Bio
As CIO, Dr. Cole is responsible for the Wood Library, the core IT infrastructure for Weill Cornell, the core software and web development groups, the user support organization, telephony, as well as the enterprise applications including research and educational administrative systems, the ERP, and EMR. He has led the implementation of several clinical information systems including outpatient and inpatient EMRs, diagnostic, procedural, and revenue cycle systems. Dr. Cole has led the development of Weill Cornell's data dictionary and terminology server called TruData© as well as the clinical data warehouse and i2b2 instance. He has also led several innovations in the uses of standardized vocabulary within EMRs.
His current focus is on secondary use of EMR data for research and expanding the EHR to support genomic data and precision medicine. His team has developed a novel clinical research data repository service as well as the first live feed of whole exome data into the EMR via a novel clinical genomic information system. This program includes support for the Insight Clinical Data Research Network that combines the clinical data from the major academic medical centers in NYC to support research.
Some of his research activities have included an assessment of processes for reducing transaction costs between payors and providers and an evaluation of the productivity of physicians using an EMR demonstrating the positive impact on visit volume, revenue, and work relative value units (wRVUs). He has also studied prescribing errors, the use of alerts to improve patient safety, and the impact of patient portals. He is especially interested in helping students and faculty develop practical technology solution that improve care. He currently serves on the the AHRQ Health Information Technology Research Study Section.