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“We had to turn on dime, and we did.” Nearly four years after the start of Covid, a group of veteran CIOs gathered at the NJ/DVHIMSS Fall Conference to share insights on how they managed the challenges stemming from the pandemic, how they’re embracing AI and other tools, and how leadership roles have evolved.
The ability to provide guidance on financial decision-making is becoming a core skillset for CIOs, according to Pamela McNutt. In this interview, she reflects on 30 years with Methodist Health System and shares insights on the evolving CIO role, the importance of mastering contract negotiations, and her team’s “heroic efforts” during Covid.
“Digital encompasses so many things we’re doing,” said HSS CIO Jamie Nelson, who talked about her team’s holistic digital strategy during a recent podcast. She also discussed the “unintended consequences” of remote work models, the challenge for women leaders, and why there is no ‘normal.’
Although automation has certainly played a key role in driving digital transformation, being a digital organization goes far beyond the technology piece, said CIO Bill Hudson in this interview. “It’s about how the technology is used and integrated.”
As Hospital for Special Surgery continues to recover from the “ghost town” effects from Covid, CIO Jamie Nelson is setting her sights on the next big thing: “digitizing supply chain, finance, and HR functions,” she said in this podcast interview.
With many organizations still operating in remote or hybrid environments, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to facilitate collaboration and ensure teams stay connected to the overall mission, said our panelists. “We want to develop that rapport that you can’t get remotely.”
One of the most important components of the CIO role in acknowledging that one person can’t provide all of the leadership for an organization, said Rick Lang in a recent interview. “You have to be able to delegate and empower your direct reports and the people that report to them.”
For digital leaders, the true “wins” come from leveraging technology to increase efficiency, improve workflows, and provide “targeted education” that can help patients better prepare for visits – and reduce no-shows, said Jeff Johnson of Banner Health.
Survival is certainly the top priority during a crisis – but it can’t be the sole focus, said Edmondo Robinson, MD, in this podcast. Leaders also need to focus on “what have we learned and how that learning should influence our strategy going forward.”
What were the most pressing challenges for CIOs last year, and how do they hope to turn the tide in 2022? Our year-end survey provides answers for these and other key questions.
