Big Data, Huge Hype: A Realistic Look At How To Prepare Your Organization

Steve Huffman, VP & CIO, Memorial Health System of South Bend

I have finally given up trying to refrain from saying “Big Data”, but I still hate the term. Big Data does not yield any information if the data is worth its weight in the hard disk drives it is stored on. It is similar to saying “Big Numbers” for a large corporation’s income statement. You [...]

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The Art Of Returning From Vacation

Steve Huffman, VP & CIO, Memorial Health System of South Bend

Vacation time is critical to relax and regroup. However, the re-entry from vacation, if done poorly, can eliminate the benefits of your vacation time — not only for you, but for your staff. There is an art to coming back from time off. Here are some helpful tips that I’ve collected along my journey: 1. [...]

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Forget The Road Shows — CIO Leaders Were The Big Splash At CHIME

Steve Huffman, VP & CIO, Memorial Health System of South Bend

CHIME has done a nice job coordinating a Day 1 mixer as well as a giving-back opportunity. I heard great things about both, and I would encourage many of the CIOs who didn’t participate in either to fly in a little earlier next year and spend time giving back to the community that is hosting our conference. The welcome reception was fine …

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CHIME 2011 Fall Forum Review

Before I begin I must disclose that I was on the planning committee for CHIME 2011, specifically working on the speakers selection sub-committee.  The review however is entirely framed as a participant and does not reflect the opinion of the sub-committee. CHIME is a great organization and regularly provides the best conference lineup for CIOs [...]

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CIO Tips On Vendor Sleuthing

Did you realize that your vendors collect a treasure of intelligence on you prior to a large sale.  They dig through 990s, investigate public documentation and attempt to leverage the information during the sales process.  CIOs should also collect similar intelligence on their vendors. A great place to start is finance-laden jargon in your vendors [...]

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The Elegant “No”

There are not enough resources to complete the work in front of us for 2011 and beyond.  Before Meaningful Use became “meaningful” we already had a full plate.  We now have a buffet of plates that are overflowing and we are forced to bring a renewed sense of prioritization to the problem.  We are challenged [...]

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Celebrate the Current Pace

Much has been written about the impact of meaningful use on the healthcare CIO, but it is worth digging a bit deeper in the organizational chart and outline how our management teams will need to adapt as well.  A tremendous strain has begun to take hold within our departments as we thoughtfully charge forward to [...]

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The Comment Period Just Began

After writing public comments on meaningful use, submitting grant proposals and trying to keep pace of healthcare reform, the comment period has just begun.  With the formation of the Regional Extension Centers, State HIT coordinators being nominated, Health Information Exchanges gaining more traction and countless vendors trying to obtain your stimulus money, a CIO’s involvement [...]

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