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| Over 800 of the healthcare IT industry’s most experienced professionals from around the country convened in San Antonio, October 28-31, for CHIME’s 22nd annual Fall CIO Forum. Packed with a prolific lineup of speakers and education sessions, as well as announcements, best practice sharing opportunities, and a CHIME Foundation 20-year anniversary celebration, CHIME14 brought a wealth of excitement and insight to this year’s attendees.Held at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort, CHIME14 opened with a warm Texas welcome from CHIME CEO Russ Branzell and Chairman Randy McCleese. Wednesday morning’s keynote speaker Dr. Peter Diamandis, chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, which leads the world in designing and launching large incentive prizes to drive radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity, urged attendees to pursue innovation and embrace the exponential technologies that are accelerating change in the world. “Surf on the tsunami instead of being swept away by it.”
Later that day, CHIME welcomed cyber security expert Theresa Payton, former Whitehouse CIO, who delivered quite a wake-up call to healthcare IT leaders. “All technology is hackable… you have to be prepared for the worst.” During her address, Payton said breaches are inevitable, but safeguarding against cybercrime can be as easy as changing a password and making smart choices. “Free Wi-Fi is like using someone’s toothbrush,” she said. “I just wouldn’t do it.” On Thursday, following a state of CHIME address from 2014 Chair McCleese, keynote Dr. Glenn Steele, CEO of Geisinger Health System, took the stage to encourage stakeholders on the path to transformational change in healthcare. Of the many innovative breakthroughs at Geisinger, Steele discussed its renowned ProvenCare program and its OpenNotes initiative, where doctors share their visit notes with patients. The “sweet spot” for Geisinger, said Steele, is aimed at population health innovation, enabled by data-driven care, to improve outcomes and reduce total cost of care. “With the right vision, leadership and commitment,” he said, “what [Geisinger has] done is possible at any organization.” After enjoying a rodeo-inspired reception on Thursday evening at Knibbe Ranch, that included a live country music band, barrel racing, and an unforgettable performance of the national anthem by CHIME Foundation Board Chair George Hickman, attendees began their morning on Friday with an awards and recognition ceremony. CHIME honored several members and Foundation firms for their work and dedication to the organization and industry. The closing address on Friday came from record-setting long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, who captivated the audience with her awe-inspiring journey of full-filling her dream at 64, when she completed the 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida. Nyad’s humorous and compelling keynote evoked what the power of persistence and determination can do for the human spirit, and how we can all live healthier and more productive lives. “What will you do,” asked Nyad, “with your wild, precious life?” During the Forum, CHIME members met with Foundation Firms to collaborate and provide important feedback during the 75 focus groups held on Wednesday and Thursday. This year also marked the debut of CHIME’s Best Practice Institute Solutions Showcase, a collection of proven solutions between healthcare providers and their vendor partners. This year’s BPI Solutions Showcase featured over 30 best-practice collaborations, with top honors awarded to CareTech Solutions, together with Oakwood Healthcare for first, Dimensional Insight in collaboration with Henry Mayo NewHall Hospital for second-place, and a three-way tie for third — ESD and Catholic HealthInitiative, Futura Mobility and Jersey City Medical Center, and KLAS together with Sharp Healthcare, Yale New Haven and Memorial Care. CHIME will soon be sharing these best-practice whitepapers on the website, so stay tuned. The CHIME Foundation also held its annual Premier member video contest, with ESD taking home the gold for the second-consecutive year. To view ESD’s humorous “Group Therapy” video, click here. |
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In addition, members packed 16 peer-led educational track sessions to exchange best practices on various healthcare IT topics; from strategy and leadership to organizational performance improvement. The top four rated sessions were asked backed on Friday to give an encore presentation. They were: Surviving the Madness: How CIOs can Thrive in this Decade of Uncertainty; CHED – Leadership Stories Worth Telling; IT Realities of Health System Integration; and The Healthcare IT Think Tank: What’s Next for Healthcare IT and the CIO Role.
Before the Forum officially kicked-off, CHIME held several recreational events, including its annual golf tournament. Winners of the TPC golf outing sponsored by VMware, were: Nick Bonvino, David Holland, Jim Rossiter and Ian Soutar. Closet to the Pin honors went to Curt Kwak and Cyndi Cahill, and taking home Longest Drive were Micha Ciancia and Nancy Stockslage.
As part of CHIME’s “Giving Back” program, Forum attendees took part in packing 118 barrels, 18,170 pounds of onions and 9,630 pounds of spinach for the San Antonio Food Bank. A number of attendees also took part in Paintfest, a charity event hosted by the Foundation for Hospital Art, creating several paintings to be donated to brighten healthcare facilities across the nation. On Wednesday morning, over 50 participants in the CHIME14 Fun Run raised $3,300 for the Hope for Warriors foundation. Throughout the week, fundraising for Hope for Warriors continued, totaling a whopping $10,500 for the organization that supports injured veterans and their families.
The Certified Healthcare CIO (CHCIO) examination drew nearly 40 test-takers on Monday and Tuesday and CHIME also welcomed nearly 60 attendees to its 23rd offering of the Healthcare CIO Boot Camp. The program’s unique mix of lecture, interactivity, coaching, mentoring and networking opportunities, offered a tremendously valuable and rewarding learning experience.