CIO Unplugged

Why Health Care IT Lags

2009-11-17T18:05:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. Last week, one of our hospitals went live on CPOE. My boss and I were there as part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony and to commend IT and the hospital for their hard work. When we met in the entryway, he eyed my attire with surprise. I was wearing scrubs, a violation of the dress code. "Ed," he said. "I bet you caused a lot of trouble growing...(read more)

Best and Worst of Leading

2009-11-03T21:06:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us;...(read more)

Embrace the Cloud

2009-10-20T20:59:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. Friends of mine recently returned from a trip abroad. The advanced wireless infrastructures found in these third-world countries both astounded and pleased them. By unintentionally leapfrogging the technological revolution, these cities had bypassed the incremental advancements of the last 30 years and gone straight from laggard to leader....(read more)

Work-Life Balance…Debunked!

2009-10-06T21:29:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. The first thing we boys did after disembarking the school bus was head north for the neighborhood 7-Eleven. Liberated from a day of junior high classes and a numbing 30-minute bus ride, we hungered for entertainment. Pinball was the current rage, and we all sought the coveted crown of The Who's " pinball wizard ." Grasping the corners of the...(read more)

The Politicalization of Health Information Technology

2009-09-22T20:26:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. Admit it. Health information technology (HIT) deployment is headed nowhere fast. Despite the evidence and supply-side rhetoric, demand wanes. Depending on whose study you believe and their definition of HIT, industry adoption of CPOE is languishing in the low teens at best. We can do better for our patients. Before we dive in, I want to acknowledge...(read more)

Health Care Passion Refueled

2009-09-08T14:55:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. My passion for health care sprouted in high school while working in environmental services at an outpatient facility; they called us janitors back in the 1980s. From that point forward, different encounters have renewed that passion. The most dramatic experience was personal. A Journey Home. Three years ago this month, my mom traded her earthly...(read more)

Secret of Successful CPOE Adoption

2009-08-26T15:59:00Z

Before revealing the secret, let me establish credibility. I first implemented electronic health records in 1995. A few years later, while CIO at University Hospitals , we achieved a 95 percent CPOE rate at our academic medical center. Currently, with 12 of our 14 hospitals implemented at Texas Health , we are averaging over 80 percent CPOE. Remarkably, half of these are entered via standardized order sets. What makes the Texas situation particularly unusual is the lack of executive mandate. The...(read more)

The Lost Art of Mentoring

2009-08-12T14:34:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. Who taught you life skills? Did anyone coach you in the ways of culture and values? An uncle? Your grandma? The television? I just watched the movie Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. In a nutshell, Eastwood attempts to teach the immigrant neighbor boy how to be a man. He starts by teaching Thao the skill of carpentry: how to hold a hammer, and...(read more)

Legacy Leaders

2009-07-14T23:31:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. How can so many of us hold the title of leader, yet never be remembered? Why do some leaders make a difference while others do not? Fear. Fear keeps us from making a difference. Too often leaders fade without notice or with merely a modicum of fanfare because of their longevity in a company, because they stuck with tradition, and perhaps they...(read more)

Social Networking: Why Every CIO Must Open the Gates

2009-06-30T14:56:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. As the printing press fueled a transition from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance, Social Networking (SN) will be the transformation catalyst of our century. Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type to improve the production of books, which at the time were handwritten. He altered history. Seeing that SN could have the same power to enhance life...(read more)

Meaningful Meaningful Use?

2009-06-17T13:53:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. I ran a "night before vacation" errand to Lowe's. As I completed the purchase, the store manager interrupted on the overhead, "Employees and customers, head immediately to the break room. A tornado has been spotted and is headed our direction." The tornado never materialized and we were cleared to leave. The rains were torrential, coming in...(read more)

It's Not About You

2009-06-03T14:40:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. I dreaded visits from Battalion HQ. Bravo Company operated fine without Big Brother coming down and creating more work. As a 20-year-old platoon leader, I had to gauge what level of involvement was beneficial versus what was busywork. I understood the need and benefit of our association with well-intentioned HQ, but at times, enough was enough...(read more)

Facing Fear: A Key Performance Indicator

2009-05-19T23:02:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. I landed on the bottom of the ocean, staring up at the surface. Before I could process what happened to me, I was ripped out into the watery abyss. I paddled toward the light, broke through, and gasped for breath. Only seconds before, I'd been standing high upon a rocky outcropping along Kauai's Na Pali coast . Spring Break of '88 began well....(read more)

Accelerating Health Care IT Adoption

2009-05-05T21:54:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. To Teach, To Heal, To Discover -- Six words that captured the essence of the mission of the academic medical health system where I served as CIO. Along with our affiliate Case , we consistently ranked in the top 10 of NIH grant awardees. We had the infrastructure, bench and leadership to move quickly on opportunities and maximize value. Non-academic...(read more)

Health Information Exchange Begins at Home

2009-04-21T23:09:00Z

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources (THR) or its subsidiaries. To date, I've had the privilege of holding three CIO positions. First, for a physician managed services organization. Second, in an academic-based multi-hospital system. And currently, as CIO for a large faith-based community hospital system. In my first C-suite gig, we talked about CHINs, which morphed into talks of RHIOs, while today we discuss...(read more)