Tag Archives: lessons learned

What I learned this week

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When I’m stuck and don’t know what to write about, to trigger ideas my husband asks me “what did you learn this week?”. As I wrote in last week’s blog post, it’s handoff time as my interim CIO engagement at Boston Children’s comes to an end. The past 4 days was a packed schedule for the new CIO, Heather Nelson, and me. A good amount of time was in standing meetings already on the calendar where Heather got to meet individuals or groups in the IT department as well as some senior leadership meetings. In all the non-meeting time, (the white space on the calendar), I inserted sessions for just the two of us to go through the lengthy 10-page transition outline I had prepared.

Heather joked each day about being a sponge and wringing it out at night to start again the next day. She now has multiple lists of to do’s and discussion items for others as she gets started. Her priority in the coming weeks will be listening. What did Heather learn this week? A lot!

What did I learn? Through these standing meetings and handoff discussions I learned how much more there is to do that I didn’t have the time or opportunity to focus on. At one point I told Heather that maybe I’d write about “regret” this week. She was quick to say, no, look at how much you got done in a short time. My CIO colleagues know that our work is endless. We just need to step back occasionally and appreciate what we have gotten done. That’s true for ending an interim engagement as well.

And I learned how much value there is to being in these standing meetings together as part of the handoff so I could debrief with Heather afterwards adding more context and color. Without getting too distracted, using Zoom chat during the meetings to clarify and add context to topics being covered was also a plus.

And during this very busy handoff week, I learned (again) that moving is indeed a stressor! Continue reading →

Tips on moving: gig economy, targeted donations, and online marketplaces

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As briefly mentioned in recent blogs, my husband and I are in a transition phase – moving and downsizing. The last time we moved it was halfway across the country which brings its own challenges. What’s different this time is the number of people we’ve needed to help us, the number of new resources we’ve learned about through networking, and the focus on downsizing which means finding places where we can donate or sell stuff.

I’ve learned a lot the past few months and found some great resources. It’s no surprise to my regular readers that I’m willing to share some tips and resources. Here goes:

Finding trusted helpers – Our realtor lives in the neighborhood and has people he regularly uses and refers. Taking his recommendations, we used a handyman on some small projects and a few strong young men willing to move boxes and heavy items. This was all part of getting the house ready for photos, the listing, and open houses.

Sourcing local resources for small jobs – From our realtor I also learned about Surv, a company founded with community in mind that operates in eight states. CEO Pat Brown believes that Surv has the power to bridge social gaps, elevate young adults, and meet a community’s needs. Their mission is to build stronger communities through service. As they say on their website, “it’s more than an odd-job. By connecting Neighbors with hardworking Local Workers, we build lasting relationships that can uplift a community.”

Finding specialized services – Disassembling a very large free standing custom closet to move and reassemble at our new place became the biggest challenge for a few days after we accepted a very attractive offer. Our buyers said they didn’t want it because they planned to build a walk-in closet. We inherited the custom closet when we moved in so building a walk-in closet was something we too had considered but dismissed. If we were going to move it, I wanted someone who had some experience with custom closets. With a little research I landed on Home Depot and their Pro Referral service. Independent contractors fully vetted in terms of any criminal record, liability insurance, and licensed if needed. It took one call then I received an online link to a project request form and was matched with a few possible contractors.

Finding where to donate – Before we listed, we took several loads of donations to Savers. When it came to my business books and professional clothes, I wanted to find a more targeted place to donate. My husband is a retired minister and has 10 times as many books as me. Finding places to donate these items became a challenge. Sources I found include: Continue reading →

Time to simplify

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The past week has been an unexpected one. I’m one week out from a bad fall and injuries that will take a while to heal. Having to limit my mobility at a time when we are downsizing, getting our house ready to list and working full-time is not easy. I thought about writing a blog this week titled “In an instant” to describe how quickly things can change or “View from the other side” to describe my emergency room experience. Other than being in the ED far longer than I expected, I can only say positives about the hard-working hospital staff and how they took care of me.

But instead, I’m just going to keep it simple.

As I simplify what’s on my to do list, I decided August is a good time for a break from weekly blog writing. Many readers are on vacation and taking well deserved breaks. If you are looking for new content, check out two recent podcasts I did:

Newsday – HIMSS Plans and Pandemic Lessons Learned with Bill Russell.

Healthcare CIO Leadership, Innovation, and the Interim CIO with John Lynn.

I can’t compete with the amount of conference level content that Bill (This Week in Health IT) and John (Healthcare IT Today) produce throughout the year. But I’m grateful to periodically be part of what they do to continually educate and develop next generation leaders.

If listening to podcasts isn’t your thing, they both have much written content to check out as well. Or you can always peruse my past blogs by category and find some of the classics.

Look for my next blog in early September!

Most popular posts in the past year:

Career advice in a competitive market

8 health experts to follow

Rounding in a virtual world

Remote work – writing chapter three

Resources for your digital health journey

Vendor relationship management revisited

When healthcare becomes personal

Looking ahead to 2021 – predictions, emerging trends and some advice

 

One of those weeks… (again!)

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I wrote “One of those weeks….” several years ago. As usual, I had a lot of blog ideas that week but no time to write given how the week evolved in “CIO land”. I recently moved my blog writing and publishing schedule to the weekend but with this past weekend filled with getting a house ready to list, that just didn’t happen. When we first decided it was a good time to sell and downsize, I told my husband I couldn’t deal with it while I was still doing this interim CIO engagement and giving weeknight and weekend hours to my consulting firm, StarBridge Advisors. I was just too busy.

Once we started looking at places, we decided to jump in and not wait. So here we are, getting the house ready for pictures so we can list it (you know those pictures in the online listings that look like model homes and as though no one lives there). It’s still a hot seller’s market so hopefully it will sell fast. But we’ve been there before only to be disappointed by a longer than expected sales cycle.

Being super busy means being organized is not an option – it’s a necessity. Prioritizing, staying organized, timeboxing, and knowing when to get help are just some of the skills needed now. As I’ve admitted in the past, I am a work in process in all these areas. If you can relate, check out some of these past posts:

Struggling to get (or stay) organized? You are not alone

Managing priorities and maintaining balance

7 tips for managing in the fast lane

What does weeding have to do with work?

Operation Baby Blanket

Yes, despite the funky titles of the last two, even they are useful. Lot of good reminders and tips for me during this period. If you find yourself busier than you can handle, you might just find something useful here as well.

Vendor relationship management revisited

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For IT leaders, effective vendor relationships are critical. In previous blog posts, I have provided guidance on creating win-win relationships and outlined what makes up a successful ongoing vendor relationship.

I am currently serving as interim CIO at Boston Children’s Hospital, the fourth health system I have served as an interim IT leader since 2016. I am experiencing vendor relationships and the challenges of vendor management all over again. Revisiting some of my own advice has been useful to me so I decided I would share it again with my readers.

12 tips for effective vendor management is a useful refresher worth another look. Let me know if I missed anything.

I would love to hear your stories of vendors who stepped up as true partners with health system IT teams to find creative solutions, expedite deliveries and provide extraordinary customer service during the pandemic. After all, 2020 was a test for all kinds of relationships.

Related Posts:

Keys to successful vendor management

What to expect from your vendors

COVID-19 – listen to the experts

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Dr. Anthony Fauci may be a household name for your family. But what about Andy Slavitt?  He is a policy expert who served in the Obama administration first to save health.gov and then as acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. During the pandemic he provided reliable, relatable information and education with his daily tweets at @ASlavitt and award-winning “In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt” podcast.  He quickly became a household name with my family and a trusted resource. Many trusted him and looked to him for insight.

He served as President Biden’s Senior Advisor on COVID-19 for the first 120 days of the new administration. He is now back from the White House and in his chair on the renamed podcast – “In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt: Our Shot”.  As the podcast description says, “Just as he took us through the pandemic, this 10-week series called Our Shot is about leading us out. It’s an insider’s guide for getting closure on what happened, how we emerge, and what must come next.”

Busy as my schedule is, I am trying to keep up with this new series. So far, I have heard his interviews with CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and President Biden’s Press Secretary, Jen Psaki. And I am halfway through Andy’s just released book written primarily prior to his recent stint in the Biden Administration. His book, “Preventable – The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S Coronavirus Response”, is a must read. Not just to understand what happened but how do we prevent it from happening again.

While COVID-19 may seem to be behind us, it is not when you consider the variants and the percent of the population not yet fully vaccinated. Continue reading →

7 years later

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I started this weekly blog 7 years ago right before our major Epic go live when I was serving as CIO at University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers. Given my decades of experience in health IT leadership roles, I decided that I had plenty of lessons and experiences to share. A blog seemed like a great forum to do so.

7 years later, I am still writing. I have shared lessons and experiences that have included my interim CIO and CTO engagements at three other healthcare systems since I left Michigan – University Hospitals in Cleveland, Stony Brook Medicine on Long Island, and University of Vermont Health Network. Since March, I have been serving as interim SVP and CIO at Boston Children’s Hospital.

I often wonder how much longer to keep this going. How much more do I have to share and who cares? The feedback and appreciation I get in notes and comments from readers keeps me going. And the topic ideas keep coming.

I was asked recently how I find time to write each week. Good question. I am pretty busy. I am a full-time interim CIO and am helping my colleagues keep things going at our firm, StarBridge Advisors. My response to the question is that I have a lot of ideas and not enough time to write. With this week’s post I am changing when I publish. I will try to write on the weekends and publish early in the week instead of percolate an idea all week and then finally write it Thursday night when I am exhausted.

And while I have a lot of topic ideas, I am definitely open to suggestions from my readers. I was recently asked by a CIO colleague if he could suggest topics – of course I said yes.

At this 7-year mark you might be interested in knowing which posts have gotten the most attention. In the world of social media, keywords, amplification, and cross linking are key. The top 5 most read posts since I started are:

It is worth mentioning that #6 is “New year, next chapter”. Continue reading →

Career advice revisited

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It seems that I am getting a lot of requests to provide career advice these days. I did formal career coaching for a few people in recent months and am currently participating as a mentor in the Boston Young Healthcare Professionals (BYHP) mentor program. In all these situations, I point people to my many previous blog posts on career advice to supplement what we discuss.

For general career advice, they find these “classics” useful to review:

Career advice in a competitive market

5 job search challenges in 2020

You need to own your own career

Taking control of your life

Make career choices right for you

New year, new job?

Time for a job change?

Stand out at the interview

So you didn’t get the job

In this new virtual world of recruiting, I tell people not to underestimate the power of LinkedIn. It is an online professional directory that recruiters look to for candidates. Optimize your profile. Ensure the one liner under your name is a good description of your role since that is what people see when you invite them to connect with you and when you are found on searches. Use the about section to describe what you offer and how you can add value – don’t just copy and paste your current job description summary. Be active which shows you are current and engaged – that means sharing content yourself and commenting on other people’s posts. And if you are actively looking for a new job, check the “open to work” box – don’t worry, you can control who sees it.

If you are thinking of using a coach, check out these two posts:

When to use a career coach

Investing in you, the value of a coach

Looking for a new job can be exciting and hard at the same time. Hopefully, the lessons and tips in these posts will make it a little easier.

Systems at scale and optimized workflow

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IT teams work at scale all the time supporting thousands of users. Workflow optimization is often a goal for new systems. The mass vaccination sites and events are at scale and depend on an optimized, efficient workflow. With over 2 million doses a day being administered now in the U.S., these sites and events are becoming more prevalent and will continue over the next several months. While there was much publicity of the problems in the vaccine rollout early on, there have been many improvements in the tools to find vaccine locations and schedule appointments, and the administering of shots. In part that has been due to improved technology and better workflow design.

Two health systems doing mass vaccination sites/events have shared their playbooks in recent weeks for others to learn from. UCHealth in Denver is offering a playbook, “COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Drive-Through Playbook”. It is a 59 page comprehensive and very detailed playbook covering organizational structure and partner involvement, pre-event planning, contingency planning, patient communication, staff, provider and agency recruitment, vaccine storage and handling, and media communications. The Atrium Health playbook is a higher-level guide for leaders – “A Leader’s Guide to Safer, Faster and More Equitable Community Vaccination Events”. Both are valuable tools whether you are in the planning stage or tweaking your current operation.

To build on these tools, I recommend checking out two recent interviews that Bill Russell did at This Week in Health IT.

Continue reading →

Ensuring go live success for large scale IT projects

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Since the pandemic, major system implementations at health systems have continued with successful go lives supported by virtual or hybrid remote/onsite teams. Many organizations have “go live” success stories in this new world of remote work. While virtual support may change some things and certainly presents new challenges, the core work of a successful go live is still the same.

In late 2019, I published several blog posts on successful go lives based on firsthand experience with a major Epic implementation. Here they are again with basic lessons and tips:

10 Go Live Command Center lessons from the field

Epic Go Live – report from the field

9 Tips for Go Live support success

I welcome your comments on any virtual or hybrid go live experiences you have been involved in during the past year. If I get enough new lessons and tips, I will write a new blog so all can benefit. After all, continual learning and sharing best practices is at the core of what we do in healthcare.

Why this topic this week? I am currently working with a client who is less than six weeks out from an ERP go live so it is on my mind a lot. We are doing what we refer to as an Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V), a framework that facilitates audits of major IT projects regardless of area and complexity.  We explore 11 categories in-depth.  The topics range from governance and budget to training and QA.  The detailed analyses for each area involve document review and interviews to ascertain the status of the project.  A risk score is assigned in each of the 11 areas and mitigations are suggested based on the findings.  Ideally, over the life of the project there are three IV&V sessions conducted prior to go live and one session after go live to ensure that projects stay on course, make corrections as necessary in a timely manner, and achieve the defined objectives.

If you think an IV&V from my advisory firm, StarBridge Advisors, is something that your organization can use, please contact us to discuss.