St Vincent's group chief digital officer leaves after over four years

St Vincent’s Health Australia’s group chief digital officer Michelle Fitzgerald has left after almost four-and-a-half years in the leadership role.

Michelle Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald, an iTnews Benchmark Awards alumni, announced her departure in a LinkedIn post, writing that it had “been a privilege to lead St Vincents’ Digital & Technology team through a period of significant transformation”.

A spokesperson for St Vincent's confirmed Fitzgerald’s departure, saying it “coincides with the recent launch of [a] new ‘Bringing Care Home’ strategy, which includes a commitment to delivering half of our care in people’s homes and through virtual and digital platforms by 2030.”

“To put that in perspective, St Vincent’s currently experiences around 2 million connections with patients and residents each year across hospitals and aged care facilities in Queensland, NSW and Victoria,” the spokesperson said.

“Given the importance of digital in achieving that vision, we’re using the opportunity to review our operating model to make sure that St Vincent’s Digital and Technology - and its future leadership - is central to our strategy.”

While the review is underway, St Vincent’s chief people and culture officer Rebecca Roberts will assume responsibility for digital and technology within the group.

The St Vincent’s spokesperson said Fitzgerald “led a significant and complex portfolio of work” during her tenure as group CDO.

This included the introduction of Meditech’s electronic medical record at St Vincent’s 10 private hospitals, alongside “supporting the readiness for the introduction of EMRs across our two major public healthcare networks”.

Fitzgerald notably also led the introduction of self-service analytics through a new St Vincent's data platform, as well as upgrades to cyber security and technology infrastructure, including wi-fi and networks.  

“We are grateful for Michelle’s contribution and wish her well in the next stage of her career,” the spokesperson said.