After a brief hiatus, Becker's "CMIO Musings" column returns with a fresh name — CMIO Corner — and a renewed focus on how to build a more intuitive, innovative and efficient health IT infrastructure.
I am returning to this column as I return to a hospital-based CMIO role at University Hospitals in Cleveland, where I started as associate CMIO this month. In the spirit of transitions, I am transitioning this column into much more!
I envision the CMIO Corner as a space to challenge the status quo in health IT. Here we will address the trends, issues and policies that shape the clinical applications of technology, and occasionally tap other experts in healthcare and IT to enrich the discussion. Here is what I hope this column will accomplish:
1. Imagine a better health IT world. It's no secret healthcare tech trails many other industries in many aspects — user experience, data transfer, interoperability, et al. No instruction manual or hours of class time are needed to use the Uber app or to send a note via Gmail. Toddlers can figure out how to swipe on an iPhone. And if something is not intuitive, consumers can simply type their question into a search engine and find step-by-step directions in seconds. These products are designed to augment people's lives, not make them more complicated. Now, try Googling how to use an EMR better for specific instructions on common tasks — I rest my case.
However, getting to a place where healthcare technology is fun requires us to first imagine it.
If we can't imagine a better world, we can't create it.
2. Build awareness of major trends and issues in health IT. This column aims to spark discussions in hospitals around the country, promote curiosity and enhance learning. It is a column about technology, but more importantly, it's a column about how people use technology to drive change in healthcare. I plan to highlight the people who have had success in this space, to learn from their thinking and look ahead at how those ideas can be applied in other organizations. Tremendous work to improve care for others is done each and every day by individuals across the world. Sharing their efforts, struggles and ideas will help all of us improve.
On this note, I also want to hear from you, the reader. If you have comments, questions or ideas to share, I would love to hear them.
Without you, there is no column.
3. Advocate for positive change. My hope is this column can influence individuals leading health IT initiatives at their hospitals, as well as the people making policy decisions at the local, state and federal levels. To create true change — change that affects everyone — we must start the discussion at all levels about how to improve the healthcare space for providers, nonclinical staff, and most of all, the patients!
Continue the conversation on Twitter with #Beckers #CMIOCorner. Have a comment, question or idea? Tweet to @BeckersHR or @maulik_purohit.
More articles on health IT:
Cape Cod Healthcare begins Epic EHR transition, $180M patient tower project
How blockchain can help prevent data breaches
Michigan Medicine alerts 5,500 patients of phishing attack