LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Ken Ortbals ,
the CEO of WestCare Foundation
NAME : KEN ORTBALS JOB TITLE : CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPANY : WESTCARE FOUNDATION
Ken Ortbals is the Chief Executive Officer of WestCare Foundation , Inc ., a nonprofit behavioural health service based in Henderson , Nevada . Ortbals is responsible for the management of WestCare ’ s global clinical and administrative functions , across its 24 non-profit entities that work in 17 states , four territories , and three countries .
Sharing healthcare patient information securely Ortbals has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a dual major in Management Information Systems and Accounting , from Central Missouri State University .
Ortbals went onto manage project implementations in the wireless communications and telecommunications industry with Accenture , a multinational management and consulting , technology services , and outsourcing company .
He stepped into the healthcare sector by working on a Robert Woods Johnson Foundation project in Kansas City . The project united local organisations in using a new technology : the electronic health record .
“ The idea was that this would enable providers to share client information across the community , greatly helping those serving women in recovery and their families ,” says Ortbals . “ We then used this model to develop more extensive collaborations in mental health and child protection services .”
The positive reception of the project turned into managing a software development company which licensed other software products to nonprofits .
“ The biggest challenge I have encountered is sharing patient information across a network of providers ,” Ortbals added . “ The healthcare industry struggles with this today , even with the millions of dollars invested into health information exchange .
14 May 2023