To kick off our new Customer Spotlight series, we sat down with Dr. Priscilla A. Frase, Chief Medical Information Officer and hospitalist at Ozarks Healthcare, an independent rural healthcare system based in West Plains, Missouri.
At Ozarks, Dr. Frase wears many hats – but perhaps her most important one is being a fierce advocate for clinicians working in rural healthcare. Her journey from internal medicine and pediatrics to health IT leadership has been shaped by firsthand clinical experience, deep empathy for frontline staff, and a commitment to improving care through innovation.
From transforming clinical workflows to advocating for rural health IT on a national stage, Dr. Frase embodies what it means to lead with heart, purpose, and grit.
How a night shift changed everything
Dr. Frase started out in internal medicine and pediatrics before shifting into hospital medicine – back when hospitalist was a new role. These days, she still participates in rounds with the hospitalist team a couple of days a week.
“I can’t give up what I originally went into practice for,” she says. “To be effective in my IT work, I need to keep a foot in the clinical world.”
Her path into health IT wasn’t exactly planned; it was more of a trial-by-fire moment. During a night shift at a VA hospital, she found herself thrown into the chaos of a sudden switch from paper to electronic records. It quickly became clear how technology could make or break clinical workflows. That experience sparked a lifelong mission.
“We shouldn’t have to fight the EMR. We’re already fighting insurance and regulations, why fight our tools too?”
Dr. Frase continued, “I was good at teaching doctors how to use the system because I hated the system. But I also knew we had to make it work for all of us.”
That hands-on frustration helped her identify small changes that made a big difference, like redesigning antibiotic orders to show what doctors actually need to see first.
“It was about making the screen match how we think.”
We shouldn't have to fight the EMR. We're already fighting insurance and regulations, why fight our tools too?
Making tech work for real-world clinicians
At Ozarks Healthcare, Dr. Frase has helped spearhead several initiatives aimed at improving the clinician experience and patient care, especially in a resource-limited, rural setting. One standout example includes the rollout of ambient listening technology to reduce the administrative burden for providers. The impact was immediate and powerful.
“For the first time in my career, I felt 100% connected to the patient… Today, [my stress] is next to nothing. I even went home with a smile on my face,” one physician wrote.
To Dr. Frase, that kind of transformation is the true ROI (return on investment).
“That level of stress relief is hard to quantify financially, but it’s invaluable in addressing burnout and retaining great clinicians.”
She’s also evaluating AI tools for acute care nursing and care managers, participating in user-centered design initiatives with their electronic health record (EHR) vendor MEDITECH, and initiating organization-wide strategies to improve documentation workflows – all while staying mindful of federal guidance and budget constraints.
“We’re too small to do a lot of the cool stuff in AI development,” Dr. Frase admits, “but I’m always looking for tools that do make sense for an organization of our size and resources.”
Her goal is to keep Ozarks Healthcare in the game; to attract great providers and give the community access to high-quality care without overextending the system.
It was about making the screen match how we think.
A voice for rural healthcare on the national stage
Beyond her work at Ozarks Healthcare, Dr. Frase is a recognized thought leader in the health IT space. She speaks regularly at national conferences and serves on advisory boards for multiple vendors and organizations, including KLAS.
Her message is clear: Rural and independent health systems deserve a seat at the table when it comes to tech design and pricing.
“I’m always pushing vendors to think beyond large or academic systems,” she says. “We may not have a big BI team or flashy metrics, but our challenges – and our innovations – matter.”
Closer to home, Dr. Frase’s team supports several community-focused initiatives at Ozarks Healthcare, such as the mobile mammography bus that’s improving access to screenings in rural areas. She’s also an advocate for MASH, a summer camp that introduces middle and high school students to a wide range of careers in healthcare.
I’m always pushing vendors to think beyond large or academic systems. We may not have a big BI team or flashy metrics, but our challenges – and our innovations – matter.
Leading with purpose
In 2024, Dr. Frase was named both a HIMSS Changemaker and CHIME Innovator of the Year, honors that reflect her dedication to improving healthcare IT for all.
“Am I successful all the time? Absolutely not,” she says. “But sometimes, I can make a day better. Sometimes it’s a bigger change. And sometimes it’s just being part of the evolution.”
She continues, “I just want to make the EMR better – not just for me, but for everyone taking care of people.”
IMO Health is grateful to kick off our spotlight series with Dr. Frase; she’s a reminder that meaningful change doesn’t require massive teams or limitless resources. Rather, it takes clarity, commitment, and a deep understanding of the people you’re trying to help.
