This week was my first in-person conference with CIO colleagues since Spring 2019. The CHIME Fall Forum is an annual gathering of health IT leaders, and this year is the 30th Anniversary of CHIME. Prior to
the pandemic, I’ve attended CHIME fall forums almost every year since 2000 when I first joined CHIME. It was so good to again see friends and colleagues I’ve known for decades and finally meet in-person new colleagues and connections I’ve only known via Zoom for the past few years. There is nothing quite like in-person events for networking and informal conversations with colleagues. Kudos to the entire CHIME staff and board who did an excellent job once again!
From the DEI retreat on Monday to the League of Women’s luncheon and track sessions on Tuesday, to the somewhat creepy humanoid robot interview that CHIME CEO Russ Branzell so patiently did as the keynote on Tuesday, to the insightful “CHIME 30th Anniversary – Past, Present, Future” keynote panel on Wednesday, to the inspiring keynote from Carey Lohrenz on Thursday, and all the track sessions and receptions in between….it was a great few days in San Antonio.
I’ve been involved in the CHIME DEI Committee for the past two years. The panels at the DEI Retreat on Techquity and Next-Gen Leadership generated lively discussion amongst the diverse group of attendees. Kudos to Sheree McFarland, CIO West Florida at HCA, and Cletis Earle, SVP and CIO at Penn State Health, who co-chair the DEI Committee with support from the CHIME staff.
The CHIME League of Women track sessions covered a range of topics aimed at encouraging women to lean into leadership roles and take career risks. These were standing room only sessions – a diverse, multi-generation group of women attended with many male allies. Personal journeys and challenges faced were openly shared by the panelists. Kudos to Sheree McFarland and Sarah Richardson, SVP & Chief Digital and Information Officer at Tivity Health, for their leadership to the League of Women.
Past board chairs in attendance took the stage at the opening session to be recognized. I am grateful for their contributions and leadership over the years. 25 of the past board chairs over CHIME’s first 30 years are white men. Seeing them on stage together was a stark contrast to the diverse group at the DEI retreat and the League of Women’s sessions. Change is happening and health IT leaders are becoming a more diverse and representative group.
Wednesday’s keynote session was a lively and insightful panel titled “Past, Present, and Future”. The panel included John Glaser, Executive in Residence at Harvard Medical School, Theresa Meadows, SVP/CIO at Cook Children’s Health Care System, and Andrea Daugherty, Interim CIO at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas Austin, with Liz Johnson, retired Chief Innovation Officer at Tenet, as moderator. John is a legend in our industry and mentor to many of us. Theresa was named 2023 CIO of the Year, a well-deserved recognition of her work at Cook and overall contributions to our industry. It was Andrea’s third panel having spoken at the DEI retreat and one of the League of Women track sessions – if Andrea is supposed to represent the future of health IT leaders, we are in very good shape!
Prior to Wednesday’s keynote session, Tim Stettheimer was recognized with the CHIME Lifetime Achievement Award. An incredibly well-deserved honor for his decades of contributions to CHIME and our industry.
Carey Lohrenz provided the inspiration that final day keynote speakers often do. She was the first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Navy. She is the author of two bestsellers: “Fearless Leadership: High-Performance Lessons from the Flight Deck” and “Span of Control: What to do When You Are Under Pressure, Overwhelmed and Ready to Get What You Really Want“. She shared her journey and leadership lessons applying them to the challenges that health IT leaders face today.
A parting comment on the track sessions. While panel discussions amongst health IT leaders are informative on a range of topics, the standard format from previous years with a leader presenting a short deck describing a specific initiative, challenges, and lessons learned is still very useful to attendees – case in point was the “Transforming Patient Experiences with a CRM Strategy”, an excellent session about Geisinger’s journey.
As Bill Russell likes to ask, “What’s my so what”? By the way, Bill did many “Interviews in Action” during the conference and will continue doing so at HLTH next week – look for them at This Week Health in the coming weeks. My so what – it’s all about relationships and continual learning. We can’t predict what the next 30 years will look like, but we know the future is bright, we are becoming more diverse, and the pace of change in healthcare and technology will continue.
Thank you to all my colleagues in this industry who have made and continue to make a difference each and every day!