project streams with hospital focused Cloud infrastructure IT managed services provider: specifically, this involved working with hospital IT staff and third party vendors as well, upgrading majority of client’s servers, mostly Windows Server or Linux, along with any database Meditech or SQL, application or desktop virtualization, Citrix or VMware, upgrades required as well. These upgrades were required to maintain support and necessitated coordinating all stakeholders. Workstreams had a build, test, refine, test and bless sequence along with significant data migrations that took time and resources, often after business hours. Worked with Sales staff to help clients take on the responsibilities involved with these environment changes. Made certain that all licensing was appropriate for these changes as well.

CloudWave

Project Manager

Humana – Project Manager in Humana’s PMO
Worked in Humana's PMO in the Sensitive Data Protection group (SPARQ). Utilizing various security tools such as Protegrity in developing Humana's data privacy and security compliance, ensuring our members, providers and partners' data sources remain secure and private - all the way down to the column (field) level (Keeping that SS# or member id, etc. masked). In total about thirty data elements need to be masked or simply made to disappear given the employee’s role. This involved significant discovery and design phases that required much IT involvement and significant business process redesign on an app by app basis. Worked with Humana’s Security staff to reconfigure existing Zscaler application so that the Protegrity tool worked in tandem with Zscaler security device policies. 
Worked with Humana’s Security team to wittle down user groups into acceptable roles that conform to organizational needs that Security can live with. This involved direct access into the Azure Active Directory along with an explanation of why specific users are granted their data access, which is always role based.
Also, researched alternative methods including AI to process claims to achieve compliance goals furthering the automation process of customer services and reducing the “hands on” offshore labor required to process claims significantly.

Humana

Project Manager (Security) Program Management Office

Helped Speedway separate from Marathon, purchased by Seven Eleven, requiring an intense schedule of application migrations and technical coordination standing up a large and brand new IT unit. Moved more than 40,000 users from the Legacy/Mainframe realm to Azure Active Directory and Agile Cloud environment. Application migrations requiring coordination with offshore team located in India. All data requiring Marathon data cleansing and/or separation. Supported all  Corporate departments with their application migrations with Server, Security, Networking and other teams as needed. Also lead the migration of Speedway’s SharePoint farm that involved not only data migration but also the trained users on SharePoint Online (no longer on prem) as well as having worked with Security to develop appropriate external file sharing capabilities of M365 such as SharePoint or OneDrive in a large corporate environment of over 40,000 users. Remediated all broken links in all documents via Cognillo link fixer application immediately upon migration.
Enjoyed dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty requiring solid decision making and a flexible disposition to rapidly changing events as management was clearly using trial and error tactics having no experience having split off from Marathon before.

Speedway LLC

Senior Project Manager (Infrastructure / Application Migrations to Cloud)

Epic Project Manager: Currently implementing Epic's Dorothy app for Home Health. This requires training for some fairly inexperienced computer users with full featured clinical automation. Provided gap analysis for home infusion workflows that needs to coexist with an existing Caretend application. Brought in pharmacists to review and tweak the new workflows as Dorothy doesn’t do home infusion well. 

Implemented a surgical instrument interface into Optime that required significant amounts of testing cases with the various instruments and mastering the message flow between applications with our Corepoint interface engine and developers. 

Deeply involved in systematic rotating quarterly upgrade that minimizes downtime for the users, may go semi annual in the future but involves every module and all associated analysts, all interfaces and interacting third party apps like Onbase. 
After some 14 tornados struck Dayton in one night, our data centers were rendered inoperable for almost three days and as a result we established true business continuity services for the hospital IT systems for the first time building a duplicate data center with mirrored servers in two geographically distinct areas. Azure by Microsoft was the preferred cloud environment that established rock solid security yet provided 24 X 7 availability. The Epic apps never ran so clean and quickly.
 Discussed detailed clinical workflows and did the walk throughs. Lead technical discussion with internal Network and Server teams with Imprivata staff to review existing infrastructure with goal of using existing equipment or licenses that improve the user’s experience. Reviewed HIPAA and CIS20 Security Assessments with respect to the Imprivata implementation. Reviewed options for remote access with VPN, Storefront/Netscaler, Outlook Web access along with Citrix and  VMware environments. Reviewed Xenmobile for MDM/MAM owned and BYOD devices needs as well as badge initiated secure printing needs.

Insurance Application Development / Enhancement Project:
Worked with a large and matrixed healthcare payer whose IT website and interface development teams to provide clients with various health care portal based benefits management applications. These apps served membership, provider and third party clients.
Revolutionized how claims files were processed once the Azure environment was introduced as scaling now became less painful and the developers, once trained properly, became advocates of their own code for a change. The development process was also revolutionized as the toolset changed and slowed for a time, but their new challenges made the new solutions come more quickly. This huge change of environment improved the security and reduced the support required as more members and providers utilized their web portals. Realistic scaling became a reality but not overnight, there certainly was a learning curve but it was well deserved.
Performed code reviews for quality/efficiency purposes as a team and one on one reducing maintenance support costs (and unwanted surprises).
Sensitive to team dynamics, resolve conflict and resource constraints while fostering a culture of collaboration, creativity and innovation. Facilitated the analysis of what needs to be done to bring the business (or part of it) to a desired future state. Kept interface developers focused on connecting disparate systems with Agile methodology on the appropriate priorities at the right time and sometimes requiring quality checks via the sprints due to the highly detailed nature of those applications. Facilitated the analysis of what needs to be done to bring the business goals to a desired future state. Routinely used to reporting updates to C-Level executives and crafted with confidence, clarity and enthusiasm.

Sr. Project Manager

EHR Streamlined Integration Project:
Implemented enterprise wide applications to improve work flows, achieve meaningful use and improve the patient's overall experience. Implemented clinical documentation with a focus on improving the patient's experience while achieving meaningful use. Have formally established business intelligence reporting in many clients’ ecosystems (Epic, Cerner, Meditech, etc.) typically using reporting tools already purchased but improperly implemented.
Upgraded aging Pyxis 4000 system to new web based platform system, Pyxis ES that integrates fully with existing Azure Active Directory run based network. This essentially replaces a hardware based system with a software based system utilizing best practices with virtualized computing environments providing improved functionality and rock solid security associated with Azure Cloud computing that the US government subscribes to while simultaneously improving application performance for the users.
Worked with carefusion technical staff to troubleshoot upgrade software bugs. System vastly improves on accessibility, security and integration with client’s existing Epic environment maturing pharmacy systems to the opioid era.
Established online prescription functionality also required by the government that automates the post discharge prescription work flow. This project requires different work flow solutions depending upon the department’s work flow. Implemented multiple third party apps such as Onbase (and many others) that required distinct and unique configuration requirements during the Epic upgrade, which became a very complex stream of projects upgrading from a version three years behind the current release. Interfaces, all epic modules and multiple applications that regularly interact with the Epic suite.
Prepared asset inventory accounting along with requests for future needs for new critical access hospital. Required written acknowledgement from all departmental managers.

Application Optimization Program:
Responsible for the ongoing optimization of Meditech v6.1x applications across a multi hospital system. Utilized formal Project Management tools to make change happen while at the same time implementing vendor's best practices with respect to nursing documentation, order entry for nurses and physicians, radiology and lab apps as well. Heavy involvement in reconfiguring the discharge summary to simplify where possible, but capturing required meaningful use data where needed, and streamlining a less than intuitive process forcing users to input on multiple tabs causing navigation issues and necessitating specific users be named as “discharge nurses”. The health system is now moving towards all nurses performing discharge summaries pending education.

Reduced organizational risk by uncovering flaws in existing data flows that made some reports available in the acute (Meditech) toolset as opposed to ambulatory (Epic) side. Brought physician representation into the change management process which also helped with bringing them closer to CPOE noting that naming conventions and lookup aliases have different meanings to different groups. Integrated existing physician offices with the hospital via PACS and lab data interfaces.

IT Project Manager

Office 365 Project:
Led the Microsoft Office 365 project that prepared some 28,000 users to migrate from Lotus Notes email messaging to Office 365 / Exchange-Outlook email messaging including groups, contacts, calendaring features and applications. This required interfacing Notes with Exchange via specialized software Binary tree’s Zapp toolset while simultaneously working with client’s Azure Active Directory analysts to complete their in process Azure AD migration, due to consolidation of multiple hospitals and affecting all regions. Added multiple servers with load balancing capabilities per site based on number of users and expected bandwidth utilization. Ensuring the end points were both plentiful and secure with Security became the focus of this enormous implementation affecting almost 30,000 users.
Ultimately enabled the organization to retire some 35 Notes servers while preserving investments made in heavily utilized Notes applications. Also worked with e-learning staff to prepare users for online learning of new Outlook and other MS Office applications. Coordinated external and internal resources to make this large visible project successful and really fun!!
Included with this implementation was the rollout of mobile computing devices to run the Office 365 applications among many other apps as well. Implemented Mobile Iron device management system which makes mobile devices secure and manageable corporate assets. Responsible for developing business use cases that were likely scenarios post go live using iPads, iPhones and various android devices running Epic modules, Ms Office and email both with and without a citrix client as well as required VPN connectivity.

Epic Connection Incorporated

Senior IT Project Manager

EHR Project: 
 Implemented Physician Care Manager, Emergency Dept app and Nursing documentation along with pharmacy and Order Entry, that enabled MDs to order prescriptions online and provide the patient safety net associated with multiple interaction checking. This enabled online order entry of labs and imaging orders as well as provide for results updating, all viewable in the EHR. Implemented clinical messaging, SOAP and progress notes, and other required documentation. Completely reconfigured pharmacy module that had been designed without CPOE in mind. Once CPOE was live helped train pharmacists on proper med order verification procedures. Tweaked med order entry warning messages to be effective for meaningful use but not a cumbersome time waster for MDs. Reconfigured med renewal alert period so that care givers and pharmacists would be alerted for renewed orders if they so desired. 
Trained MDs and nurses on utilizing EHR software on mobile devices such as Apple and Android phones and tablets. Implemented Pyxis Medstation system including interface into the main system. 

Have built evidenced based order sets and worked with third party order sets as well. Implemented  MD messaging and order entry process working towards one centralized EHR with the MD desktop and e-prescribing functionality. Configured ED scheduler for MDs and other clinical resources. 
Worked with the Order Set Committee in setting up the approved sets as physician documentation. This enabled MDs to complete their favorite H&P, progress note and discharge summary templates. Also helped educate MDs as to specific options regarding formatted EMR data and canned text favorites.
Provided ongoing clinical end user support and designed downtime paper backup forms for when the system is unavailable. Helped users develop downtime policies.

ICD 10 Project Management:
Upgraded and supported enterprise financial systems to comply with ICD-10 requirements as well as providing additional functionality with contract management applications, claims scrubber apps and patient accounting modules. Mckesson’s Pathways Contract Modeling (PCON) and Pathways Console Advisor (PCA). These apps coexist with multiple apps from various vendors(OPTUM, STAR, Meditech,GPS, Epic, NFS, HPF) that complement each other performing a variety of functions once successfully interfaced. Application testing involved recreating the complex production environment (and Passport's eMPI as well) along with an advanced user group completing a comprehensive application checklist of functions that made for a successful go live and thereafter.

These upgrades involved seven separate regions that were combined into an enterprise level database empowering consistent pricing and rate rules while at the same time providing for improved database performance within a centralized fault tolerant cluster saving over $75,000 in database licensing and hardware costs.

Sr. IT Project Manager

PACS Project Manager:
Responsible for the implementation preparation, go live and post go live support plan of Philip’s iSite PACS along side of  Epic’s Radiant and voice recognition systems. This involved detailed work flow review with the PACS Committee involving all modalities. Provided extensive documentation of system options and decisions made with reasoning. Led technical efforts to migrate existing data, both images and non standardized reporting formats,  with internal and external IT staff. Established iSite application as the enterprise image viewer satisfying MU.  Configured system so that MDs accessed only their own patient’s data. Established disaster recovery and business continuance planning as required. Led PACS Committee and documented the PACS project plan in planning pre go live preparations, go live support and post go live support needs. Created project charter defining goals and scope.  Documented project workbook defining roles and responsibilities with staff. Identified and mitigated risks as they arose documenting impact assessments as needed. Tracked project budget and provided ongoing timely updates to all involved. Reviewed in detail, the user testing plan and training plan to keep all on the same page and milestones met as planned.

Led information gathering sessions ensuring that all appropriate viewpoints, ideas and problems are included in the project specifications. Worked with client business staff and IT team to clearly understand the client’s needs. Collaborated with both teams to identify risks, issues and potential solutions. Managed stakeholders keeping the focus in scope and on achievable goals. Strong interviewing techniques; ability to ask probing questions in a positive and tactful manner.
Managed developers creating, modifying and supporting software applications utilizing the ASP.NET model of Visual Studio, VB.net, C#,  JavaScript with MS SQL Server or Oracle on the back end. Familiar with SDLC and utilizing agile/scrum methodologies. 
Underwent extensive application testing with TestComplete software that breaks app performance into very distinct behavioral slices allowing for advanced debugging before going Live.
Established software QA and validation (debugging) process, documentation and training to end users.
Worked as the main interface linking developers, end users and management in developing financial and compliance focused web based applications. During this time I learned to develop in the ASP.Net model using C# and VB and java script in conjunction with MS SQL Server on the back end.
Demonstrated flexibility in shifting priorities in response to rapidly changing requirements.
Exacting attention to detail, showing effective skills in forward planning and problem solving with the ability to persuade others, achieving desired outcomes without organizational authority .

Software Development Project Manager (SDLC)

IT Department head with 14 direct reports serving the needs of the health system.
Implemented and supported Meditech’s Revenue Cycle applications that enable patient account and billing details from a single workstation that empowers proactive claim denial. Contract management app calculates actual versus expected reimbursements routinely with accuracy. Business Office staff empowered to reduce AR days with these tools.

Implemented Meditech’s Patient Care System module that involved automating the 
manual processes of eight distinct clinical departments involving Med/Surg, ICU, OB, ER, Cardio,      therapies and oncology departments. Each department required customized screen development based on that department’s specific needs. 

Researched, analyzed, selected and implemented along with the other PACS (online Xrays > $1.8 million)committee members, imaging systems for radiology and cardiology departments providing online images for clinical review by associated physicians and surgeons.

Responsible for recruiting, training, and retaining proper staffing levels required for 
expected service levels of the computing needs of the hospital. Provided ongoing counsel and direction to IS staff.

Provided for the ongoing development and maintenance for the health system’s Meditech suite, email, and ancillary department services including the operation of the open and legacy systems mirrored data centers and WAN / LAN infrastructure.

Designated HIPAA security official for the organization. This involved ongoing meetings  
with all managers to effectively help change the culture of non necessary disclosure, reducing risk, 
working toward compliance. Trained work force on HIPAA Security principles.

Researched, analyzed and evaluated upgrade of servers to a SANS based mass storage (> $400k)
system. This significantly improved the uptime during maintenance periods and also enabled automated backups at regular intervals. Implemented VMware on selected servers.

John Hughes