Nationwide, the number of hospital organizations hiring CMIOs is surging, driven by the rapid acceleration in implementations of advanced clinical information systems. In fact, when Healthcare Informatics surveyed its readers in April, 59 percent of respondents reported that their organization had a CMIO in place. The CMIO profile continues to evolve, as many are realizing that the role is invaluable in achieving deep and wide system use. In our cover story, “Meet Your New Best Friend,” page 48, we explore this topic by asking, what do the majority of CMIOs do in an average day, and what are they being asked to focus on strategically? We also take a look at the most common reporting structures.
Are you getting the most out of your EMR? Hospitals will soon be asked to demonstrate “meaningful use” of these expensive systems in order to qualify for incentives as part of ARRA; however, many savvy CIOs are already measuring just how their EMRs are being used. Read, “Measure Twice, Cut Once,” page 24, and learn how some CIOs, rather than waiting, have developed their own definitions of meaningful use.
The New England Journal of Medicine recently reported that 20 percent of Medicare patients are readmitted to the hospital within a month. As such, better hand-offs and post discharge follow-up are clearly going to be scrutinized as bundling makes inroads. Post-discharge procedures (and technologies) should be on every CIO's radar, as the new administration plans to lower payments to hospitals with excessive readmission rates. But exactly how can IT systems help? Read, “Get Out - and Stay Out,” page 30, to see how smart CIOs are beginning to lay the groundwork for post-discharge IT solutions.
Sidebar
Correction: Please note that in June's HCI 100, the 2008 HIT revenue for Telus Health Solutions was listed as $305,000,000, when, in fact, it should have been $438,816,200.
Healthcare Informatics 2009 July;26(7):12
