Healthcare Leadership White Paper Series

Top 10 IT questions: Staying ahead of a constantly evolving landscape

By Rich Miller, MBA, and Mike Supple

In todays fast-moving healthcare environment, your organizations ability to keep up with the latest information technology advances is a key ingredient to long-term success. With myriad IT demands on the horizon, achieving peak productivity and financial performance while seamlessly moving patients through the continuum of care is more critical and difficult than ever before. Its time to ask a few tough questions to ensure your organization is prepared to successfully address the challenges of a constantly evolving IT landscape.

important to remain flexible as your organizations IT needs change. One way to stay nimble and control costs in a changing environment while ensuring you have best-in-class IT leaders in place to address short-term initiatives is to leverage the interim option. Interim IT leaders with a clinical background are particularly valuable, since they understand how information technology impacts patient care and can successfully integrate IT with clinical operations.

1. How will you develop an IT plan for the long-term, when the future is uncertain?
First, lay the foundation by meeting the standards in place today. Then, consider outsourcing management of IT infrastructure and generic systems that dont contribute to patient care or core business objectives for example, an e-mail system. Nows the time to take advantage of the many hosting options on the market. Outsourcing these systems will allow you to focus your resources on implementing critical technology and complying with future standards as they are being finalized.

3. How will you leverage IT to reap the benefits of participating in an accountable care organization (ACO)?
To take full advantage of the financial benefit an ACO offers, youll need an effective IT infrastructure to automate manual processes and integrate systems to gain efficiencies. Designing a system that allows organizations to share data with each other, physicians and patients presents a complex challenge. To prepare, establish partnerships with firms that have a proven track record of building these systems and meet with other healthcare organizations in your market to start constructing plans for data sharing.

2. How will you ensure you have the right IT leadership to address short-term challenges?
Seasoned leadership will be crucial to the successful adoption of new technology. However, its also

4. Is IT a competitive weapon or an expense within your organization?

Historically, healthcare professionals viewed IT as a way to send the bills out and make sure the organization is getting paid. Many are realizing that in addition to impacting profitability, information can 877.802.4593 | www.BESmith.com

Top 10 IT Questions: Staying ahead of a constantly evolving landscape

be as valuable to quality care as a stethoscope or a prescription. To remain competitive in todays market, a providers IT capability needs to function on a higher level than rival organizations.

8. Whats your adoption strategy for ICD-10 coding?

The transition to ICD-10 coding in October of 2013 represents a vast leap in complexity and will require a substantial investment in training and management. And, each payer will migrate to the new coding system at a different time, which will be challenging for providers. In order to be ahead of the curve when the new standards go into effect, it is crucial to develop a plan for training staff and physicians and designing processes to ensure proper usage. In addition to preparing internally, eliminate any potential surprises by working with significant payer organizations to understand their ICD-10 change plans before the transition takes place.

5. Are you part of a Health Information Exchange (HIE)?

Sharing patient information through a single, authoritative source is an exciting vision. Today, the process of supplying the same data to every provider is error-ridden and frustrating for the patient. HIEs present an ideal solution for solving the challenges patients experience as they seek care from providers employed by separate and competing organizations. Healthcare IT leaders must support the concept of an HIE in their communities, either by participating in an existing initiative or by leading an effort to establish one.

9. Does your team have experience in multiple IT platforms?

With the rising prevalence of ACOs that will demand greater data sharing capability, the need for multiple platform experience in providers IT departments will increase, in both the acute care and ambulatory settings. This means it will be critical to assemble a contemporary team of IT professionals whether internal or external who have worked within the various available platforms and possess the flexibility to quickly acquire new knowledge and skills in an ever-changing technology market.

6. How secure is your data?

Data security technology is quickly evolving. IT departments that can keep up with the latest innovations are rare. And with both physicians and patients using personal devices to access health data, its no longer possible to use a traditional closed security setting yet security requirements are as stringent as ever. To keep data secure under these circumstances, many IT leaders are starting to rely on external expertise with the ability to stay current on the latest technology advances.

10. What is your technology optimization and usage adoption strategy?

Theres a lapse in time often months to years from when healthcare workers begin using new technology to when its benefit becomes evident in their daily jobs. For many, especially those who are slower to adopt new technology, this can make it difficult to see the value, so naturally they resist the change. Additionally, training and processes must meet the needs of both novices and experts. IT leaders who offer a proven track record in the design and implementation of successful technology adoption/optimization programs will be invaluable.

7. How will you ensure your organization qualifies for federal stimulus funding for meaningful use of EHR?
With Stage 1 in effect and $27 billion in reimbursement and penalties at stake, its crucial for providers to position themselves to meet meaningful use requirements, or theyll be leaving money on the table. In many cases, organizations with considerable resources have been investing toward this goal for years and may already have the platforms in place to implement the new technology requirements. One solution for those that dont currently have the internal expertise to address this issue is to bring in an interim IT expert who can quickly assess the situation and develop an action plan for meeting meaningful use requirements on time to qualify for stimulus dollars.

Next steps
The answers to these 10 questions will help you gauge your IT teams readiness with the issues on the immediate horizon. No matter where your organizations IT capability stands today, help is available to ensure youre well prepared for the complex challenges that lie ahead.

B. E. Smith: Integrated Healthcare Leadership Solutions

Founded in 1978, B. E. Smith is a full-service leadership solutions firm for healthcare providers. B. E. Smiths comprehensive suite of services includes Interim Leadership, Permanent Executive Placements and Consulting Solutions. The company is comprised of veteran healthcare leaders who partner with each client to create a solution that uniquely fits that clients individual needs. Recently, B. E. Smith placed more than 600 leaders into healthcare organizations worldwide. For more information, visit www.BESmith.com or call 877.802.4593.
2011 B. E. Smith, Inc.

Rich Miller, MBA, is senior vice president of IT and Talent Strategies at B. E. Smith. A results-oriented leader, Miller excels in the design and implementation of leading-edge information technologies, as well as building IT teams with a commitment to quality, execution and operational excellence. Formerly the CIO of a leading health information systems company with $2 billion in annual revenue, Miller has served in numerous senior executive roles during his 25-year career in IT. Mike Supple is senior vice president of Business Development at
B. E. Smith. With more than 20 years of leadership experience working within the health information technology solutions industry including both the acute care and ambulatory markets he leads healthcare organizations through new solutions offerings and IT issue resolution.
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