Collaboration carries CHIME through 20 years of service to healthcare CIOs

ANN ARBOR, MI, December 18, 2012 – The College of Healthcare Management Executives (CHIME) is wrapping up the organization’s 20^th anniversary celebration. CHIME’s 2012 Board Chairman Drexel DeFord, SVP and CIO at Steward Health Care, began his year-long service with a succinct message: CHIME will spend the year looking at all of its efforts through the lens of collaboration.

“If we’re going to get this right, collaboration is a very important part of what we have to do,” DeFord said. “This includes collaboration within our own organization, between hospitals, clinics and payers, and between ourselves as CIOs; certainly between CHIME and other associations and with the federal and state governments.”

For CHIME and its members, 2013 was a banner 20^th year. Not only did the organization offer 200 + hours of educational programming, CHIME solidified itself as a major influencer within the healthcare IT policy space. Over 70% of recommendations CHIME made regarding Meaningful Use Stage 2 were ultimately adopted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Additionally, 90% of the high value recommendations CHIME made were incorporated into the CMS and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) final rules.

The CHIME12 Fall CIO Forum was another outstanding highlight this past year. The annual event held in October drew over 700 CIOs and healthcare IT executives from across the country to celebrate CHIME’s 20-year milestone.

Looking ahead to 2013, DeFord said that CHIME will continue to increase its focus on how, as an organization, it can help members at smaller hospitals – where the majority of healthcare is delivered nationwide. 

“CHIME is a great source to provide small and rural hospitals the legal rules and various mandates that come with Meaningful Use and HIPAA,” said DeFord. “Smaller hospitals are incredibly innovative and agile, and have a lot to teach their CIO peers. We will continue to focus on our outreach and encourage information sharing between small and large hospitals.”