Among the many factors that will distinguish health systems in the coming years, deciding where and when to allocate resources ranks high on the list. With experience across the industry and consulting, Sarah Matlin brings a disciplined approach to this process.
“One thing healthcare is not good at is saying, ‘no,'” Ms. Matlin said on the “Becker’s Healthcare Podcast.” “Strategy, in my mind, is about resource allocation. It’s about deciding where you’re going to invest and where you have to walk away.”
As senior vice president and chief strategy officer, a role she assumed in January, Ms. Matlin is helping guide Springfield, Ill.-based Memorial Health’s long-term direction, with that strategy including a large-scale digital transformation to consolidate multiple EMRs into a single Epic platform.
Memorial Health — which includes five hospitals, as well as primary and urgent care clinics, behavioral health and home health services — plans to consolidate five EMRs into the Epic EHR in the first quarter of 2027. At the same time, it will bring on a large Community Connect partner, Springfield, Ill.-based SIU Medicine.
The Epic EHR, which will consolidate five EMRs into a single platform, will be implemented by a team of nearly 100 people, including about 30 consultants, and is expected to cost roughly $105 million.
Ms. Matlin said the effort goes beyond implementing new technology and requires redesigning core processes, including patient handoffs and care coordination. The system also plans to streamline four patient portals into one, MyChart.
She emphasized that Memorial Health’s strategy is grounded in human centeredness, with a focus on both patients and the workforce, and said ensuring teams have the tools and resources to work efficiently is a key part of the transformation.
“While we’re setting our sights on long-term growth strategy, we have to get our house in order first,” Ms. Matlin added.
Ms. Matlin brings a wealth of experience to the role, informing her approach to strategy. She is the founder and CEO of OKTO Strategic Advisory, a healthcare-focused advisory firm, and previously served as CSO at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, an independent health system based in Edgewood, Ky.
For Ms. Matlin, strategy is rooted in intentionality and discipline, including making difficult decisions about where to invest resources.
“That isn’t always easy,” she said. “Systems that excel will do that well. They will have a long-term vision, clear values and principles, and the discipline to stay the course, even amid criticism or when letting go of some things they can’t do as well as others.
“That discipline is becoming more critical as financial pressures mount. The implications of Medicaid funding being reduced in the coming years are on everyone’s radar. Every board is looking at financial models that show a dip.
“We have to figure out how to take care of people more affordably. We need to leverage technology differently and get people to the right sites of care where they can be treated in a cost-effective way while still feeling cared for.”
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