Highlights from CHIME’s 2006 Fall CIO Forum
New Frontiers in Healthcare: Unique Leadership Challenges for CIOs

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CHIME CIOs and CHIME Foundation Representatives from around the country gathered at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort for CHIME’s annual Fall CIO Forum event. Held from October 24—27, New Frontiers in Healthcare: Unique Leadership Challenges for CIOs drew an all-time record crowd. The resort provided an ideal setting for nearly 450 attendees to enjoy top-notch educational and networking opportunities. Special thanks to Fall Forum Planning Chair Randy Carpenter, his 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. Members settled into the hotel and joined friends and colleagues for a special welcoming reception that evening.

On Wednesday morning, CHIME Chair Bill Spooner and CHIME President and CEO Rich Correll welcomed the crowd and provided a summary of CHIME’s activities and initiatives this year. They were joined by Interim National Coordinator Rob Kolodner, who gave a brief summary of the progress being made by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONCHIT) and invited attendees to join him at a town hall meeting later that day.

Wednesday’s educational sessions began with a dynamic presentation by F. Warren McFarlan, Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School. Dr. McFarlan shared his views on globalization and healthcare, which he says are currently the two most important topics discussed at Harvard Business School. He went on to present his views on the importance of the CEO-CIO relationship, the dimensions of leadership, and the global changes that will transform business as we know it—including the upcoming explosion of wireless and broadband capability that will make the electronic health record (EHR) possible.

Following Dr. McFarlan’s presentation, attendees heard from Dr. Lowell Catlett from New Mexico State University. Dr. Catlett, a futurist and economist, discussed the current trends in economics, demographics, and technology that are influencing our future. He pinpointed the aging population and the change from a production society to a consumer society as the biggest influences on how we live, saying that these trends in particular are and will continue to be responsible for radical changes in every single industry—from automobiles to housing to healthcare.

Wednesday’s educational sessions continued 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.

The momentum continued with a town hall session with Dr. Robert Kolodner, ONCHIT’s Interim National Coordinator. Over 150 CHIME members and CHIME Foundation representatives attended the session, where Dr. Kolodner discussed ONCHIT’s recent activities and took questions from the audience regarding RHIO strategy and funding. Wednesday evening’s reception closed out the day and provided members with an opportunity to network with colleagues while enjoying live music and refreshments.

Thursday began with an all new CHIME Awards Ceremony. CHIME Chair Bill Spooner presided over the ceremony, which included a special raffle drawing. The following awards were presented:

• The Innovator of the Year Award:
  Jim Cramer, VP & CIO at Scottsdale Healthcare
• The Collaboration Award:
  Linda Reino, formerly CIO at Universal Health Services and Siemens Medical Services
• The John Glaser Scholarships:
  Jay Srini, Vice President Information Services Division at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)
  Tracy Foy, Director of Systems Infrastructure at HealthSouth Corporation
• The Healthcare CIO Boot Camp Minority Scholarship:
  Woody Walker, IT Director at Halifax Community Health System
• The CHIME Fellow Award:
  Randy Carpenter, Senior VP & CIO, HealthSouth Corporation
  Drex DeFord, CIO, Scripps Health
  Pamela Muccilli, VP & CIO, Emerson Health System
  Tim Stettheimer, Senior VP & CIO, St. Vincent’s Health System
  Peter Strombom, VP & CIO, Meriter Health Services
  Tim Zoph, VP-IS & CIO, Northwestern Memorial Hospital
• The CHIME Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award:
  Kent Gale, President of KLAS Enterprises

A special raffle followed the awards ceremony. CHIME member Skip Hubbard, VP & CIO at Bon Secours Health System was the winner of a Dell flat panel TV.

Following the awards ceremony, 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 IT governance, clinical implementation success, healthcare IT investment and business performance, and the evolution of the CMIO.

Sunshine and moderate temperatures on Thursday afternoon provided a perfect setting for various recreational activities. Over 120 attendees participated in the annual Fall CIO Forum Golf Tournament at the Gainey Ranch Golf Club. Others enjoyed a horseback trail ride or a river rafting excursion.

Attendees returned to the Hyatt on Thursday evening for a special Gunsmoke-themed reception. Friends and colleagues networked and mingled while participating in Western activities including bull riding (mechanical, of course!) quick-draw contests, and gaming tables.

Friday morning opened with a special advocacy sunrise panel session. CHIME Board member Sue Schade, Chantal Worzala from the AHA, and Dave Roberts from HIMSS updated members on the most recent events in the world of healthcare IT legislation.

Friday’s events continued with a thought-provoking presentation by David Bowen, Assistant Administrator for IS & CIO at the Federal Aviation Administration. David shared his experiences and lessons learned as he moved from a healthcare CIO role to his current position. He covered topics such as the professional ramifications of the shift, the ideal skills and traits of a successful CIO, and how his background in healthcare prepared him for the challenges he currently faces.

The final Forum event was a presentation by Dr. Edward Hallowell, Author and Founder of the Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health. Hallowell gave insights on what our busy lives are doing to us emotionally and mentally, and gave advice on how to set limits in order to avoid letting 24/7 workdays take control of us.

The 2006 Fall CIO Forum concluded with our annual raffle prize drawing. Congratulations to the lucky winners:

Sponsor:	Raffle Prize:	Winner:
Cisco	55” Plasma TV	Dave Slabodnik
Stoltenberg Consulting	2 iPods & Gift Certificate	Nolan Hennessee
Sprint Nextel	Sprint Treo	John Penrose
Beacon Partners	Dell Laptop	Jim Chesney
Motion Computing	Tablet PC	Joe Hooks
DST Technologies	PSP Entertainment Package	John Lynch
MEDITECH	Dell PDA	Adam Sears

Very special thanks again to Randy Carpenter and the Fall Forum Planning Committee as well as the CHIME Foundation member firms; their support made this event possible. Thank you all for making this Forum one of the best ever!

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