Monthly Archives: January 2019

#HIMSS19 – are you ready?

Posted by on

If you work in health IT, you know that the annual HIMSS conference is the biggest annual industry event whether you are headed to Orlando in two weeks or not. The number of emails, blog posts, social media image001 (003) HIMSS19posts, and articles providing guidance and recommendations on HIMSS19 grows with each passing day. And to this year’s theme – yes, we are all champions transforming healthcare through technology!

With so much info out there and so many scheduling choices to make, here are a few more resources and recommendations that might help in your final preparation.

Whether you are attending in person or following the happenings from a distance, the Official HIMSS19 Hashtag Guide will help you focus in on your areas of interest. And of course, you’ll want to follow all the social media ambassadors.

Check out the StarBridge Advisors blog post from principal, David Muntz – “Prepare to visit HIMSS2019 – Health IT’s Magic Kingdom”. David gives his advice for optimal prep and shares our principals’ top picks for this year – mine are #WomenInHIT, #HITventure and #Engage4Health.

At the Career Development Seminar on February 11, David will be presenting “Opportunities in the Rapidly Changing HIT Environment” at Session #4 from 1:00PM-2:00PM and hosting a mentor roundtable on “Future of the Industry” at 3:15PM.

The career fair on Wednesday from 8:30AM-3:30PM is something to consider checking out if you are early in your HIT career, looking for a change, or just want to get some tips from the experts. There is no fee, but separate registration is required.

I’m looking forward to hearing the panel at the #WomeninHIT Meetup – Changing the Scales to #BalanceforBetter on February 12 from 3:00PM-3:45PM at the HIMSS Spot. StarBridge Advisors will be launching a new initiative focused on developing women leaders prior to HIMSS19 – more on this in an upcoming blog. Continue reading →

Just how dependent are we?

Posted by on

You’ve probably been there. That feeling when you have to relinquish your smart phone for repair; you suddenly feel cut off from everyone and everything. You’re not on vacation, intentionally going off the grid. canstockphoto14698935 (1) smart phoneIt’s a work day. You need to stay connected. You have work to get done.

Tuesday was that day for me. The battery on my iPhone 6 Plus had been draining way too quickly. The battery setting said it needed service and I should bring it in. I made my appointment with the Genius Bar at the Apple Store about 15 minutes from my house. I blocked a two-hour window door to door. Seemed reasonable. I took some work with me to do while they were replacing the battery, but I didn’t think to bring my laptop.

I had a 12:30PM appointment. It was around 1:15 when they took the phone; they said it would be an hour before I would get it back. So much for my two-hour window. I headed to the food court for a quick lunch and did my other work – paper I’d brought with that I needed to review. I suddenly felt incredibly out of touch without my iPhone.

It took only about 15 minutes to review the papers with me. Now what? Well there was one purchase I needed so I headed to a store. I got back to the Apple Store at 2:15 and they weren’t done. The greeter told me it would be another 20 minutes. I thought of one other item I needed and headed to another nearby store.

I returned after 20 minutes. iPhone still not ready. I somewhat jokingly (though I was getting increasingly frustrated) told them this was costing me money since I hadn’t planned to shop that day. More importantly, I had a conference call at 3PM that I needed to do from home on my laptop. So much for thinking a two-hour window door-to-door was enough.

I got my iPhone back at 2:50PM. As it turns out, when they replaced the battery, the display wouldn’t work, and they couldn’t resolve it. So, I ended up with a brand-new iPhone 6 Plus for the price they were going to charge me for the battery. A good but unexpected ending in many respects.

As I ran out of time, they got me set up for phone and text. I quickly called one of the two people for the 3PM scheduled call and said I hadn’t been able to review the prep document that had been sent during this offline window and wouldn’t be able to do the call until 3:30PM.

I headed home with a phone with bare bones phone functionality. Not until I could take time later that day to do the iCloud restore would I be back to normal functioning. Continue reading →

7 Ways to develop the next generation of leaders

Posted by on

One of the primary responsibilities we have as leaders is to develop our people. As leaders we can’t lose sight of the fact that our people are our greatest asset. And we can’t say we’re too busy. It must be a canstockphoto21415598 (1) development compassfoundational part of how we work and lead.

Succession planning may be a formal program at your organization. Or it may be something informal that you just know you needs your attention.  After all, you won’t be there forever. You owe it to your organization and your team to have some form of a succession plan.

As leaders, we didn’t get to where we are without the support and investment of others who came before us. It’s up to us to develop the next generation of leaders. Here are 7 actionable ways to support your commitment to the next generation of leaders.

Find out what their goals are – This is especially important if you have come from outside the organization and one of your direct reports applied for your position. Don’t pretend this didn’t happen or you don’t know about it. Be proactive and discuss it with the individual(s). Find out their long-term goals, figure out their gaps so they will be ready next time an opportunity comes up, and agree on a specific development plan.

Provide them exposure at executive and senior leader meetings – Technology is pervasive in most organizations. CIOs are routinely being asked to join one more committee or leadership group so IT is involved and represented. Be selective about what you need to attend. For everything else, identify leaders on your team who can add value but also gain experience by being the IT leader involved. Be explicit about what you are doing with the committee or group leader and make sure you have their support.

Assign a department wide initiative – There are always initiatives that cut across the entire IT organization. They may involve new processes with a heavy dose of culture change.  Identify a leader who can lead the initiative and develop new skills by leading it. It beats the usual “voluntold” approach. Continue reading →

The evolving role of the CIO

Posted by on

At the beginning of 2019, is your role as a Chief Information Officer what it was a year or two ago? Is that even still your title? Chances are the answers are no. Your role is possibly broader and more strategic canstockphoto2442956 (1) changing role of CIOthan it was.

Much has been written about the changing role of the CIO. There is talk about CIO 3.0. Some CIOs may feel pressure to take on new responsibilities, so they aren’t overshadowed by other new CXO leaders. But many more want to broaden their role as healthcare and technology evolves.

As John Glaser summarized so well in his article, “The Evolution of the Health Care Chief Information Officer”, many new CXO roles now interplay with the CIO role.

He talked about the five factors shaping the CIO 3.0:  the transformation of the health care business model; relentless innovation in information technology; shift in strategic emphasis; stepping up your skills; and IT leadership becoming a team sport. This last one is critical. The CIO and other evolving roles must play well with one another in the interest of the organization.

One of our StarBridge Advisors blogs in 2018 was by Avery Cloud, a former advisor and now CIO at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (FMOLH).  The title of his blog post was “The C-Double I-O”, adding a second “I” in the CIO title for innovation. He challenged CIOs to become as conversant in innovation principles as they are in ITIL.

David Chou, Chief Information and Digital Officer at Children’s Mercy Hospital, suggests that CIO also must mean “chief influence officer”. In his article he emphasizes the importance of creating a strong culture that supports transformation, and thinking like a CEO.

In the most recent StarBridge Advisors blog, “10 Steps to Prepare for 2019 – Big Challenges – Bigger Opportunities”, David Muntz had some advice for CIOs in the coming year. In step #3 he encourages CIOs to do a self-assessment. Continue reading →