Hospital and health system CIOs have been on the move throughout 2026, but a look at the recent wave of departures shows something more specific than routine turnover.
Of the roughly 20 hospital and health system CIO moves Becker’s has tracked in 2026, most departing executives aren’t stepping into another CIO role. Several are retiring, moving into consulting or watching the position get folded into a broader digital title before a successor is named.
Saad Chaudhry stepped down as St. Louis-based SSM Health’s inaugural chief digital and information officer. He was named CEO of consulting firm Evergreen Healthcare Partners.
Shakeeb Akhter left his post as senior vice president and chief digital and information officer at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He’s now chief digital officer at New York City-based Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Rich Rogers retired as senior vice president and CIO of Greenville, S.C.-based Prisma Health after more than 13 years. He said on LinkedIn he plans to spend more time with family, serve on advisory boards and coach high school lacrosse.
Michael Mover resigned as CIO of Noblesville, Ind.-based Riverview Health. His next move hasn’t been made public.
The bigger trend in this batch is the title itself splitting. Nine executives took on roles built around “digital,” including chief digital and information officer, chief digital officer or chief technology and digital officer. Nine others kept a straight CIO or vice president of IT and CIO title.
The churn comes amid thin succession planning. A 2024 WittKieffer survey found 53% of healthcare CIOs have held their role three years or still, and just 39% of organizations report having a CIO succession plan. A quarter have none, and 36% say one is still in development.
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