From Accidental CMIO to Strategic Leader: Three Keys to Success

The Chief Medical Information Officer role is relatively new, only dating back to the early 1990s. So, it is no wonder that the people filling these roles run the gamut of experience and skill. Maybe you are the first one to fill the CMIO role in your organization. That can be good and bad. While you may be able to shape the position in just the way you would like it to be, you may find it challenging to not have a clearly defined job description.

Many of today’s CMIOs have landed in that position somewhat accidentally. Perhaps they were the physician champion or the subject matter expert for the implementation of their organization’s first EMR and they have become the ‘IT expert for physicians’. For those physicians, and really for all CMIOs, it is imperative to move beyond the perception of being an expert in the functions of the EMR and to evolve the role to one of improving clinical care. If you find yourself in the accidental CMIO role, here are three keys to moving to the next level.

Be a leader

To effectively lead, you must understand and evangelize the ‘why’ – driving quality and clinical excellence -- instead of the ‘what’ -- the functionality of the EMR. Watch Simon Sinek explain how great leaders inspire action. Strive to be that kind of leader.

What if you don’t have anyone reporting to you? Does that mean you aren’t a leader? Think about your true role – the role of transforming clinical care. If you believe that is the role of CMIO, then you are definitely leading the medical staff. The next step is to formalize that leadership and be seen as a leader.

Action Steps

1.     Develop your executive presence. See yourself as the leader you want others to see in you. Learn what is hindering that image today. Ask for honest feedback from other leaders and then work hard to change those things

2.     Become a trusted resource to other teams in your organization. Set up recurring meetings with key individuals, not for the purpose of talking about your own work, but instead to understand their initiatives and their challenges and to better understand how your teams can collaborate for the greater good of the whole organization.

When you are ready for the next phase, consider asking that your CMIO update be included in the agenda for a Senior Leadership Team meeting. This is risky without first doing the action steps above because your goal is to become so invaluable that you are invited to sit ‘at the table’ and you are asked to have a voice in strategic discussions and decisions for the organization.

During your update in the meeting, rather than just reporting the facts of what you have been working on, reframe your work to address the issues that matter to this group. Demonstrate that you know the organizational initiatives and how your work is helping to achieve them. Keep your message laser focused on the solution you are providing to the challenges and the value your work is delivering for the organization.

Think strategically

CMIOs are commonly leading many projects at various stages of completion at any given time. Most of the time there is simply so much work to get done that there is not time to stop and just think. It is incredibly difficult to be strategic in this scenario. As a start, try asking ‘What are we trying to solve?’ when addressing a request for a new order set or a new electronic form and ‘How does that fit into the overall roadmap?’ Become more proactive in your role instead of reacting to every complaint and change request. Just because something is a good idea doesn’t mean it fits into the vision for the organization.

It is imperative that you take the time to develop your own roadmap. This may sound like a luxury amid all your implementations, optimizations, and other projects but if you don’t have a plan, you’ll constantly be reacting to fires instead of creating real value for your organization. When creating your roadmap and your goals, understand and be able to clearly convey how reaching those milestones will ultimately help your organization achieve its vision.

Continuous improvement

The CMIO role has definitely changed since its inception and it will continue to evolve. Just as we physicians are expected to keep our medical knowledge sharp, we should seek to improve in the areas of industry and leadership. Here are some simple ways to do that:

1.     Read books and articles on leadership. Share what you learn with your team.

2.     Look to trusted industry resources such as Scottsdale Institute and HIMSS for presentations from respected leaders. What are they passionate about? How do they convey their message?

3.     Follow leaders on LinkedIn and regularly read what they have to say.

4.     Find a CMIO who is already functioning as a CMIO 2.0 and ask them to mentor you. They will likely be flattered to know that you respect them and want to emulate their work.

5.     Take a leadership course geared to executives who happen to be physicians. The American College of Healthcare Executives is a good starting place for these courses.

As you strive to be the next generation CMIO and a leader in the industry, support those physicians coming behind you in whom you see leadership potential. Share what you learn with them and help to develop them into the CMIO 3.0 role.