Last week, the annual CHIME Fall Forum was held in San Antonio. By all measures, it was a successful event that delivered value to more than 700 attendees.
As I was reflecting on the event and people I interacted with, I realized what I found most valuable was not the educational sessions or keynote speakers. Don’t get me wrong, they were very valuable and worth the trip alone, but for me the most value came from the sense of community, shared vision, and common purpose I felt with people at the event.
While I was able to interact with colleagues from around the country whom I have known for years, I also found myself spending a good deal of time with my colleagues from New Jersey. We have been able to cultivate the sense of community among most of our NJ CIOs, and we are more than colleagues — I consider many of them my friends. In this era of rapid change, that community can be invaluable, giving us access to best practices, as well as moral/professional support.
Yet, as I talked to my colleagues in other states, I hear some of them say they don’t have that community vibe, that they don’t know the CIOs in neighboring organizations. They thus tune themselves inwardly and work to do the best they can in their respective organizations.
While this is an important role, reform is calling for collaboration, and the heads-down player will be at risk. It is critical to start building those relationships now, and all it takes is a little leadership and focus. Look to your local HIMSS Chapter. Are CIOs active there? If so, get involved and begin to network. Select a topic and host an ‘idea exchange’ meet-and-greet event at your organization, then invite neighboring CIOs to come and share their stories. Contact your state hospital association and inquire about IT groups they may sponsor and, if they don’t have an IT focus, ask how you can help them get started with a CIO focus group. Join CHIME’s StateNet initiative and begin to learn and exchange ideas with colleagues.
Some may say NJ is a geographically compact state, making collaboration somewhat easier. That may be true, but the reality is healthcare is local so, whether it is statewide or regional, we all need to build relationships with our neighbors to survive reform.
Ultimately, as healthcare undergoes the disruptive transformation needed to reform the current environment, it is that sense of community which will keep us together and get us, collectively, to the other side of the storm. Organizations like HIMSS and CHIME will give us the infrastructure to stay connected on the national front, but local leaders are needed to build that grassroots community.
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