On October 11th, Dr. Clay will serve on the panel “The Evolving Role of CMIOs Today” at Becker’s Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference. As part of an ongoing series, Becker’s is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place October 9-12, 2019 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Dr. Clay’s session, click here.
Question: As a leader, how do you stay connected to the actual work that is being done? How do you balance between leading and executing personally?
Brian Clay: As a chief medical information officer, maintaining an active clinical practice allows me not only to see the clinical applications and computer systems that we put in place in action in a real-life environment but also to continually use those systems and that technology myself in the delivery of patient care. I think it is important for physician leaders in information technology to continue to see patients in order to have that insight into the end-user clinician.
Q: What is one topic or issue you’ve been investing time in to better understand as of late?
BC: The area of mobile technology and digital health continues to rapidly evolve. Smartphones are ubiquitous, wireless connectivity is everywhere, and the expectation of both clinicians and patients is that health care technology will move in a direction to meet their needs in terms of mobility and access. Digital health technologies are starting to give patients ever more capabilities to direct and coordinate their own care, with more of that health care being delivered outside of a usual clinic or hospital setting.
Q: What contributes to better conversations between a health system’s financial and clinical leaders?
BC: The key to having better conversations is having conversations. Too often, people in a health care system view the most important issues only through the lens of their area of expertise or concern, and do not solicit input from others or have their positions challenged. The most successful, most effective, and most fun projects I’ve been involved in in my career relied on open and honest communication between all stakeholders. If we all did more of that, our organizations and our patients would be much better served.
As a chief medical information officer, maintaining an active clinical practice allows me not only to see the clinical applications and computer systems that we put in place in action in a real-life environment, but also to continually use those systems and that technology myself in the delivery of patient care. I think it is important for physician leaders in information technology to continue to see patients in order to have that insight of the end-user clinician.
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.
