Highlights from the College's 1999 Fall CIO Forum
"Y2K and Beyond: I.T. Solutions for the Future"

Around 280 College and CHIME Foundation members gathered at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida October 12 – 15 to participate in the College's 1999 Fall CIO Forum. The Forum provided an ideal setting for attendees to network with colleagues and participate in discussions related to this year's topic, "Y2K and Beyond: I.T. Solutions for the Future". Thanks to all who attended for making this another very successful event! Special thanks to Hurricane Irene for waiting until the outdoor recreational activities were completed before settling in over the Palm Beach area. For those of you unable to attend this year's Fall CIO Forum, here’s a summary of highlights, though, you’ll be spared the 70 mph winds and 13 inches of rain:

Tuesday morning began with pre-forum workshops featuring such topics as "Security Technology and Process Implications of HIPAA" and others. Attendance for the workshops was fantastic, and, College members spoke very highly of the presenters, content, and overall value of the workshops. An evening reception featuring fun activities like "treasure-chest" giveaways and hermit crab races (yes, hermit crab races) closed out the first day of the 1999 Fall CIO Forum.

Russell Coile, giving the keynote address on Wednesday morning, spoke of the many future challenges facing healthcare: changing demographics, rising healthcare costs, government policy, market consolidation, and consumer expectations. He discussed how reigning forces such as the Internet, consumer demand, and emerging technology would profoundly reshape the healthcare industry as we move into the 21^st century. Coile emphasized the role of College members as one of leadership and encouraged them to seize opportunities to utilize their unique talents steeped in business strategy and technology utilization to overcome barriers and blaze a path for the future.

Paul Clayton, Ph.D. followed with an eye-opening presentation concerning HIPAA, privacy, and information systems security. Using examples of real-world situations, Dr. Clayton marked the importance of measuring up to HIPAA standards. Will it take a Tylenol™-like scare to make healthcare information systems "tamper-proof", he asked? He advised that meeting HIPAA standards would require not only technology change, but organizational and behavioral change as well. Dr. Clayton’s message was clear, if you haven’t begun work to secure your information systems and ensure the privacy of your healthcare constituents, then it’s time to "get moving".

Cassandra Junker wrapped up Wednesday’s agenda with a forward-thinking presentation on the Year 2000. Junker spoke of future opportunities opened up by the investments made and experiences gained in dealing with the Y2K bug. She urged College members to consider a future where CIOs are pioneers in an industry in need of leadership, direction, strategy, technology, and focus. The evening reception at Ragtops Motorcars, featuring a ‘50s theme, vintage cars, tattoos, hairspray, and hula-hoops left everyone feeling refreshed and ready for a full day on Thursday.

John Glaser, Ph.D. and Dave Garets began Thursday morning with an enlightening and entertaining discussion of the importance of showing value in information technology investment. In their own Siskel & Ebert style (or was it the McKenzie brothers?), the duo defined value, identified why "proving" it is so difficult, and gave tips on how to make "demonstrating" value much easier.

Next, members networked and exchanged information via roundtable discussions and CHIME Foundation focus groups. In the roundtables, members discussed among themselves topics such as ROI, the Internet, and I.T. staffing. The focus groups, conducted by Foundation representatives, featured topical presentations and provided unique opportunities for College members and their partners in the vendor community to pose questions and share ideas. The evening reception, featuring a gala New Year’s Eve party theme, was definitely one to be remembered! Members were happy to ring in the faux New Year, especially those likely to be stuck in the office on December 31^st.

Jim Bradley began the final day of sessions on Friday with an interesting presentation on e-health technology. In the absence of co-presenter David Margulies (unable to attend), Bradley carried the hour with spirit. His expertise and enthusiasm in this technology were illustrated by real-world examples of how e-health principles can be utilized to provide strategic business value.

Those who stayed for the last presentation on Friday were treated to a hilarious performance by Al Franken. As the crowd enjoyed breakfast with mimosas, Al Franken had them rolling with laughter as he pondered the Y2K bug, healthcare, politics, and countless other issues worthy of poking fun. What better way to relax and reflect on a week’s worth of education, networking, and fun!