The relationship between the CIO and other hospital leaders is a constant tug-of-war. Health IT departments need capital to run their projects; CFOs want to see a return on investment. Tech departments need to know what quality outcomes they should be measuring; CMOs want to make sure that data is timely and actionable.
There are a few tricks, however, to balancing these needs and making things run smoothly.
During a panel discussion moderated by Scott Becker at the Becker's 2nd annual CIO/HIT + Revenue Cycle Conference in Chicago, four leaders offered their perspective on how CIOs should work with other executives and the board. These leaders included Joshua Lee, MD, chief health informatics officer and vice president of Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Ill.; Phyllis Teater, CIO and associate vice president of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus; Tim Thompson, senior vice president and CIO of BayCare Health System in Tampa Bay, Fla.; and Nathan Hancock, vice president of revenue cycle at McKesson/RelayHealth.
Based on their discussion, here are six tips to maximize a hospital's relationship with the IT department.
What CIOs need from boards and the C-suite
1. Clear business goals. According to Ms. Teater, one of the key ways the CIO role is evolving is the way they approach problems. "My first question is always, 'What is your business goal?" Not, 'What IT solution are you looking for?'" she said. Boards and C-suite leaders need to keep CIOs informed to make sure the right IT solutions are being used. Dr. Lee said he makes all his decisions based on what the organization's top two to three goals are for the year. "If a project is not feeding into those two goals, we are not doing it," he said. "If we distract ourselves, we will not complete them."
2. Regular interaction. The best way to keep CIOs informed of business and clinical goals is through regular meetings. "It's really about being aware of all the initiatives that are going on and being able to step into those as opposed to having to wait until somebody asks for your help," Ms. Teater said. In addition to cross-functional committees and meetings, regular, casual interaction also helps open communication lines. Mr. Thompson's office is adjacent to other C-suite leaders, and "It's just that daily interaction that's incredibly important," he said.
3. Clinical exposure. For Dr. Lee, the CIO and IT department act almost as internal consultants to recognize solutions. "Even more than the CEO level, we are very involved in operations of the hospital… and very aware of every clinical initiative," he said. This clinical exposure helps CIOs ensure IT is properly supporting clinical goals. For example, Ms. Teater said if a clinician is working to improve a certain outcome, she wants to know that outcome so the IT department can make sure it's measuring the right thing.
What boards and the C-suite need from CIOs
1. Complete transparency. It's no secret that security threats are rising, and fast. For perspective, Mr. Thompson reported that BayCare had four ransomware attempts in February. By May, this number jumped to more than 10,000. Luckily his organization was prepared to block those attempts. However, with threats constantly testing the strength of IT security at hospitals around the country, occasionally something will break through. If this happens, Ms. Teater advised other CIOs to never let the board or C-suite member be surprised about any major issues, particularly security. "If there is something a physician is asking for or a security event, let them know so they can understand before their peers tell them about it," she said.
2. Layman's terms. Boards generally come from varied backgrounds. To create a common understanding and help move decisions along more quickly, it is critical to get rid of healthcare buzzwords and use terms that other leaders will understand when bringing concepts to the board and C-suite, Mr. Thompson said. Dr. Lee agreed, suggesting CIOs "demystify" their work using analogies to illustrate IT goals. For example, a CIO could explain how a project might create easy interactions similar to an experience at an airport kiosk. "One of the hardest things to translate to people is why certain things have to happen in a certain order," Dr. Lee said. Explaining this "takes the magic out of it," he added.
3. Shared perspective. "Do your due diligence ahead of time," Mr. Hancock said. Not only do IT leaders need to talk about projects in terms the whole C-suite can understand, but they also need to make the leap and demonstrate how certain projects, apps or initiatives fit into overall strategic goals, according to Mr. Hancock. For example, Ms. Teater said a lot of the requests she receives revolve around performance data management. IT may be tracking data and doing analytics, but if that work doesn't directly benefit physicians or patients, it's not meeting those big, strategic goals. Other executives and the board will want to know if data and analytics platforms have scorecards or dashboards to support physicians and ultimately patient care.
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