From the CMIO: Meet CMIOs First Editor-at-large
Welcome to the December issue of CMIO. I am excited and honored to serve as editor-at-large. As a long-time reader, and having served on the editorial advisory board, I am familiar with the content and direction of the magazine.
I may be familiar to some readers through various email lists, conferences and organizations. For those who do not know me, here is a brief biography. I was born, raised and educated in Philadelphia, and I remain a loyal Phillies, Flyers, and "Iggles" fan. I attended LaSalle University, medical school at the Medical College of Pennsylvania (now part of Drexel College of Medicine), and conducted my pediatric residency at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. I joined an independent pediatric practice in Allentown, Pa., in 1985, which was acquired by Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) in 1994. My wife, a practicing pediatrician, and I have three children—one in law school and two in college.
So, how did I become a CMIO? I followed the same path that many of you probably have taken. I was involved in various technology-related committees at the hospital and developed a relationship with the CIO (an amazing visionary and an ongoing mentor). In 2000, I was asked to serve as physician champion for the computerized physician order entry effort. I was fortunate to work with a great team of professionals (more on that in a future column on "Keys to Success as a CMIO") and our accomplishments allowed me to become involved in other information services projects. I was eventually named medical director of clinical informatics and had a staff of 10, who were mostly people trained in data and analytics.
Earlier this year, LVHN initiated a nationwide search for the first CMIO. In August, I was promoted to the position and now report to the CMO. I no longer have staff reporting to me, but I continue to work with physicians and analysts on optimizing our current systems. I am the chair of our enterprise Clinical Decision Support Committee and co-chair of our Data Strategy Governance Group. It's amazing how with a new role, tasks and committees continue to be added but very little is taken away. I continue to see patients one day per week, which are divided between the pediatric practice and a clinic specifically for children with Down syndrome.
It's an exciting and critical time for healthcare organizations, and for the informatics leaders of those organizations. I believe that through CMIO, we can learn a lot from each other. It is important to hear about both successes and failures, and to really dive into the lessons learned.
I look forward to working with the staff of CMIO and to continue to improve its value for our readers. And, I truly look forward to hearing from readers with feedback and suggestions. You can reach me at donaldlevickmd@cmio.net.
Have a safe and restful holiday season!
I may be familiar to some readers through various email lists, conferences and organizations. For those who do not know me, here is a brief biography. I was born, raised and educated in Philadelphia, and I remain a loyal Phillies, Flyers, and "Iggles" fan. I attended LaSalle University, medical school at the Medical College of Pennsylvania (now part of Drexel College of Medicine), and conducted my pediatric residency at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. I joined an independent pediatric practice in Allentown, Pa., in 1985, which was acquired by Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) in 1994. My wife, a practicing pediatrician, and I have three children—one in law school and two in college.
So, how did I become a CMIO? I followed the same path that many of you probably have taken. I was involved in various technology-related committees at the hospital and developed a relationship with the CIO (an amazing visionary and an ongoing mentor). In 2000, I was asked to serve as physician champion for the computerized physician order entry effort. I was fortunate to work with a great team of professionals (more on that in a future column on "Keys to Success as a CMIO") and our accomplishments allowed me to become involved in other information services projects. I was eventually named medical director of clinical informatics and had a staff of 10, who were mostly people trained in data and analytics.
Earlier this year, LVHN initiated a nationwide search for the first CMIO. In August, I was promoted to the position and now report to the CMO. I no longer have staff reporting to me, but I continue to work with physicians and analysts on optimizing our current systems. I am the chair of our enterprise Clinical Decision Support Committee and co-chair of our Data Strategy Governance Group. It's amazing how with a new role, tasks and committees continue to be added but very little is taken away. I continue to see patients one day per week, which are divided between the pediatric practice and a clinic specifically for children with Down syndrome.
It's an exciting and critical time for healthcare organizations, and for the informatics leaders of those organizations. I believe that through CMIO, we can learn a lot from each other. It is important to hear about both successes and failures, and to really dive into the lessons learned.
I look forward to working with the staff of CMIO and to continue to improve its value for our readers. And, I truly look forward to hearing from readers with feedback and suggestions. You can reach me at donaldlevickmd@cmio.net.
Have a safe and restful holiday season!