From The Editor: Why a CMIO-CIO Isnt Likely
The roundtable discussion that leads off this issue included a lively discussion of the evolution of roles among CMIOs and CIOs. The titles hold different responsibilities in almost every organization, but in general, our roundtable participants observed that CMIOs in some facilities are taking on more duties in the non-IT realm, at the same time when more CIOs are getting more knowledgeable about clinical IT systems.
The roundtable discussion that leads off this issue included a lively discussion of the evolution of roles among CMIOs and CIOs. The titles hold different responsibilities in almost every organization, but in general, our roundtable participants observed that CMIOs in some facilities are taking on more duties in the non-IT realm, at the same time when more CIOs are getting more knowledgeable about clinical IT systems. Might the two roles, therefore, evolve into a single position?
The overall answer was yes, a CMIO-CIO combination could happen; but it's not necessarily a natural evolution of roles and might not be a good option unless an organization were very small or budget constraints demanded it, or both.
Knowing the differences in these roles is crucial, says John P. Mattison, MD, assistant medical director and CMIO, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, Calif. "The title of CMIO itself has a bit of a bad rap in some institutions because some people wanted to be more of a CIO than a CMIO, and the CIOs are not enthralled with that idea," he says.
In places where the CMIO and the CIO role do become one, it could become more of a strategic and data-driven role as opposed to a strategic technology role, opines Donald Levick, MD, MBA, CPHIMS, medical director of clinical informatics at Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pa.
CMIOs' position allows them to interface with a lot of staff who have no line of authority or reporting relationship, says Mattison. That flexibility is needed to motivate others toward a common strategic framework. "The ability to influence across the organization is really pretty profound, if you take the time to really communicate the vision, strategy and method," he says.
Staff at all levels might be noticing, says Brian McDonough, MD, CMIO of St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington, Del. "They are realizing who you interface with... and the relationship. In addition to the CIO, it's also with the CEO, and in some respect you are dealing with the CFO as well because you are talking with he or she about why you need things [and] looking at budgets and justification of it. So I think now, organizations are beginning to learn at the smaller-hospital level about [the role of CMIO] and where it fits in."
Nevertheless, the roundtable participants were unanimous in their opinion that a solid relationship with the CIO is crucial to their job, even if they don't directly report to the CIO or have a "dotted-line" reporting relationship. This is one aspect of both jobs that apparently has not changed very much.
The roundtable discussion that leads off this issue included a lively discussion of the evolution of roles among CMIOs and CIOs. The titles hold different responsibilities in almost every organization, but in general, our roundtable participants observed that CMIOs in some facilities are taking on more duties in the non-IT realm, at the same time when more CIOs are getting more knowledgeable about clinical IT systems. Might the two roles, therefore, evolve into a single position?
The overall answer was yes, a CMIO-CIO combination could happen; but it's not necessarily a natural evolution of roles and might not be a good option unless an organization were very small or budget constraints demanded it, or both.
Knowing the differences in these roles is crucial, says John P. Mattison, MD, assistant medical director and CMIO, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, Calif. "The title of CMIO itself has a bit of a bad rap in some institutions because some people wanted to be more of a CIO than a CMIO, and the CIOs are not enthralled with that idea," he says.
In places where the CMIO and the CIO role do become one, it could become more of a strategic and data-driven role as opposed to a strategic technology role, opines Donald Levick, MD, MBA, CPHIMS, medical director of clinical informatics at Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pa.
CMIOs' position allows them to interface with a lot of staff who have no line of authority or reporting relationship, says Mattison. That flexibility is needed to motivate others toward a common strategic framework. "The ability to influence across the organization is really pretty profound, if you take the time to really communicate the vision, strategy and method," he says.
Staff at all levels might be noticing, says Brian McDonough, MD, CMIO of St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington, Del. "They are realizing who you interface with... and the relationship. In addition to the CIO, it's also with the CEO, and in some respect you are dealing with the CFO as well because you are talking with he or she about why you need things [and] looking at budgets and justification of it. So I think now, organizations are beginning to learn at the smaller-hospital level about [the role of CMIO] and where it fits in."
Nevertheless, the roundtable participants were unanimous in their opinion that a solid relationship with the CIO is crucial to their job, even if they don't directly report to the CIO or have a "dotted-line" reporting relationship. This is one aspect of both jobs that apparently has not changed very much.