Highlights from CHIME’s 2005 Fall CIO Forum
Aligning Healthcare IT across the Enterprise, the Community, and the Nation

CHIME CIOs and CHIME Foundation Representatives from around the country gathered at the the Boca Raton Resort and Club in Boca Raton, FL for CHIME’s annual Fall CIO Forum event. Held from October 18-21, “Aligning Healthcare IT Across the Enterprise, the Community, and the Nation” proved to be a popular, well-attended event. The resort provided an ideal setting for over 400 attendees to enjoy top-notch educational and networking opportunities. Special thanks to Fall Forum Planning Chair Pam Matthews, her entire planning committee, the CHIME Foundation, and everyone involved for making this another fantastic CHIME member event. For those of you unable to attend, a summary of highlights follows:

On Tuesday afternoon, general Forum registration began. Many members started their educational sessions early by taking advantage of the optional Pre-Forum Workshop. On Tuesday evening, members settled into the hotel and joined friends and colleagues for a special casino-themed welcoming reception complete with a seafood buffet.

On Wednesday morning, CHIME Chair Pat Skarulis and CHIME President and CEO Rich Correll welcomed the crowd and presided over CHIME’s annual Awards and Scholarships Ceremony. Awards presented and winners are as follows:

• The Innovator of the Year Award:
  David Muntz, Senior VP & CIO at Texas Health Resources in Arlington, TX. An honorable mention was presented to CHIME member Stephen J. Clark, Ph.D., VP & CIO at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, CO.
• The Collaboration Award:
  Dan Morreale, formerly Divisional VP & CIO at North Bronx Health Network and Siemens Business Services. An honorable mention was awarded to Randy Carpenter, Senior VP & CIO at HealthSouth Corporation in Birmingham, AL and Motion Computing.
• The John Glaser Scholarships:
  Michael Peterson, Director of Regional IT Services at Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems in Brewer, ME Karl West, VP of IS at Intermountain Health Care in Salt Lake City, UT
• The Healthcare CIO Boot Camp Minority Scholarship:
  Christopher Kunney, Director of IS Customer Care at Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta, GA
• The CHIME Fellow Award:
  Mike Smith, CIO at Lee Memorial Health System in Ft. Myers, FL
• The CHIME Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award:
  Judy Faulkner, President & CEO of Epic System Corporation in Madison, WI

Following the awards presentation, Dr. Ian Morrison gave a dynamic opening keynote address entitled “A New Leadership Agenda: The HIT Transformation Opportunity.” Dr. Morrison discussed the transformation of healthcare over the last 10 years in terms of quality, cost and value from both an industry perspective and a consumer perspective. He outlined the arguments for HIT as a solution encompassing safety/quality, rising costs, clinical processes, standards compliance, and interoperability. He also shared his forecasts and scenarios for the next ten years of healthcare IT transformation, including the importance of building a strong IT infrastructure in order to remain competitive.

Following Dr. Morrison’s presentation, attendees heard from Professor John Donovan from the MIT Sloan School of Management. His presentation, “Ambidextrous Business Management: Practical Strategies to Strengthen Your Organization, Foster Revolutionary Thought, and Integrate Innovation and Change Quickly and Seamlessly” gave attendees practical strategies for dealing with and preparing for the dramatic changes ahead. Using case studies and examples directly from the audience, Professor Donovan showed how untapped resources can be used to improve all areas of business performance. He also discussed the difference between managers and leaders; manager, he said, are dispensers of caution who seek to eliminate risk, while leaders are dispensers of hope who seek opportunities to take risks.

Wednesday’s educational sessions wrapped up with an afternoon of focus groups held by CHIME Foundation firms. These small group sessions gave CHIME members and their vendor/consultant partners the opportunity to share thoughts and ideas with each other on current healthcare and technology issues. Wednesday evening’s reception closed out the day and provided members with an opportunity to network with colleagues while enjoying refreshments and live music.

Thursday morning opened with a thought provoking presentation by Gary Strong, Executive Vice President and COO of Fairview Health Services. In “Strategic Steps: Critical Lessons and Practical Advice for Broadening the IT Executive’s Role,” Gary sought to share his experiences and lessons learned as he moved from a CIO role to the COO position. He covered topics such as the professional as well as emotional ramifications of the shift, what he now expects of his own CIO, and outlined what it takes to create a healthy organization.

Following Mr. Strong’s presentation, attendees had the opportunity to attend up to three peer-reviewed track sessions. There were four tracks to choose from: Strategy and Leadership, IT for Clinical Transformation, IT and Organizational Performance, and the Most Wired Showcase. Individual topics included Identity and Access Management Strategies for Securing Health Data Sharing Across Communities, Winning Physician Adoption Strategies, Full IT Outsourcing, and Taking RFID to the Next Level. This year’s track sessions received the highest attendee ratings ever!

Despite a rainy forecast, Thursday afternoon provided a perfect setting for various recreational activities. Over 120 attendees participated in the annual Fall CIO Forum Golf Tournament at the Boca Raton Golf Club. CHIME also provided a popular “Golf for Novices” session for attendees who are just breaking in to the sport. Other attendees enjoyed deep sea fishing and snorkeling excursions.

Thursday night’s reception was a great way to end the day. Attendees enjoyed the usual combination of refreshments and networking with one special addition: a performance by comedian and entertainer Don McMillan. A former engineer, McMillan’s act featured hilarious accounts of the foibles of technology, growing up as a self-described “math nerd,” and the application of statistical analysis to marital disputes.

Friday opened with a thoughtful presentation by Newt Gingrich. In “Saving Lives and Saving Money: Transforming Healthcare in the 21st Century,” Mr. Gingrich described the challenge of moving from our current, outdated healthcare system to one that meets the needs of this century’s population. His view is that the information age is leaving healthcare behind, and the only way to cure our sick healthcare system is to use technology to its fullest extent, including building what he calls a “Personal Health Knowledge System” – a step beyond the Electronic Health Record.

The final Forum event was a heartfelt presentation by Captain Jerry Linenger, a retired US Naval Officer, astronaut, and crew member on the spaceship Mir. In “The Sky is Not the Limit,” Capt. Linenger recounted in detail the disasters he and his crew members experienced on Mir, including fires, the failure of their life-support system, near collisions, and frequent computer failures. While these examples are dramatic, Capt. Linenger pointed out that even our day-to-day encounters at home and on the job can evoke similar feelings of frustration and fear. He shared his own strategies for overcoming these seemingly insurmountable odds and suggested how anyone could use these strategies in their daily lives by embracing change and working together as a team, stressing that the foundation of teamwork is individual competence. His moving, inspirational story is sure to be remembered by all in attendance.

The 2005 Fall CIO Forum concluded with our annual raffle prize drawing. Congratulations to the lucky winners:

Very special thanks again to Pam Matthews and the Fall Forum Planning Committee as well as the CHIME Foundation member firms, without whom we could not have produced another first-class event. Thank you all for making this Forum one of the best ever!

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