R. Hal Baker

Biography

R. Hal Baker, MD most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Chief Information Officer at WellSpan Health from 2020 to 2025, where he focused on the creation of WellSpan’s Analytics Center of Excellence and the WellSpan Innovation Center. In this role, he also oversaw information technology, medical informatics, cybersecurity, digital services, and biomedical functions.

Since 2005, Dr. Baker has championed WellSpan’s efforts to leverage technology in support of patient safety, clinical excellence, and improved patient experiences. A vocal advocate for Open Notes and instant access to health records, he led the development of patient portals designed to give individuals immediate control over their own health data. Under his leadership, WellSpan achieved HIMSS Stage 7 recognition across both Cerner and Epic EHR platforms.

From 2013 to 2020, Dr. Baker served as WellSpan’s Senior Vice President, Clinical Improvement, where he advanced patient safety initiatives and strengthened collaboration between clinicians and technology teams. His leadership contributed to nation-leading survival rates in sepsis care, culminating in WellSpan’s receipt of the 2019 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award.

Dr. Baker has held committee leadership roles with the American College of Physicians and served on the HIMSS Board of Directors from 2016 to 2021. In 2022, he was named HIMSS Physician Executive of the Year, and in 2021, received the Philadelphia ORBIE Award as Chief Information Officer of the Year in Healthcare. He frequently presents at national and international forums on clinical leadership in information services and the patient-centered design of healthcare technology.

Dr. Baker joined WellSpan York Hospital in 1995 as Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program and later served as Lead Physician at Apple Hill Internal Medicine, where he continues to practice primary care within the WellSpan Medical Group.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a medical degree from Cornell University. He completed his internal medicine residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and a general internal medicine fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.