Stepping in as the new CIO is never easy, particularly if you’re filling the shoes of a longtime leader who ushered the organization into the digital era. So when Jim Venturella took the helm at WVU Medicine, he knew he had a fine line to walk. He wanted to be patient enough not to push for any changes without first understanding the processes, while still pushing his team to do their best. In this interview, Venturella talks about what it was like to take over for Rich King, why he welcomed the opportunity to lead a system-wide transformation, and the role that having an integrated EHR can have in uniting an organization. He also discusses his roadmap for the Epic changes at WVU Medicine, what he believes are the biggest challenges for today’s CIOs, and why he still “operates as a consultant.”
Chapter 3
- Taking over for Rich King — “Our thinking was very similar.”
- Pushing for an “A”
- The “blessing & curse” of being in consulting
- 7 years at UPMC
- IT’s role in organizational strategy
- Prioritization challenge for CIOs — “There’s always more work than you’ve got time.”
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Bold Statements
I tried as best as I could to be patient and not make too many changes right off the bat without really trying to understand and assess, and then I think that’s accelerated over time as everyone has become more comfortable with me.
He and I spent many hours talking as we drove around the state visiting hospitals to do the introductions. Our thinking was very similar in so many areas, and that was good. In areas where we may have had different philosophies or different ideas, he was open to having those conversations.
The difference maker is truly the CEO or the lead person. If they understand and they get it and they appreciate it, things are completely different than if that individual doesn’t quite get it, because if you’re trying to work underneath them and work across other levels, you’re always driving uphill.
It’s helping to direct the leadership of the organization to really come down and focus on what are the biggest priorities we need to work on, and then getting that down and working with my team to help them focus on that.
Hopefully the leadership around the table doesn’t look at that person as just the technology person, but as another one of the senior leaders around the table talking about the strategies and how they’re going to move forward.
Gamble: In taking on the role of the new CIO, how is that something that you approached as far as establishing your leadership style? Were you somebody who kind of hung back and observed a little bit, or did you kind of have to just jump right in?
Venturella: I was fortunate that my predecessor was here for a little bit. He was retiring, so we had some time to overlap, which was very nice. I spent a lot of time with him and got a lot of history on how we got to where we were at that point and why decisions were made and how they were made, so that was really beneficial.
And then I did try to be patient with coming in and making changes and turning things around too quickly or turning things over and around, because the group was very successful prior to me getting there. So it wasn’t like they were a troubled area, but like anything, you come in and there’s a fresh set of eyes, and I think you can identify opportunities to move things forward. I tried as best as I could to be patient and not make too many changes right off the bat without really trying to understand and assess, and then I think that’s accelerated over time as everyone has become more comfortable with me and I came to understand the details of why things were done. And as the rest of the organization outside of IT is starting to move along, I think our pace has accelerated up to this point. My team will probably tell you that I wasn’t very patient at all, but I think I was.
Gamble: It seems that so much of change management comes in how you want to make that change happen or how you communicate it, and not being perceived as the person who wants to march right in and give people the impression that what they’re doing is wrong and needs to be changed right away.
Venturella: Right, and they weren’t. There were a lot of great things that were done, and so as I talk to my team and some of the leadership most recently, it’s not that we’re doing bad things or failing at things, but if we’re getting a B or a B+, I’m going to want to push us to get that A and do the best we possibly can. And I feel really confident that we’ve got a lot of great people in the team with a ton of potential, and we just need to make sure we can push people to that fullest potential. And that’s exciting.
Gamble: And it’s Rich King who was the previous CIO?
Venturella: Yes.
Gamble: Like you said, he’d been there a while and a lot had been accomplished under his tenure, so I’m sure that that is something that was on your mind in taking over?
Venturella: It was, but to be honest, the transition was so easy. He was absolutely wonderful through the transition. He and I spent many hours talking as we drove around the state visiting hospitals to do the introductions. Our thinking was very similar in so many areas, and that was good. In areas where we may have had different philosophies or different ideas, he was open to having those conversations. There wasn’t any defensiveness or anything, and so I truly appreciate that transition. It’s really a luxury to be able to transition with the individual you’re replacing and have that time.
Gamble: Yeah, sure. I can see that. And then as far as your own past experiences, you were with UPMC and you were in consulting as well?
Venturella: Yes, I was at Accenture and Deloitte prior to UPMC.
Gamble: I’m sure that both of those are experiences you’ve been able to draw from and will continue to draw from in this role.
Venturella: Yeah, the consulting was a tremendous benefit for when I got to UPMC as well as here. I was fortunate enough to see and work with so many different types of clients while I was at the two organizations, and really saw a wide breadth of things from the hospital side, the physician side, the health plan side, clinical revenue cycle, financials, really a smattering of everything. It was sometimes a blessing and a curse. It was great to have all of that in the consulting world, but sometimes it was a little bit of a curse because I may not have been as deep in any one of those areas that maybe some of my colleagues were. But certainly as I moved up through and got into the roles that I’ve had, having that really broad exposure to all those different aspects of healthcare has been a tremendous asset.
Gamble: Yeah. Do you still kind of have some of that consulting eye, just from having that experience of being able to look in from the outside?
Venturella: Well, I actually try to still operate as a consultant. I spent so many years doing it that, and when I came to UPMC and when I came to the role here, I looked at it as a big project or lots of projects that we’re working on, and kind of picking things apart and looking for opportunities. We’re creating a new HR model that takes different aspects of things I saw from the consulting world that were good to help people move and progress up through a career path. And so I think once you experience things that you think really work, you try and take them, and maybe you can’t actually fit them exactly into the situation, but you take aspects and you try to modify so that it works in the current environment, and hopefully get the same benefits and outcomes.
Gamble: That’s interesting. And you were at UPMC for several years after doing some consulting?
Venturella: Yes.
Gamble: I’m sure was interesting too being part of a really pretty large organization and maybe getting that view.
Venturella: It was. It’s a very different organization and a very different marketplace in Western Pennsylvania. The markets are pretty close, but it’s really quite fascinating how different the organization and the market is and what needs to be dealt with in Western Pennsylvania versus what is being dealt with in West Virginia. Just looking at the population, more people live in Pittsburgh than there are in the whole state of West Virginia. It’s how the population is spread, how the hospitals are spread, the competition, and how it works down here in West Virginia versus there. So it’s been a very interesting contrast between how the organizations have to operate in the different environments.
Gamble: I’m sure. Now, the last thing I wanted to talk about was some of the challenges facing CIOs today and one of the things I hear about is there still being sometimes that disconnect between organization’s strategic plan and IT. I wanted to get your thoughts on how this can be addressed and why it is so critical that both are on the same page.
Venturella: I’ve definitely seen that in the past. Fortunately for me here, I think our CEO through our whole senior executive team appreciates the linkage in how IT fits and enables so much of what is going on. I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t had to deal with that in our current organization. And so as we talk about what we’re going to do and where we’re going to go, I think everybody understands the need and how IT can enable that. So it’s been great. I haven’t had to deal with that challenge here, but I certainly know from colleagues and have seen things elsewhere that a lot of times there is that disconnect, and people just aren’t on the same page on how it all ties together.
Gamble: You can certainly see where the frustrations come out there.
Venturella: And to be honest, I think just from a handful of examples, the difference maker is truly the CEO or the lead person. If they understand and they get it and they appreciate it, things are completely different than if that individual doesn’t quite get it, because if you’re trying to work underneath them and work across other levels, you’re always driving uphill, and I think there’s always going to be a little of a disconnect.
Gamble: So what do you see as the biggest challenges facing CIOs now?
Venturella: I think just in general, and it’s been this way for me for many years, it’s trying to balance and prioritize everything that’s out there and help my team manage that as well, because they get hit from all directions with the things out there that are sometimes perceived as urgent and critical that aren’t, and there’s a constant feeling of being overwhelmed. And so it’s helping to direct the leadership of the organization to really come down and focus on what are the biggest priorities we need to work on, and then getting that down and working with my team to help them focus on that and giving them the comfort level that they can’t do everything, and that as long as they’re focusing on what we believe as an organization are the highest priorities, it’s okay if those other things on the plate are on the plate are going to get done later. And that just hopefully takes a little bit of stress off — that they’re allowed to do that, which is difficult.
Gamble: Yeah, with seemingly more and more things that need to be done and are being pushed to the front further, I can see the challenge there.
Venturella: And it’s not going to change. For probably as long as I’ve been in a professional career, there’s always more work and more things out to do than you’ve got time and resources, and so you’re constantly trying to balance that. It may have gotten a little bit worse more recently, but it’s the same problem that people have been dealing with.
And then for me, and I think probably a lot of my colleagues, there’s all the internal stuff and trying to make sure we’re working on the right things, but then there’s all kinds of stuff going on outside. There’s lots of vendors and there’s lots of innovation occurring, and trying to figure out where you spend your time and what you focus on and who you’re going to have a meeting with or a demo with, and how you’re going to balance that. Because you want to be out there and understand what’s going on in the marketplace and how things are changing to help determine what you might want to bring inside, but you could easily spend eight hours a day in demonstrations with different vendors with how much we get hit up to have those types of sessions.
Gamble: I can imagine. And then lastly, how would you like to see the role continue to evolve in the next few years?
Venturella: I think some organizations probably have the CIO at the table with senior leadership as one of the members around the table. I know others that don’t quite have it there and there may be a level in between, but I think technology is embedded in everything we do, and so to not have the individual there at the table and be conversant with whatever is going on. And I think hopefully the leadership around the table doesn’t look at that person as just the technology person, but as another one of the senior leaders around the table talking about the strategies and how they’re going to move forward.
Gamble: Right. Well, you’ve given a lot of really great insights. I appreciate it, and I know our readers really do, too. The best way to learn is by hearing other people give their perspectives and talk about how they’re dealing with challenges. So I want to thank you for taking the time to share that with us.
Venturella: It was enjoyable. I appreciate the opportunity.
Gamble: Sure, and I’d like to catch up with you down the road, because I think they’ll be enough to talk about another year.
Venturella: We can do a once-a-year update.
Gamble: Yeah, perfect. Thank you so much and best of luck with everything going forward.
Venturella: All right, thank you.
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