Highmark Health Names Alistair Erskine, MD, MBA, as Chief Information Digital Officer

Former Emory Healthcare leader will develop Allegheny Health Network's overall digital roadmap, drive payor-provider data integration to support Highmark Health's Living Health model

PITTSBURGH, July 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a national search, Highmark Health today announced the appointment of Alistair Erskine, MD, MBA, as the organization's first Chief Information Digital Officer (CIDO).

In his new role, Dr. Erskine will develop and implement Allegheny Health Network's (AHN) overall digital roadmap and provider strategy, drive electronic health record optimization, and be instrumental in creating seamless integration between Highmark Health's payer and provider data systems to support enterprise strategy.

"Alistair is a creative thinker who has a wealth of experience developing innovative digital strategies that have transformed the operations of community hospitals, large academic medical centers and integrated payer-provider organizations alike," said Mick Malec, Highmark Health's Enterprise Technology & Operations Officer and CEO of enGen. "He is a proven health-tech leader, and an exceptional fit for this critical new role at Highmark Health."

A nationally recognized digital health leader and triple-board-certified physician, Dr. Erskine brings more than 25 years of clinical and informatics experience and a track record of creating sustainable, technology-enabled health systems. He joins Highmark Health from Emory Healthcare and Emory University, where he served as Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer, and Chief Digital Officer. There, he led a 1,100-member digital team, managed a $350 million annual budget, and was responsible for a portfolio of over 900 applications spanning clinical, academic, and research domains.

During his time at Emory, Dr. Erskine led the "Apple-first" hospital initiative — creating the world's first fully Apple-powered hospital environment — and spearheaded enterprise-wide innovations that improved the patient and care team experience. His "No Regrets" program rapidly delivered value by implementing solutions such as tap-n-go, enterprise-wide ambient listening, AI-powered ambient video, and virtual at-the-elbow support to reduce clinician burnout.

Dr. Erskine also demonstrated measurable bottom-line impact by establishing a new Chief Financial Informatics Officer role at Emory, resulting in $94.9 million in annual financial improvements from terminal denial remediation and prior-authorization adjudication. He also introduced time-based activity-based costing models that enabled deeper insights into clinical margin performance.

Prior to Emory, Dr. Erskine served as Chief Digital Health Officer at Mass General Brigham, leading the $1.2 billion Epic implementation and optimization across 12 institutions, including Mass General and Brigham and Women's hospitals, the teaching hospitals for Havard Medical School. His efforts produced industry-leading patient portal engagement, operationalization of a 14 million patient-reported outcomes database, and deployment of digital automation which generated over $12 million annually in revenue and cost savings. At Geisinger Health, he was Chief Informatics Officer, leading the integrated payer-provider unified data platform and informatics systems and Geisinger's first Clinical Informatics Fellowship program.

"Alistair has a stellar track record of helping payer-provider organizations break down barriers through more seamless data integration and transformative digital solutions that optimize the caregiving and receiving experience," said Mark Sevco, AHN president. "We look forward to the essential work he will do for AHN and Highmark Health to help us improve quality, make care more accessible, lower costs, and develop a digitally savvy workforce that positions us strongly for the future."

Dr. Erskine earned his BA in biochemistry from the University of Virginia and his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia, where he became Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Clinical Informatics. He earned his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he also completed certifications in Business Analytics and AI.

"I am thrilled to join Highmark Health, an industry-leading 'payvidor' that brings critical member insights and evidence-based pathways directly to the point of care," Dr. Erskine said. "By leveraging state-of-the-art digital and data tools across the organization, I foresee a digital transformation that will not only eliminate transactional waste but also deliver world-class, value-based care that every member and patient truly deserves."

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SOURCE Highmark Health