Inside CHIME: Georgia HIMSS to Include Educational Track for CHIME Members

Dee Cantrell, Chief Information Officer, USRetina

On Oct. 17, CHIME and the Georgia Chapter of HIMSS will embark on what we think of as a test case or pilot: For the first time, CHIME will present a track on digital leadership and the changing role of the CIO at the Georgia HIMSS conference. As the HIMSS event co-chairs, we are excited to be part of this new venture that we hope will prove beneficial to both organizations.

The Georgia Chapter, or GA HIMSS, had several factors in its favor for making an inaugural match between these two groups. Gretchen Tegethoff, vice president of CHIME Technologies, is also a member of the GA HIMSS board. As a leader for both CHIME and GA HIMSS, she helped facilitate the collaboration and design a program that will be meaningful for CHIME members in Georgia and nearby regions. One of us (Jeff Buda) is also a member of CHIME. In addition, GA HIMSS is the oldest and one of HIMSS’ largest chapters, with nearly 2,000 members, many of them CIOs from the state’s largest hospitals and healthcare facilities.

The theme of this year’s conference is C4 (Connected, Coordinated, Collaborative Health Care) –  The Explosive World of Health IT. It will take place Oct. 17 at the Cobb Galleria Conference Center in Atlanta and is expected to draw more than 500 health IT professionals for educational sessions and networking opportunities.

The CHIME track will include four 60-minute sessions taught by names familiar to many CHIME members:

• “Welcome to the Revolution – The CIO as the New Digital Leader,” in which CHIME CEO Russell Branzell will explore how the best healthcare IT leaders lead their organizations, executive peers and technology partners to create a climate for increasing innovation and transformational change.
• “The Changing Role of the CIO and HIT Leaders,” presented by Ascension Health Information Services Vice President and Regional CIO Timothy Stettheimer. He will talk about the difference between change management and change leadership and how HIT leaders can adapt their focus and skills as they continue to successfully lead the process of transforming healthcare.
• “Approach to Change Leadership,” presented by Indiana Health Information Exchange Vice President of Technology and Engagement Charles Christian, who will cover the 8 Step principles and how to apply them to achieve an effective change framework for significant healthcare transformation.
• “Large-scale Healthcare Transformation: Change Leadership,” a panel discussion with CHIME faculty and one or two CIOs from Georgia about their successes leading transformational initiatives and strategies for overcoming challenges.

Jeff Buda, Chief Information Officer, Floyd Medical Center

The CHIME track is designed exclusively for senior healthcare IT leaders who are current or eligible members of CHIME and CHIME’s affiliate associations. It has been approved for four CHIME Continuing Education Units that can count toward Certified Healthcare CIO certification. Eligibility to attend these sessions will be verified upon registration.

This is GA HIMSS’ flagship event and we encourage you to attend. Registration information for GA  HIMSS is available here. We hope to see you there.

Editor’s note: Jeff Buda is CIO of Floyd Medical Center and Dee Cantrell is CIO of USRetina.

More Inside CHIME Volume 2, No. 18:

• Inside CHIME: ‘Leadership’ Talk Looks at How IT Team Helped Break Cycle of Abuse– Candace Stuart
• Inside CHIME: News of Note – Candace Stuart