Kory Hudson Brings Epic Experience to an Already High-Performing IT Organization at University Health

Kory Hudson came to University Health during a certified growth period, a relative rarity in healthcare at the moment. The deputy chief information officer has spent the last nearly two years crafting a role that was designed specifically with him in mind. The executive’s remit was clear: help steer the broader organization through this growth period with a renewed focus on operational excellence, innovation, and partnership with the rest of the healthcare system.

Hudson was sought out for numerous reasons, especially because of previous experience with Epic. The health system had implemented Epic in 2020. Hudson’s expertise dates back to 2012. That perspective has enabled him to mature the hospital’s IT organization even further, though Hudson says the team he encountered when coming to University Health was already top-notch.

“This is a very successful IT organization that has achieved CHIME’s (College of Healthcare Information Management Executive) Digital Health Most Wired multiple times, along with a wide array of IT accolades,” Hudson explains. “Coming here was a no-brainer. My focus has largely been centered on the patient experience. Even when you’re in healthcare, technology can be challenging, and so we obviously want to make navigating our system as user-friendly as possible for our patients and our staff.”

That user experience includes optimization around electronic health records, which interact with 90 percent of University Health employees in some way every single day.  Hudson says IT’s role is to provide the best possible tools and support for those serving the system’s mission.

Hudson is leveraging Epic expertise to introduce new automated processes and features that reduce burdens on clinicians and streamline patient care. The technology expert jokes that many see AI as not entirely delivering on what it promises at the moment, but Hudson sees a bigger picture, one where AI’s documentation improvements, device integrations, and other innovations will eventually accelerate clinical efficiency, driving both staff and patient satisfaction.

“What we’re working toward with AI is a game-changer,” Hudson says. “We’re talking about reducing clinician burnout, automating manual processes, and a whole host of other possibilities. This is the launching pad moment, and we’re creating the runway for the future.”

Hudson came to University Health as it began work on two landmark new hospitals: the Palo Alto Hospital on San Antonio’s South Side and the Retama Hospital in the Northeast corridor. Together, these projects represent a $1.5 billion investment. These hospitals are designed not only for current community needs but also anticipate future population growth and health service demands.

Both will feature fully equipped emergency departments, labor and delivery units, neonatal intensive care, radiology, pharmacy, and a range of inpatient services for adults and children. Medical office buildings attached to each site will provide space for specialist care and expanded service lines, vital for areas that have traditionally faced healthcare access inequities.

Community impact drives the design. The new hospitals target San Antonio’s South and East Sides, areas long underserved and disproportionately affected by barriers such as transportation, social determinants of health, and lack of acute care beds. The expansion follows a hub-and-spoke strategy, relieving pressure from University Hospital and offering closer primary and emergency care access to growing neighborhoods.

“Those new hospitals are a very big deal in San Antonio, especially at a time when so many healthcare institutions are downsizing,” Hudson explains. The fact that University Health serves as a safety net hospital for the area and that it’s expanding presence in underserved areas were both reasons Hudson cited for coming to the health system in the first place.

“University Health has managed to do what a lot of systems are having a problem with at present: finding financial success,” Hudson explains. “That’s allowing this organization to double down on its mission, and that was very exciting and appealing to me.”

Hudson’s commitment to the University’s mission is closely aligned with his own servant-driven leadership. Hudson says that his team knows, above all else, that he is there to support them, clear hurdles, and be their advocate when things get tough. The deputy CIO says communication is critical for both his department and for IT’s successful partnership with the rest of the healthcare system.

The leader is aiming for an environment where technology, culture, and patient experience rise in tandem, providing better outcomes for patients and better work experiences for staff and clinicians. Hudson says he always keeps in mind the public funds that he is utilizing to make his health system the best it can possibly be for the people it serves. The deputy CIO wants to be an example of what resource stewardship can be, and how a mission-aligned executive can create meaningful change in healthcare from the IT side of the organization.