Our Core Team

Al has 16 years as an innovator providing strategic technology and services management (Xerox, Kodak/Carestream Health), leadership in Strategy, IT, Marketing, Business Development, Channels, Sales. He is responsible for selling, implementing and integrating digital imaging solutions in hospitals, private practices, integrated delivery networks, and government/military environments. He has worked for top-tier professional services firms, EDS, Ernst and Whinney, and McKinsey & Co. With his in-depth knowledge and experience in healthcare, he has helped numerous providers attain significant grant funds and improve performance through the effective use of Healthcare Information Technology (HIT). He successfully contributed to public affairs and lobbying efforts on HIT in Washington and in NY. Al received a BS from SUNY Albany and his MBA from University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

John is a visionary, performance-driven Chief Information Officer, Program Manager, and Healthcare Executive with nearly 20 years of experience leading healthcare organizations.

John has extensive expertise in healthcare IT leadership, consulting, and operations. John has strong operations knowledge, has proven success as a change agent, and is a respected leader. John is highly adept at leading complex business, clinical, and technical initiatives that yield enhanced patient care, increased employee and provider productivity, elevated customer service, and improved financial and operational performance.

John led Rochester Regional Health through multiple mergers and acquisitions, overseeing the conversion, implementation, expansion, and migration of nine hospitals and over 400 ambulatory sites to Epic EMR. John continues his commitment and involvement in driving health data interoperability through his service on the board of the Greater Rochester HIE.

John also serves on the board of the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC), an organization responsible for overseeing all New York HIEs in collaboration with the NYS DOH.

David has broad-spectrum leadership experience in large companies and technology startups, has held technical and business roles leading organizations and complex multi-faceted programs across a variety of industries.

David has directed data analytics and engineering, digital transformation, product and service offering development, industrial applications of artificial intelligence, business process automation, digital modernization, customer support, and professional services delivery. Typical types of projects include enterprise-level business process and information systems roadmap development, strategic planning, and large-scale deployment of ERP, CRM, marketing, configure-price-quote (CPQ), supply chain, contract management, service delivery, contact center management, finance, and data analytics solutions.

Bill has over 25 years experience with consumer products sales, marketing and information management experience with Fisons Pharmaceuticals, Birds Eye Foods, Bausch and Lomb and Constellation Brands. At Constellation Brands, he led vendor selection and deployment of corporate wide sales and marketing web reporting system. For 7 years he conducted instructor led pharmaceutical sales training at Eagle Productivity Solutions. He has served as an information analyst, assisting with hospital systems, outpatient mental health facilities, and EHR implementation and clinical staff training. He received his HIT degree and RHIT certification in 2013.He is an active member of RRHIMA,NYHIMA, and HIMA.

Bill received his BS from Boston College and his degree in healthcare technology from Alfred State College SUNY College of Technology.

Co-founder and Managing Principal of AUSMS Healthcare Consultants, a national consulting practice advising policy makers, administrators, business executives, practitioners and government officials on strategic, facility, organizational and business planning and development. Joni affiliated with SI in 2012 as our Business Communications & Change Management Principal, and began serving as the Communications and Education Manager for the ICD-10 transformation initiative at one of Rochester’s two integrated health care delivery systems with a workforce of over 5,500 and a medical staff of 650. Launched with a BA cum laude from Brandeis University in political and medical sociology, Joni’s graduate studies in social work administration at San Diego State University built on a foundation of growing expertise in organizational and policy development for health care entities she has sustained throughout her career.

Deb Blanchard is a Lead Consultant at SI.   Her background is in Healthcare Quality and Process Improvement.  She holds a Masters Degree in Engineering Management and is Lean Six Sigma certified from Johnson & Johnson.  Deb also is a NCQA Patient Centered Medical Home Certified Content Expert, serving both as a practice consultant and an evaluator for the national organization.    

Paul has over 20 years’ experience in Information Technology and over 10 years of healthcare Practice Management with significant experience in project and resource management, vendor management, and ability to align and organize work to implement significant change.  He has a strong focus in healthcare but also significant experience in manufacturing, government, and consulting industries.  

Paul received his BS from University of Virginia and an MS in Computer Science from George Mason University both in Computer Science. He holds certifications as a Medical Office Manager and a Certified Medical Coder from PMI. He is Xerox/Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Trained and holds SEI CMM Level 3.

Steve Russell is responsible for SI’s relationship with New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC), Grant Management, and Dental Services.

Steve’s professional experience includes researching, developing, and implementing international healthcare IT and analytics solutions with health systems, universities and vendors. Steve consults with healthcare IT vendors, healthcare systems, federally qualified health centers, and rural health clinics on interoperability, meaningful use and electronic health record evaluation, implementation, and grant management.

Steve has unique knowledge and expertise in the dental sector of healthcare, and in using government programs to define and fund innovation of technology and process re-design to yield breakthrough improvements in the quality and cost of care.

Steve has led panel reviews of Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program applications for the Office of the National Coordinator, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Steve is an adjunct faculty member in Health Information Administration at Roberts Wesleyan College.

Steve has a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Syracuse University, a Master’s in Engineering Management from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Masters in Health Administration from Roberts Wesleyan College.

Dr. Joe DiPoala joined SI as a consultant in 2014. Joe is managing partner of a five physician practice. He is a practicing physician and health information technology pioneer dedicated to improving the quality of patient care in all settings by developing systems with access to high quality patient information/decision support.

Joe’s areas of expertise include: EHR design and implementation, health information data standards, outpatient workflow reengineering, healthcare payment and delivery systems and Health Information Technology trends

Joe has served as a Project leader – Rochester Medical Home Initiative.

He served on the GRIPA Board Member/Executive Committee, where he negotiated the alignment of physician and hospital financial incentives.

He worked for the Rochester General Physician Organization, where he obtained $650,000 in grant funding for the EHR system. He led the evaluation of HIT options for clinical integration.

Joe also was the co-founder and former CMO of Health Systems Technology.

He attended Colgate University where he graduated with a degree in neuroscience and attended medical school at Pennsylvania State College of Medicine.