The new year will be a challenging one for chief information officers in healthcare as the role continues to evolve, according to David Miller, CIO of consulting firm Optimum Healthcare IT.
With more than 35 years spent in the healthcare industry and 20-plus in healthcare technology, Miller writes at HealthsystemCIO.com that he has seen many challenges of the role first-hand.
Miller offers up advice about what CIOs are doing wrong and paths they should avoid going down, including:
- Making it all about IT: While technology in healthcare is incredibly important, its is a means to an end, Miller writes. Healthcare is about helping people live better, healthier lives, not about the technology.
- Not listening to younger generations: Those who are younger and have grown up in the digital age often can provide great insight into how tools work and can be used, Miller says. "My age and maturity sometimes act as a barrier to the possibilities for the application of this new technology," he writes.
- Failing to collaborate: Despite competition in the market, combining wisdom and experience is incredibly important, Miller says. To reduce costs of technology requires working with others to "realize the advantages of shared services." He says that is a big culture shift for healthcare organizations, but "one that our current situation demands."
"There is no silver bullet for the problems that plague healthcare today. Yet it is clear that an increased awareness of other philosophies and mindsets is crucial to survival. There is a new paradigm and a new approach to problem-solving that is required to survive--for CIOs and all leaders," Miller says.
While the role of CIO continues to change as use of technology in healthcare grows, most are satisfied in the position, according to executive search firm SSi-Search's findings based on its annual CIO survey. The survey also found that CIOs want to be recognized for improving the safety of their patients and see themselves as facilitators of improve collaboration between departments
And a Gartner survey published last April found that CIOs are getting more credit for driving digital innovation and change at companies. Most of the CIOs for that survey also indicated they were satisfied in their career path.
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