From the Editor | In the Money
Happy Leap Year! No, it's not generally something to celebrate but I am excited to present this month's issue of CMIO. From income to training to making HIEs financially sustainable, there's something for everyone.
This year's CMIO compensation survey offers some interesting insights into the role. For one thing, there is a marked increase in the number of women in the position—up from 8 percent last year to 13 percent. Overall, salaries made some subtle shifts since last year. The largest segment of those surveyed this year (22 percent) are earning salaries between $200,000 and $250,000, while 26 percent earned salaries between $200,000 and $250,000 last year.
Despite those changes, more respondents indicate dissatisfaction with their compensation. Twenty-six percent were somewhat or very dissatisfied with their pay compared with 21 percent last year. This could be a reflection of the increasing responsibilities and a correlative increase in stress. Perhaps just our increase in respondents simply allowed for more people to express their dismay. See the article on page 6 for more feedback from several CMIOs about the numbers.
An article on training and developing health IT super-users covers programs designed to help physicians get through the initial frustrating phases of an IT implementation to get the most out of the system, such as improved efficiency and patient outcomes. With meaningful use incentives on the line, these initiatives are more important than ever. For instance, when deploying an electronic discharge system to its 250 providers, Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pa., developed a summer program where 30 Penn State University pre-med students were hired to assist providers with learning the system. On the go-live date, the students helped providers learn the 65 different discharge templates. For more on this program and other training efforts, see the article on page 26.
We also have a profile of the statewide HIE in Utah, a look at ambulatory EMRs, an article on how HIEs can become financially sustainable and a preview of the sessions at HIMSS12 that are of particular interest to CMIOs. Our editorial team will be there covering the show, so be sure to catch our HIMSS12 coverage on cmio.net or sign up to receive our e-newsletter at subs.cmio.net.
This year's CMIO compensation survey offers some interesting insights into the role. For one thing, there is a marked increase in the number of women in the position—up from 8 percent last year to 13 percent. Overall, salaries made some subtle shifts since last year. The largest segment of those surveyed this year (22 percent) are earning salaries between $200,000 and $250,000, while 26 percent earned salaries between $200,000 and $250,000 last year.
Despite those changes, more respondents indicate dissatisfaction with their compensation. Twenty-six percent were somewhat or very dissatisfied with their pay compared with 21 percent last year. This could be a reflection of the increasing responsibilities and a correlative increase in stress. Perhaps just our increase in respondents simply allowed for more people to express their dismay. See the article on page 6 for more feedback from several CMIOs about the numbers.
An article on training and developing health IT super-users covers programs designed to help physicians get through the initial frustrating phases of an IT implementation to get the most out of the system, such as improved efficiency and patient outcomes. With meaningful use incentives on the line, these initiatives are more important than ever. For instance, when deploying an electronic discharge system to its 250 providers, Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pa., developed a summer program where 30 Penn State University pre-med students were hired to assist providers with learning the system. On the go-live date, the students helped providers learn the 65 different discharge templates. For more on this program and other training efforts, see the article on page 26.
We also have a profile of the statewide HIE in Utah, a look at ambulatory EMRs, an article on how HIEs can become financially sustainable and a preview of the sessions at HIMSS12 that are of particular interest to CMIOs. Our editorial team will be there covering the show, so be sure to catch our HIMSS12 coverage on cmio.net or sign up to receive our e-newsletter at subs.cmio.net.
Beth Walsh,
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.