The Changing Role of the Healthcare CIO

Introduction

The country’s healthcare system is in serious, and certainly not stable, condition. What will it take to keep it from going to critical, and instead, upgrade it to at least guarded condition? With small profits existing only for the fortunate few, and losses for the rest, many healthcare leaders are looking to their CIO’s, hoping that technology can provide the miracle cure. Although IT cannot save everybody, it might be the best answer to stop the hemorrhaging, and give healthcare a chance to resurrect itself. Regardless of how CIO’s choose to solve the challenges of managed care, anything short of a complete e-health strategy will not survive the changing healthcare market. “Patients want to do more of their medical management from home, doctors want to provide care quickly and efficiently, and hospitals and HMOs want to keep costs down,” says Jim Gabler, a research director for GartnerGroup’s Healthcare Industry Research and Advisory Services in Stamford, Conn. “All of this relates to technology, and it’s up to CIOs to find a better way. People say healthcare revolves around doctors and patient care. Well in the months and years to come, the industry will revolve around technology and the CIO.” As if that isn’t enough, this activity will have to be done at Internet speed.

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