This document summarizes the evolving role of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) in healthcare over the past 20 years as celebrated by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) on its 20th anniversary. It discusses how CIOs have expanded their responsibilities from managing IT departments to becoming strategic leaders involved in high-level initiatives and organizational strategy. The increased focus on health IT, electronic health records, quality reporting, and new payment models is driving CIOs to take on expanded business and executive skills. The role of CIOs will continue to evolve as the healthcare system reforms and IT becomes more integrated into new models of care delivery.
Shaping the Future of Healthcare Through IT Leadership: CHIME Celebrates 20 Years
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Shaping the Future of Healthcare
Through IT Leadership:
CHIME Celebrates 20 Years
Inside:
> CIOs predict challenges for 2013
> CIO role evolving as IT takes hold
in healthcare
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FROM THE CHAIR
CIOs Now Playing Expanded Roles in Healthcare
Drexel DeFord, FCHIME, CHCIO infrastructures to support accountable care organizations.
2012 CHIME Chair Without a doubt, as the nation moves forward with healthcare
CIO, Steward Health Care reform and improved delivery models that provide even greater
value to our patients and families, CIOs and their teams will
continue to play a mission-essential role.
I
n the beginning, they were IT directors and In anticipation of this, the College of
managers – responsible for data processing or Together, we Healthcare Information Management
running the supply chain computer system. are a healthcare Executives (CHIME) has continuously
Because of their exposure to the totality of hospital and healthcare force-multiplier. ramped up education efforts to better
operations, many of these leaders aspired to a higher calling. prepare CIOs to meet and exceed the
They were able to lead their organizations through technology requirements demanded by new healthcare delivery models. We’ve
implementations and transform healthcare through the use of also worked hard to design programs that help CIOs and their
information technology. They became true healthcare executives, leadership teams prepare for the future, offering twice-yearly CIO
calling themselves Chief Information Officers – CIOs. Forums and the Healthcare CIO Boot Camp. The great feedback
The title stuck, and the importance of their critical role in and maxed-out attendance tells us we continue to be on the right
healthcare delivery evolved. Today’s CIOs are helping the healthcare track.
industry, and the entire nation, realize the potential of information CHIME has also strengthened focus on federal and state agency
technology in improving health care delivery. Through tireless issues, helping to guide the creation of new regulations that are
efforts, CIOs and their clinical and business partners continue to effective and achievable. In 2009, CHIME launched the Certified
bring greater safety, quality, efficiency and effectiveness to today’s Healthcare CIO (CHCIO) Program to ensure CIOs are ready
healthcare operations. Together, we are a healthcare force-multiplier. for the scope of leadership and management skills they’ll need to
The idea of having an electronic health record for all Americans succeed.
has transitioned from being a lofty goal to one of the nation’s top Supporting CIOs and their healthcare organizations, CHIME
objectives. CIOs are also leading other universally high-priority has come a long way over the past 20 years. We look forward
projects at our nation’s healthcare organizations, like ICD-10 to evolving with the industry as we adopt new information
transitions, and the creation of new data gathering and analysis technology to facilitate higher value healthcare. ■
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FROM THE PRESIDENT
CHIME Tracks Changes in CIO Role Over its 20 Years
Richard A. Correll recognized by major associations and governmental bodies.
CHIME President and CEO For all those and many other accomplishments, CHIME’s 20th
anniversary is a year worthy of major celebration. Our CHIME12
I
t still amazes me that it has been 20 years CIO Fall Forum celebrates this milestone with recognition to
since we formed CHIME. The role of the those who have contributed to our success.
CIO has changed a lot since 1992. Back in We’re grateful to those individuals
1992, CIOs had a rather narrowly defined Our reputation as and companies who have been vitally
scope of responsibilities. They typically a trusted source important in shaping CHIME for these
were charged with installing technology in specified areas of information past 20 years. Many CIOs have stepped
of their organizations. Their organizations were receptive to in the HIT field into key leadership roles, not for any
computerization of the business and administrative functions, but has become well personal glory or recognition, but for
only a few pioneering organizations were ready to implement IT the purpose of helping peers develop in
recognized by
in their clinical settings. Through the years, that narrow initial professional stature and promote wider
scope has become ever wider, and with that evolution, CIOs major associations use of IT in healthcare.
have become key players in helping their healthcare organizations and governmental On a personal note, it has certainly
achieve strategic goals and missions. bodies. been a rewarding experience for me
CHIME’s early focus was to aid in the professional to be a part of CHIME’s growth and
development of healthcare CIOs through education, networking success through these 20 years. From my seat, I am perhaps
and comparative data. Although that focus is still prominent most aware of the immense amount of volunteer leadership and
today, the organization has also developed an outward view creativity that has been devoted to CHIME. My thanks go to
toward providing CIO leadership as our nation seeks to utilize them and to all CHIME members who have contributed to our
computer systems to improve patient care. Our reputation as a success. It’s the members, and their selfless service to each other,
trusted source of information in the HIT field has become well that has truly made this great organization an exceptional one. ■
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CIO Role Evolving as IT Gets Integrated
into Larger Hospital Strategies
IT solutions, you have to have the technology to successfully
T
he roles and responsibilities of chief information officers at
healthcare organizations continues to evolve, with changes manage your patients and identify risk,” she said. “Also, value-
occurring at an accelerated rate in recent years. based purchasing, and public reporting of quality and patient
The pace of implementing projects under the purview of the satisfaction metrics is creating a demand for real-time monitoring
CIO shows no signs of abating, according to several key thought and intervention tools.”
leaders who belong to the College of Healthcare Information As healthcare reimbursement changes over time, CIOs will need
Management Executives (CHIME). And because IT supports so to provide the capabilities that will enable their organizations to
many key initiatives within these organizations, and lies at the keep up, said Rick Schooler, vice president and CIO at Orlando
foundation of change expected in a reformed healthcare system, Health.
CIOs will be involved in developing organizational strategy, not “Most healthcare organizations are preparing for clinical
just executing it. integration across a community’s healthcare continuum,” he
Heightened awareness caused by federal programs and said. “Healthcare reform is forcing a focus on quality and
regulations have brought increasing attention to health IT and the reimbursement that is tied to quality. Healthcare organizations
CIO role, said Randy McCleese, current CHIME Board member now want information to better manage patients and patient flow.
and vice president of information systems and CIO at St. Claire Now, you have to have effective deployment of electronic medical
Regional Medical Center in Morehead, Ky. records just to stay in the game.”
For the IT department to provide such a strategic level of
information, CIOs must become move past merely providing
operational direction for their department to becoming key
“Heightened awareness caused by strategic leaders within their organizations, Schooler said.
“The CIO is going to have to have a bag full of skills – the
federal programs and regulations
ability to negotiate, consult, market, plan and have the ability
have brought increasing attention to link strategic priorities to IT investments,” he said. “The CIO
to health IT and the CIO role.” will become more of a healthcare executive than he or she has
Randy McCleese, current CHIME Board member,
been in the past. The value add at the executive level will depend
vice president of information systems and CIO on executive skills, not technical and operational skills. The CIO
St. Claire Regional Medical Center, Morehead, Ky. has to be in the inner circle and contribute to strategic issues that
affect the organization, not just IT.”
In addition, as clinicians and patients increasingly become
more knowledgeable and comfortable using computers, there is
more pressure on healthcare organizations to provide effective, “The bar just got higher for
accessible IT systems. CIOs. They will be involved in
“There’s recognition by leadership that you can’t run a more strategic issues. Operating
healthcare organization without information technology,” said Bill margins will be smaller, and CIOs
Spooner, senior vice president and CIO at Sharp HealthCare in
will have to do more with less.
San Diego.
Spooner started his career in healthcare IT by implementing A lot of time pressure is related to
financial systems; now, clinical systems capture much of his federal and state changes.”
attention, necessitating decision support for clinicians and
John Glaser, chief executive officer of the health
workflow adaptations to make better use of IT capabilities, he said. services business unit of Siemens Healthcare,
Implementation of electronic health records, prompted by the previously vice president and CIO of Partners
incentives in the HITECH Act, has become an expectation for HealthCare and founding member of CHIME.
IT executives, said Pam McNutt, senior vice president and CIO
at Dallas-based Methodist Health System. The need to switch to
ICD-10 compliant applications by October 1, 2014, also places
more significance upon the CIO, who typically is one of the key CIOs, who long have waited to be acknowledged by senior
players in leading the transition. executives, are now major players in within the C-suite and
Health reform initiatives also will increase the need for IT, strategic planning process, said John Glaser, now chief executive
McNutt said. officer of the health services business unit of Siemens Healthcare,
“There are regulatory requirements associated with Accountable previously vice president and CIO of Partners HealthCare and
Care Organizations, and even though they don’t require specific founding member of CHIME.
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“By and large, organizations have demanded that CIOs be a
member of the C-suite,” Glaser said. “The years ahead will cement
that. The bar just got higher for CIOs. They will be involved “We have to be able to look
in more strategic issues. Operating margins will be smaller, and beyond our walls, providing
CIOs will have to do more with less. A lot of time pressure is information among a much larger
related to federal and state changes.”
CIOs will need to become better business executives as continuum of care, connecting
healthcare makes a transition to a new business model, said the dots with pharmacies, nursing
George Hickman, incoming CHIME Board Chair and CIO at homes and other providers, and
Albany Medical Center. the patients themselves.”
“There is a lot of talk in the industry right now about the idea
that the healthcare provider industry is moving from Curve One Joanne Sunquist, CIO at Hennepin County
Medical Center
to Curve Two,” he said. “If you don’t change and innovate as all
of the factors outside of our industry shift, then you will see your
lifecycle come to full end and see your organization die. While
CIOs have been paying a lot of attention to EHRs, the shift to population analysis, said Joanne Sunquist, CIO at Hennepin
new paradigms in healthcare may require them to implement County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
systems “that add aspects of efficiency to the delivery process.” “We need to be able to support and predict the potential
Hickman believes that Curve Two in healthcare will focus more impacts of new models of care, like ACOs,” she said. “And we
on population health, quality outcomes, changes in how we are have to be able to look beyond our walls, providing information
paid and the management of disease. among a much larger continuum of care, connecting the dots
Gretchen Tegethoff, current CHIME Board member and with pharmacies, nursing homes and other providers, and the
vice president and CIO at Athens Regional Health System, patients themselves. CIOs need a wider vision to be successful.
also expects that the shift from volume of care delivered to an You have to have a good understanding of the surrounding
emphasis on value will eventually result in keeping patients out business environment.”
of hospitals and will focus on care management and coordination The evolving push to reform the nation’s healthcare system,
across the continuum, through home health to telehealth, and by and increasing efforts to digitize patient information to improve
increasing patient engagement and data exchange by providers. patient safety and care coordination will mean constant change
All have obvious impacts on the CIO, she says. for healthcare CIOs in the years ahead, increasing their need to
To support new models of care, healthcare organizations will share experiences through educational events and networking
need to increase analytical capabilities to enable them to conduct with their peers. ■
CHIME Facts About CHIME
Founded 1992 Headquarters Ann Arbor, MI The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives
(CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief
Mission Advancing the role of CIOs and senior healthcare IT
information officers and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With
leaders through education, collaboration and advocacy in support
more than 1,400 CIO members and 87 healthcare IT vendors and
of improved health and healthcare in our communities. professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive,
trusted environment enabling senior professionals and industry
192 Charter members leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional
development needs; and advocate the effective use of information
management to improve health and healthcare in the communities
800+ 1,400+ they serve. For more information, please visit www.cio-chime.org.
Members in 2002 Members today
About the CHIME Foundation
CHIME Foundation established: 1994 The CHIME Foundation is a separate non-profit organization
comprised of select healthcare IT vendors and professional services
CHIME Certified Healthcare CIO Program firms. CHIME Foundation members benefit from the unique
established: 2009 opportunity to partner and collaborate with more than 1,400 CHIME
member CIOs. The CHIME Foundation provides and participates in
26 875 the educational initiatives and programs that serve the professional
development needs of both CHIME and CHIME Foundation members.
Lifetime Healthcare CIO
members Boot Camp graduates
For more information, please visit www.cio-chime.org. CHIME Platinum Anniversary Sponsor
CHIME | 20 years serving healthcare CIOs C5
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What’s Ahead in 2013?
CIOs Share Their Greatest Challenges
C
hief information officers at the nation’s hospitals expect to
oversee multiple large projects in 2013, continuing multi- What they’re saying...
year initiatives that will affect operations across the length
and breadth of their organizations. Pamela Arora, Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Children’s Medical Center
The scope of these projects will emphasize CIOs’ abilities
to manage projects and working relationships within their “The biggest IT challenge we face for 2013 is the fast
pace of change, which can be a blessing and a curse
organizations, and work more closely with senior executives to
for a CIO. The healthcare industry needs to change,
ensure that IT projects help meet organizations’ strategic objectives.
wants to change, and has to change to maximize
Collecting, managing and analyzing information will be crucial efficiency while still increasing quality across the
for healthcare organizations that want to survive and transition continuum of care. This paradigm shift is contingent
to the new breed of healthcare organizations that will manage on the appropriate integration of game-changing Information
population health and optimize care delivery in the future. Technology and Biomedical tools, which will accelerate progress.”
An informal poll of more than 60 CHIME members also found
that IT initiatives are being more closely tied to strategic initiatives, Robert Slepin, Vice president and CIO
as information technology undergirds a wide array of projects John C. Lincoln Health Network
throughout their healthcare organizations. “Thriving under healthcare reform will not be possible
standing still. We must boldly move forward to fulfill
Meaningful Use and Federal Regs the Triple Aim of better individual care and improved
Most of the CIOs polled cited Meaningful Use as one of the key population health at a more affordable cost. To continue
factors driving their agendas for 2013. While seeing the importance advancing towards these strategic goals, we must
meaningfully use patient data especially at the point
of continuing to attain objectives specified in federal regulations and
of care and transitions of care, become compliant with ICD-10 by
receiving stimulus funds, CIOs also noted the importance of using October 2014, and continually innovate our planning, delivery, and
electronic health records (EHRs) to improve care, attain efficiencies coordination of patient care enabled by IT.”
and reduce expenses.
With EHRs increasingly being accepted as the de facto approach Ron Strachan, FCHIME, CHCIO, CIO
for recording patient information, CIOs now find themselves more Community Health Network
involved with related issues that help maximize their investment. “We will be spending a lot of time organizing to better
CIOs are working more closely with clinicians to address support our new EMR that we use across all sites
their concerns and gain their support, and also are involved in of care. This will involve more clinical leadership and
reconfiguring workflows. process improvement efforts to optimize our use of this
Having data available has also heightened the importance of data very large investment. Additionally, we will move forward
analysis, and CIOs polled by CHIME indicated that they would get on business intelligence like never before – enterprise
more involved in providing business intelligence services, through data warehouse and analytic tools plus better data governance and
the use of data warehousing and analytic applications. support for our business units for BI.”
Health Information Exchange also appeared as a commonly
Anna Turman, CHCIO CIO
mentioned challenge by CHIME CIOs. Data exchange will grow in
Chadron Community Hospital and Health Services
importance both within an organization and externally, with other
“Patient centered care, population health and patient
healthcare organizations, federal agencies and public health agencies.
engagement are some of the greatest challenges and a
Data exchange within organizations will become more complicated necessary priority facing critical access hospitals (CAH)
as organizations grow through mergers and try to become integrated. and healthcare facilities alike this upcoming year. There
are expectations of IT to keep pace to assist facilities,
The Impact of Reform providers and patients to facilitate the transition to a
With healthcare reform appearing inevitable, accountable care patient-centered care model. IT will support providers as active team
organizations (ACOs) were frequently mentioned as strategic initiative members with patients, encouraging the patient to become active
supported by IT. Managing population health through ACOs participants in their own care.”
will require improved data exchange and better access to patient
information, no matter where they are in the continuum of care. Gretchen Tegethoff, CHCIO, Vice president and CIO
CIOs also are feeling the pressure to maximize savings and reduce Athens Regional Health System
unnecessary expenditures through the use of IT. As IT becomes a core “The biggest IT challenge that I expect to face in 2013 is
service within healthcare organizations, CIOs are increasingly being having enough and the right resources to manage the
priority projects. This, together with keeping the projects
involved in planning for how IT can support new strategic initiatives.
and initiatives moving and progressing, is the challenge.
As healthcare organizations continue to focus on IT capabilities to
Between meaningful use, ICD-10, data and analytics
increase cost-effectiveness, efficiency and patient safety, CIOs expect governance, and other organizational priorities, while
to provide greater input to senior executives and aim to coordinate the funding and leadership support may be there, it comes down
their IT efforts with organizational priorities. ■ to resources. As a CIO fairly new to my organization, these priority
projects are occurring in parallel to my building my team.”
Continued on page C8 >
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As more health information is
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institutions are required to manage “big
data,” the challenges to health information
integrity are growing.
Join AHIMA for this two-day meeting, bringing
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» Policy and/or standards needed for health » Other topics related to the use and
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Register today at ahima.org/events
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Gregory S. Walton, CHCIO, Chief Information Officer
What they’re saying... El Camino Hospital
“The total volume of projects set new records
each year. There are multiple reasons for this
Neal Ganguly, CHCIO, FCHIME, FHIMSS,
demand, including government mandates, market
Vice President and CIO
CentraState Healthcare System transition, wider acceptance of IT as an important
tool for all aspects of health care.”
“Supporting the changes driven by the healthcare
reform agenda are high on my agenda. Participation
Theresa Meadows, RN, MS, FHIMSS, CHCIO-Eligible,
in alternate delivery system models like ACOs, Senior vice president and CIO
PCMHs, etc. are going to require the IT teams Cook Children’s Health Care System
to serve up more and more data for analytics.
“We can’t lose sight of projects that will allow us to obtain
The biggest challenge for us is to build that data
competitive edge. We need to anticipate how we can help the
infrastructure up in as rational and well thought proactive manner
business, apply the resources in real-time and make adjustments
as possible as opposed to just being reactive.”
as necessary. Agility in our IS organization will be key to the
success of the overall organization.”
Randi Terry, Director of Information Services
Mercy Hospital Cadillac
David R. Furnas, CHCIO, CISM, PMBA,
“The biggest IT challenges are meeting the requirements Chief Information Officer
for Meaningful Use (for both hospital and physicians). These Gila Regional Medical Center
projects have taken over our project load for the next few years.
“In one word, people. With so many strategic
Mobile security is our biggest technical challenge, as we have
initiatives under way, including preparation for MU
more and more mobile devices (personal) enter our facilities.
Stage 2 and ICD-10; implementation of our next-
Also on the list is process design and redesign – as we put in
generation HIS; and a major hospital expansion/
more computers (EHR technology), processes are changed and
renovation project, it is a strategic challenge to
improved.”
ensure we are mitigating over-subscription of
our FTE staff and using contract staff whenever necessary or
Thomas Colbert, Vice president and CIO
appropriate.”
Sansum Clinic
“IT is important strategically because we have Alan Whitehouse, CHCIO, CIO
“bet the farm” on our EHR, which I believe any Oconee Regional Medical Center
group does when they commit to full participation
“Resources have been and will remain very tight. The roll
and optimization, as we did. All following decisions,
out of CPOE to individual physician specialties continues while
whether for new lines of business, clinical devices/
preparing for electronic physician documentation and health
systems, even provider reimbursement, have an
information exchange. The time line has been so tight there is
EHR component in the decision making process. It touches
almost no slack. Getting and keeping the right folks engaged
everything.”
early and throughout is critical.”
Phyllis Teater, Chief Information Officer
Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University Top Challenges for 2013
“Our biggest challenge is prioritization and the related
resources. With the explosion of need and the realization of the
impact for health IT, there is such an endless queue of ideas, EHRs
requests and opportunities, I feel we always have our hand organizational goals
out and have to be the rate-limiting step for so many important switch to ICD-10
initiatives that depend on IT.”
Get Involved with CHIME
CHIME is the only professional alliance that focuses on the unique needs of CIOs, their teams, and business
partners. CHIME gives members a competitive edge and credibility by providing relevant knowledge tailored to
current CIOs.
CHIME offers membership to CIOs and senior IT leaders at healthcare related organizations. To qualify for
membership, individuals must be the CIO or highest-ranking IT executive at their facility; they do not have to
hold the CIO title.
For more information about CHIME membership, visit www.cio-chime.org.
Small and Rural Hospitals
CHIME has focused efforts on outreach to IT executives at small and rural hospitals to better support them and their facilities in IT
implementation toward achieving meaningful use of EHRs. Small hospital IT executives who want to find out more about scholarship
opportunities and benefits specific to their needs can contact CHIME membership at membership@cio-chime.org.
C8 CHIME | 20 years serving healthcare CIOs
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To learn how AHIMA certification protects you, visit www.ahima.org/WhyAHIMA
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