Q&A with Howard Messing
We sat down for a quick chat with MEDITECH's new CEO to learn about his new role.
(6/29/2010)

Q: Congratulations! What's the #1 thing customers should take away from today's announcement?

A: Thanks. The top thing I want everyone, not just customers, to be aware of is that MEDITECH's core mission, operational approaches, and corporate strategies will not change. My promotion to CEO is designed to move the company forward, not to shift the company's direction. I hope everyone will view this news in the same context that I do—as a natural evolution, not a shocking transformation.

Q: What's different for your role going forward?

A: I don't see any major differences. One thing is that I think the CEO title may provide me with some new opportunities to "give voice" publicly on behalf of MEDITECH. I think I've been doing that for several years, but the CEO title carries a certain industry significance which may open some avenues in the media, speaking opportunities, things like that. Some people will only speak to the CEO or accept an interview with the CEO.

Q: How about Neil—do things change for him?

A: I don't see any major changes for Neil. He will continue working full days at his desk in Canton—I hope everyone knows that Neil does not have an office, he sits in a cubicle with our advanced technical staff, accessible to all. Obviously, he will continue to provide me with invaluable advice and counsel, as does Larry Polimeno, our Vice Chairman.

Q: For public companies, a new CEO announcement usually correlates to financial performance (good or bad). Is that the case with MEDITECH?

A: First, let me state that MEDITECH is privately-held, and will remain so for as long as I am CEO (and almost certainly well beyond that). There's no correlation with my promotion. Neil mentioned during the Shareholder Meeting that he had an idea that when MEDITECH reached $1 billion, that would be his time to cease being CEO. We're about half way there...I guess my job is to get us there fast! On a serious note, things are going well for us right now—bookings are up, revenue is up, we're hiring like crazy—but current or recent financial performance wasn't a factor.

Q: You were previously President and COO. Now that you are President and CEO, will there be a new COO appointed?

A: Not at this time. There have been many periods during our 41-year history where we did not have an officially-titled COO.

Q: What are you focusing on initially?

A: Let me start by emphasizing that my promotion does not represent any kind of seismic shift in how MEDITECH operates. We're going to stay private. We're going to continue to grow organically, and not by acquisition. We're going to continue our approach to product development, focusing on integrated, intuitive systems. We're going to continue focusing on our customers, and letting our customers' success stories serve as MEDITECH's overall success story. We're going to continue to set the highest standard possible for integrity and honesty in all aspects of our business.

That being said, we are obviously going to grow and evolve as health care delivery continues to transform. This is a time of great change and wonderful possibilities. I could start a really long answer here...but, you know, I recently did one of those "CEO-level" press interviews with HealthSystemCIO.com, and people who want to read more details can learn a lot by reading or listening to those podcasts.

 

MEDITECH
Medical Information Technology, Inc.
MEDITECH Circle
Westwood, MA 02090
781-821-3000
www.meditech.com