CIO Interview: Healthcare IT Strategy and Innovation

Career Background and Path to Healthcare IT

How were you trained and how did you decide upon your career?

I received my formal technical training in the Midwest. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from a university in Chicago and completed a Master of Science in Information Systems from another institution several years later. I have held many positions over the years, moving from helpdesk service internships during my college career to IT Director-level positions by the time I enrolled in graduate school.

It has been an interesting ride. I have seen the evolution of technology over the past decade and still find it exciting. My interest and passion for technology has always been there, and I landed within the healthcare space and have found that it suits me well — not just in terms of the types of technology, but also in terms of the needs that our technical solutions fill. I know that the work our department does impacts the lives of everyday people: babies, the ill, the recovering, and the staff that serve them. Health information technology has transformed the way we collaborate and communicate in healthcare settings today, and it has been a joy to work with new technical tools that meet the unique needs of the industry.

What implementation failures have you seen in your career? What lessons were learned?

CPOE Implementation: Lessons from Failure

When it comes to implementing clinical IT, we try to make sure we do things well, but our initial launch of a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system two years ago failed. Strategic decisions to move in this type of direction are always complicated, and given the myriad market options available and our unique needs, we attempted to self-develop. Both planning and physician support for the project were poor, and we ultimately failed.

We learned the importance of involving clinical teams during the prospecting phase for such solutions, rather than keeping things more IT-centric (Janicic et al., 2011). Engagement and training must be solid, and there needs to be a senior-level champion to help drive adoption within the organization. We also came to understand the importance of setting realistic timelines for implementation and using a pilot program to truly inform the launch, so that issues are identified and resolved before moving forward. We went back to the drawing board with a new vision and a fresh approach. Today, our new CPOE system, EPIC, has 90% utilization and end users are happy. We learned a great deal from the missteps we made during that first attempt.

Do you have any experience in disaster planning for IT?

Yes. My initial introduction to disaster planning in IT came in 1999 when everyone was biting their nails over Y2K. The organization I was with at that time took all the necessary steps and partnered with IBM to help ensure infrastructure resiliency and network availability in the event of a catastrophic event. Of course, Y2K came and went without the world ending, but as a benefit it did create a focus on disaster preparedness in the industry. Today, our hospital, like many other institutions, works to ensure we always have a plan that reflects our current IT structure and can support our needs. We know that patients' lives depend on the decisions we make and our ability to equip staff to continue serving despite disasters or any major disruptions that might occur.

EHR Systems and Patient Safety

How does your IT system promote patient safety and privacy?

The privacy and security of patient information will always be a top priority in healthcare (Janicic et al., 2011). Our hospital follows all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules to protect electronic information. Staff are trained in ways to properly access, share, and use such information. In addition, all HIPAA-covered entities have a contingency plan in place to ensure continued access to electronic protected health information in the event of a system failure. This is an important component of our emergency mode operation plan.

Are you interested in cloud computing, and is that a planned direction for the future?

Absolutely — it is really an imperative for our industry. The cloud takes advantage of economies of scale and resource pooling and can offer us massive amounts of storage and computing power (Janicic et al., 2011). It is still relatively new in computing, but I do think that it will transform healthcare. I see this happening most through improved data security options, easier service upgrades, and trends toward mobile health. For instance, as our hospital moves toward more partnerships with other organizations, data may be needed in two places at once. Cloud infrastructure would allow us to synchronize and share in real time with greater speed. I see great possibilities. We are actually discussing a hospital app that could be downloaded by patients onto tablets, iPhones, and other devices and used to interact with us directly.