Holiday gift lists, baking lists, family fun lists while kids are out of school and “honey do” lists while off from work…..we have personal to do lists everywhere. But as the year ends, it’s interesting to look back on some of the industry based 2016 lists and look ahead at what to expect in 2017.

I’ve compiled some of the most interesting health care and technology lists to share as we approach this annual turn of the year. You’ve probably seen some of them already.

There are the best places to work lists where we can all learn best practices to attract and retain talent in a competitive market: Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare 2016 and Becker’s 150 Great Places to Work in Healthcare 2016. And more specific to IT, there is Healthcare IT News’ Best Hospital IT Departments 2016. Check out their profiles and possibly get some new ideas to apply in your own organizations.

As health care and technology are constantly changing, it is good to check out the highlights from 2016 and trends to watch in the coming year.  PWC’s report on top health industry issues of 2017 calls it a year of uncertainty and opportunity. Their 2016 projections were summarized in an article in FierceHealthcare last January. Deloitte shares their views in Health Care Providers Industry Outlook 2017.

Focusing in on technology, what was hot in 2016 and what can we expect in 2017? Healthcare IT News highlights health care IT startups to watch. They also are projecting hot health technologies to watch in 2017.  And Health Data Management has identified the 12 top data and IT trends to expect in 2017.

And then there are the people you want to learn from who are helping transform our industry.  Modern Healthcare’s list of the 100 most influential includes leaders from government, providers, payors, and private industry. The top 50 experts in health care IT is a two-part list from Health Data Management. Becker’s Hospital Review named their annual top 100 hospital and health system CIOs to know. Congratulations to all the talented industry leaders and experts who have been recognized this year! I was honored to be included again on this last list from Becker’s Hospital Review while I served as interim CIO at University Hospitals in Cleveland.

Last but not least there is social media. You might want to check out some of the top blogs and twitter accounts to stay in the know. CDW Healthcare published a broad list of health-related blogs they consider the top 50 ones in 2016. Health Data Management published a list of 25 top healthcare IT blogs they think you should be reading in late 2015. And Health Data Management named the 55 top HIT and health care experts to follow on Twitter. As I continue to contribute to the industry through social media, it’s great to be included on these last two lists as well!

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, productive, and balanced new year as we slide into 2017!