The Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic has named Rita Khan, formerly the senior vice president of consumer digital at UnitedHealthcare, its chief digital officer, with the goal to guide Mayo Clinic's strategy as it prepares for transformative changes in the digital space.
According to health system officials, as Mayo Clinic's first chief digital officer, “Khan will be responsible for digital strategy, establishing the Mayo Clinic Center for Digital Health, and implementing a comprehensive business plan and digital standards that align with Mayo Clinic's culture and values.”
Khan most recently was senior vice president of consumer digital at UnitedHealthcare, where she directed enterprise-level digital strategy. She led a team responsible for designing and building digital solutions for providers, employers and members across UnitedHealthcare's commercial, Medicare and Medicaid businesses.
With more than 20 years of experience in retail and ecommerce, Khan previously was global vice president of Product at Digital River Inc., a provider of ecommerce, payments and marketing services. She also was director of bestbuy.com and director of Best Buy's direct to business channel. She began her career at Target Corp.
“Mayo Clinic is committed to leading the digital transformation of healthcare by creating world-class platforms that align with our patients-first culture and values," Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., Mayo Clinic's president and CEO, said in a statement. "We must continually innovate and reimagine the delivery of healthcare, and we are delighted that Ms. Khan, with her diverse experience in consumer-focused digital innovation, will lead this effort."
Last month, it was announced that John Halamka, M.D., one of the most notable health IT figures over the past several years, would be leaving Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston to become president of the “Mayo Clinic Platform,” starting this month. A January 2019 story in the Rochester, Minn. Post Bulletin described something about Mayo’s concept of creating a “platform” to pave the way to transform healthcare and help extend the clinic’s global reach.
Khan herself said in a statement, "I'm excited to align my deep background in retail, and most recently healthcare, to focus on consumer experience, product design and digital with an organization whose values I share — grounded in always putting the consumer first. She added, “Mayo Clinic was founded on the belief that the needs of the patient comes first. I look forward to helping advance that commitment as we expand our digital solutions for the people we serve."
