Health Net 1998 Annual Report Download - page 15

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Dale Te rre l l
Senior Vice President &
Chief Technology Off i c e r
F H S
Dale Terrell joined the company in January of 1998. For the last year, he has focused on integrating multiple
information technology systems, applications and platforms. He also spearheads FHS’ Year 2000 project.
Dale came to FHS from the banking industry, where he most recently served as executive vice president of
Technology Services for Banc One Services Corporation.
W hat is FHS’ information technology philosophy?
Two wo rds best describe FHS’i n f o rmation technology philosophy :s t a n d a rdization and consistency.
We formed an information technology utility in 1998 to standardize information systems,
such as desktop support services,networks and computer operations.Through this process, we
will consolidate seven information technology centers into two, increasing our efficiency and
allowing FHS entities to better communicate.
We also are working to bring consistency to all FHS systems.While each entity has different needs,
it is important for all systems to connect, interact and commu n i c a t e , p a rticularly in the electronic age.
How will this philosophy help FHS in the future?
Our philosophy was developed with FHS’ future in mind.With most industries moving toward
electronic commerce, health care is not far behind. If we want to compete, we must standardize
and focus on consistency throughout our information technology systems.We need to be leaders
in connecting to our members, providers and customers.
How is FHS preparing for Year 2000 (Y2K)?
We are on schedule with our Y2K program.We’ve already completed the “identification”and
“correction” stage.The first half of 1999 is being devoted to testing and verification.While we are
confident with the results so far, we remain focused on successfully completing the process.
Our goal is to ensureY2K does not interrupt services we provide to our members.Central to
FHS’strategy, however, is the preparedness of our business partners.We are actively working with
key groups we interface with to ensure that their systems also areY2K compliant.
Our overall Y2K budget is approximately $43 million.We’ve managed our Y2K costs as part of our
ongoing information technology budget,and that’s good news.