Monthly Archives: September 2019

Time to stop and smell the roses – part 2

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Alternatively, I could call this post “take time for leaf peeping”! I have had the good fortune to spend a lot of time on the road in northern New England this past summer – something I had not done in all the years canstockphoto872429 (1) fall colorsI lived in the Boston area. New England is now approaching its peak fall glory. The 5-hour weekly drive from Providence to Burlington for my interim engagement was quite spectacular this week. Yet the colors were probably only a third of what they will be in another week or two.

A few years ago, I wrote a post called “Time to stop and smell the roses”. I commented then on the need to create routines that include think time, reading, reflection, relaxing and taking care of ourselves.

We spend our days in meetings or looking at computer screens. We spend many hours when not at work looking at our smart phones. But we don’t spend enough time appreciating the beauty surrounding us. When I’m doing that long drive each week, there’s not much I can do other than look at the scenery and of course the road! A few calls maybe and plenty of listening to the news, but I am always looking as I drive.

As our team at University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN) approaches the big Epic go live in just over 30 days, it is important that we take care of ourselves and stay healthy. For me, a key component of self-care is taking time to slow down and enjoy the beauty around me.

When driving my weekly commute or my daily commute from the hotel to my office, or looking out the window from one of our conference rooms (we have an incredible view of the Adirondack Mountains), or walking along Lake Champlain at sunset, I am reminded of the beauty surrounding us. We are all working very long days and focused on a successful go live November 1st. But taking time to enjoy this incredible changing of the colors is something I will do when I can. All too soon the yellows, oranges and reds will be gone, and we will be left with bare trees and brown landscape and then snow. For this first official week of fall, I’ll focus on the beauty of this season and try not to think of the snow to come.

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Project in trouble? Some dos and don’ts

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If you work in IT, you’ve probably seen your share of projects that need help getting back on track. I could share a lot of stories from my many years in IT in multiple organizations. The complexity and scale of what canstockphoto12827499 (1) dowe do in IT continues to amaze me. Drawing on that experience, I want to share my tips on what to do and not to do if you find yourself taking on a troubled project.

What to do if you want to ensure success:

  • First, stop the churn
  • Get up to speed on the project scope, issues, and challenges as quickly as possible
  • Seek to understand enough of the past to inform the future
  • Focus on getting the project back on track and moving forward
  • Figure out who’s who, what their respective roles are and who owns what
  • Assume positive intent
  • Show respect and gratitude for all involved
  • Ensure all issues are surfaced, assigned to an owner for resolution, and tracked
  • Remove obstacles as they arise
  • Be transparent with leadership about the status and issues
  • Track progress using key metrics
  • Use daily huddles to ensure team members are on the same page, focused, and raising issues
  • Manage expectations for all involved and impacted
  • Document decisions so you don’t have to revisit or rehash them later
  • Consider what levers you can pull such as timeline, resources, budget, or scope
  • When you can’t change the timeline, be ruthless about scope changes
  • Keep calm – reduce team stress, diffuse conflict, and avoid finger pointing

And some tips on what not to do: Continue reading →

Working together, we improve people’s lives

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That’s the vision of the University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN) where I’m currently serving as the interim Chief Technology Officer. It’s a simple but powerful statement and a great reminder of the canstockphoto10098870 (1) working togetherimportance of “we” and the work we do together. With our major Epic go live less than two months away, we are constantly reminded what a critical foundational  piece the common, integrated EHR is for the health network. No pressure!

I described the scope of our Epic project in my post “Crunch time and why IT matters” and shared stories from our 90-day Go Live Readiness Assessment (GLRA) in my post “IT takes a village”. Our 60-day GLRA was a few days ago. Dr. John Brumsted, UVMHN CEO, and the presidents from the hospitals and the medical group kicked off the day thanking everyone involved and describing what the common, integrated EHR will mean for our patients. And as Dr. Brumsted noted, the Epic project is the biggest undertaking to date for the organization as an integrated network.

UVMHN is not the first nor the last organization on the journey to create an integrated care delivery system to serve the patients in a region.  To be a truly integrated network, common values and strong relationships are key. Continue reading →

Another opportunity to be generous

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Hurricane Dorian has dominated the news cycle for the past week. As this powerful storm moves up the east coast, we are learning the scale of devastation and human suffering in the Bahamas. The pictures canstockphoto18234898and stories of survivors are heartbreaking.

It is a humanitarian crisis that requires an international response. With airports under water, their lifeline for the basics of safe drinking water, food and supplies is extremely limited. Health workers are on the ground doing what they can.

There are many ways to give. I encourage you to find a relief organization that you can support and give generously.

As you think about those affected by this devastation, be thankful for the everyday heroes who are helping with the rescue and recovery operation as they so often do.

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