Press Releases
11/08/2021
Office of Health Strategy Appoints Sumit Sajnani as Connecticut's Health Information Technology Officer
For Immediate Release
November 8, 2021
(HARTFORD, CT) - Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) Executive Director Vicki Veltri announced the appointment of Sumit Sajnani to serve as the state’s Health Information Technology Officer (HITO). The HITO is a statutorily appointed position within OHS, in accordance with section 19a-754a of the general statutes.
Among a number of health technology initiatives, Sumit Sajnani will co-chair the statewide Health Information Technology Advisory Council (HITAC). The HITAC was designed to advise the OHS Executive Director and the Health Information Technology Officer on developing priorities and policy recommendations to advance the state’s health information technology and health information exchange efforts and goals. The Council provides guidance and review on health IT initiatives to ensure success in achieving the state’s goals for improving health and healthcare delivery and containing the high costs of healthcare across Connecticut.
“I am confident that Sumit will bring fresh ideas to the table for effective collaboration on interagency work, private and public investments to advance Connecticut’s Health IT infrastructure and the state’s goals to enhance interoperability to support optimal health outcomes,” Governor Lamont said.
Mr. Sajnani will also chair the Connie Board of Directors. Connie, the state’s official Health Information Exchange, commenced operations in May 2021. Connie provides the technology infrastructure to allow safe and trusted exchange of patient data to improve delivery and coordination of patient care across the spectrum of the state’s healthcare providers.
“I am looking forward to collaborating with Sumit in his role as the Chair of Connie’s board of directors,” Jenn Searls Executive Director of Connie said. “We are at a pivotal point in the evolution of secure clinical data exchange for Connecticut and Sumit’s experience and support will help us advance our mission of enhancing the health and well-being of Connecticut’s residents.”
Mr. Sajnani is an accomplished senior executive with an extensive background in Information Technology (IT) initiatives managing IT and data analytics. Having spent over a decade as an Executive Project Manager at the State Department of Corrections, he managed a number of complex IT initiatives across electronic health records (EHRs) and Offender Management.Most recently, Sajnani was an infrastructure executive consultant at TechSolutions International collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, leveraging cloud-based solutions for public and private infrastructure solutions where he managed a large team of IT analysts, database administrators, system engineers, architects, and network technicians.
Mr. Sajnani also worked as the Senior Director of IT and eBusiness at ING Americas (now known as Voya Financial). During his time at ING Americas, he led the creation and execution of IT and eBusiness strategy for US Financial Service Lines among many other responsibilities, including managing large budgets, service line agreements, and procurements. Earlier in his career, Sumit was a Manger of Information Technology at McKinsey.
“I am confident that Sumit’s widespread and rich experience working in both state government and the private sector will be an invaluable asset to OHS and for the State of Connecticut, as we collaborate across agencies on the coordination of health IT initiatives,” said OHS Executive Director Vicki Veltri.
“Bringing together digital and data interoperability will play a pivotal role in promoting efficiency, equal access, and high quality in health care,” said Sumit Sajnani, Health Information Technology Officer. “I look forward to collaborating with our state agencies, related public entities, and private partners to make a meaningful impact on health outcomes for residents of CT.”
“Technology and data in the health field continues to grow more important. I look forward to working with Sumit in undertaking these opportunities,” said Connecticut's Chief Information Officer Mark Raymond. "Exciting new additions to state service like this combined with the work we're doing through our IT optimization initiatives will help ensure that our residents' information is as secure as possible, and our services are easy to use."
“There is no shortage of activity in the Health Information Technology and data sharing spaces, including the use of OHS in-house data, such as the All-Payer Claims Database, collaboration with the state’s newly formed Health Information Exchange (Connie), the development of the Five-Year Statewide HealthIT Plan, among other activities. I welcome Sumit to OHS and look forward to his leadership on the state’s health IT efforts,” said OHS Executive Director Vicki Veltri.
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Contact: Tina Kumar
Manager of External Affairs, Connecticut Office of Health Strategy
Email:Tina.Kumar@ct.gov
Cell: (860) 969.7228