Week 1

By Katheryn Christiansen:

After reading todays’ case study, I am reflecting upon what are the main traits that are crucial to an effective CIO.  Is it just a leader who has that “big picture” view of where the organization is going, and how to structure current technology to ensure that the organization stays on the desired path.  Or is it a leader that can accept responsibility for patient care and safety, and bring about an IT structure that supports this responsibility.  Technology has a pace of rapid change.  Therefore, CIOs must have an amazing capacity to bring about change and to manage that change effectively.  They must also be able to articulate the need for change in a way that translates into a successful adoption of new technologies within their organization.

One question that came about which I am conflicted by- should a candidate without experience in healthcare be considered for the position?  Our professor brought about the historical thinking that a candidate must come from healthcare to fully understand how to address healthcare issues.  I believe that a CIO needs to understand how to build a viable and strategic method to implement systems with the end result of digging into the operational workflows of the departments in order to move hospitals and other care organizations forward.