Almost overnight, it seems, the qualifications for being considered a top CIO have changed. No longer do you get a pat on the back for successfully implementing a hospital information system, supporting EMR installations in affiliated practices or even achieving high levels of CPOE and clinician engagement. Now, that’s all stakes to play. Today, you’ve got to also tie it all together with an HIE that can then plug into whatever the feds construct as the National Health Information Network. Well, Richard Beran, director of hospital information systems at Freemont Area Medical Center, has all those balls in the air, and more. Beran just upgraded his Cerner Millennium software, struck a Stark deal with eClinicalWorks for the employed and independent docs, and is working with Lawson (HealthVision) and Initiate (IBM) to bring it all together.