I have always believed in the added value of participation in sports/athletics to make a person well-rounded. Aside from the health and wellness benefits, such activities (as well as drama, music, arts, etc.)  bring a different perspective, especially in demanding Pilani-type educational environments. As the Captain of the Badminton Team, I learned how to motivate my teammates and create schemes to foster friendship and mutual respect among all players. 

What motivated your career shift from Civil Engineering to IT and healthcare, and how did your engineering background contribute to your success?

Pilani undergraduate education prepares an individual to face the world and the challenges in any line of career, be it engineering, technology, management, politics, or entertainment. I have always been interested in the educational and healthcare parts of our society, and my graduate work at UCLA was focused on Operations Research and Large-Scale Systems facing our lives. I was driven to Healthcare because it is the second largest industry in the U.S., next to Defence. It touches every human being and has the most rapidly advancing healthcare technologies, disease management/treatment protocols, and the Rx Industry. 

Creating one of the State’s first ASPs (Application Service Providers) for Healthcare Technology is a remarkable achievement. Can you share the story behind the inception of this groundbreaking initiative?

In the ‘70s and early ‘80s, Timeshare was in vogue. I was fortunate to have developed close relationships with the CEOs of some prominent Healthcare companies, such as G.E., IBM, DEC (then), HBO & Co. (McKesson) and SMS (Siemens), among others. Thus came the vision of creating ASPs in the healthcare arena, extending the value of large-scale, relatively expensive, stand-alone software solutions to mid-size and small clients with Integration bundled with service and passion. 

Could you describe a specific technology-related challenge you encountered as the Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and how you overcame it?

Cedars-Sinai has always been at the forefront of healthcare in the U.S. It was rated in the top 2 in the most recent surveys. The most difficult challenge for me then was focusing on the basics of " billing and collections" to ensure a decent bottom line. However, being a Hospital, the medical staff were only interested in medical care and felt neglected with this focus. Thus, I had to build alliances with the Medical and Nursing Leadership, with fortunate and overwhelming support from the C.E.O. & the B.O.D. 

How does Second Opinion Expert, Inc. address challenges in the US healthcare system and improve patient healthcare experience?

The second opinion validates/reaffirms, or does not, the original opinion of a Specialist.  It minimizes unnecessary procedures and provides an unbiased medical solution, with no personal benefits to the Specialist providing the second opinion. Studies have shown that almost 29% of all medical procedures performed in the last three decades were unnecessary! In addition, they caused uncalled-for pain and suffering and even resulted in death.