CHIME16 Fall Forum: Speakers Challenge Attendees to Change Their Mindset

Donning a knit cap, t-shirt and jeans, John Jacobs was not your stereotypical closing keynoter at a conference of healthcare executives, yet his inspiring remarks garnered a standing ovation from CHIME16 Fall CIO Forum attendees and reminded us all about the power of positive thinking.

“Little kids have it figured out,” the Life is Good founder said as crayon drawings the company collected from children flashed on giant screens in the ballroom. “They celebrate nature and creativity. They celebrate the presence of family and friends. Kids live their lives open; we focus on skepticism and obstacles.”

Jacobs, who went from selling t-shirts out of the back of a van with his brother to creating a highly-successful apparel company, challenged attendees to reboot their mindset; think “get to” instead of “have to.”

That call for optimism and creative thinking permeated CHIME’s 25^th Fall CIO Forum. The meeting kicked off with CHIME President and CEO Russell Branzell firing up the crowd with a lip sync performance of Foreigner’s “Juke Box Hero.” Board Chair Marc Probst followed up with a special treat of his own — an informal Q&A session with CHIME co-founders John Glaser and Rich Correll, which also included a tribute to all founding members. The three discussed CHIME’s humble beginnings a quarter of a century ago as healthcare CIOs were just beginning to emerge from the back office. They praised CHIME and health IT leaders for pushing the envelope and helping to reshape the nation’s delivery system.

The fall forum’s nearly 900 attendees were treated to keynote addresses and track sessions that not only celebrated CHIME’s history, but encouraged outside-of-the-box thinking. Opening keynote speaker Amy Cuddy, associate professor at Harvard Business School, detailed ways that leaders can tackle challenges with calm confidence and composure. “If you don’t believe in the message you are delivering, no one else will believe it,” she said.

Sandwiched between Cuddy and Jacobs were keynote and plenary sessions on cybersecurity. Despite the ominous subject matter, White House CIO Tony Scott delivered solutions-oriented remarks. He suggested that providers aim to tackle cybersecurity with the same vigor that they’ve approved quality. “Every time there is a breach or an incident, that is a quality issue,” he said. “It is a defect in the design and implementation of an IT system.”

Scott urged attendees to take a look at and comment on the new Baldrige Cybersecurity Excellence Building. This self-assessment tool, which relies on the National Institute of Science and Technology’s cybersecurity framework, is designed to give healthcare executives a clearer understanding of the effectiveness of their cybersecurity practices.

While entertaining the audience with amusing tales from TV’s hit show Shark Tank, Robert Herjavec told CIOs that they need to start speaking a different language when they talk to the C-suite and board about cybersecurity.

“It is your responsibility to be heard,” said Herjavec, who runs global IT security company. “Present your ideas and detail the risk profile. CEOs want to understand how this affects the core business.”

Of course, the fall forum wasn’t just about big keynote speeches. During track sessions, CHIME members detailed how they are using such initiatives as OpenNotes to advance patient engagement. A star-studded panel talked about ways in which they are navigating changes to their role as CIO. And HealthEast CIO Joanne Sunquist explained how an e-prescribing program for controlled substances has gained traction with clinicians. Members can find a full listing of track sessions and presentations in the CHIME KnowledgeHub.

We also announced winners of a number of awards, honoring members and Foundation firms for their efforts to transform care, all of which can be found here.

And, let’s not forget the highlight of the forum — Foreigner rockin’ the house! It was a fantastic show by one of classic rocks, well, classic bands.

It’s going to be hard to top CHIME16, but we are already thinking about CHIME17. Stay tuned!