CHIME Blurs The Lines Between CMIOs & CIOs
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
The move is designed to strengthen ties between CIO and CMIO Associations.
CHIME (The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives), representing healthcare CIOS, has announced it will provide management services for the AMDIS (Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems), the nation’s largest professional association comprised mainly of chief medical information officers. CHIME “will provide operational, administrative, and staff support to AMDIS in the areas of education programming, event management, public policy, marketing/communications, and industry relations,” under the terms of the agreement, according to the release.
In July, the two organizations formed a strategic alliance designed to enhance collaboration between the two industry associations and encourage cross-lateral support to their memberships. Russell P. Branzell, FCHIME, CHCIO, CEO and president of CHIME, says, “Physician leadership is a critical success factor for health information technology initiatives, and both boards are dedicated to providing the resources to help them facilitate collaboration between IT and the medical community and achieve the clinical objectives of their organizations.”
“CHIME plays a significant role in the advancement of digitized healthcare and has been extremely successful in generating quality education programs, communicating with lawmakers, and working with industry vendors and service providers,” adds AMDIS CEO Richard L. Rydell, FACHE, LFHIMSS. “By fusing the exceptional leadership teams already in place, and utilizing CHIME’s professional and operational support, AMDIS will be better positioned to further its role in the industry and help physician IT professionals meet the challenges ahead. We remain committed to our members and want them to have confidence that we have the vision, scale and resources to best serve them.”
The move is an interesting one, as Forbes points out, because while others have experienced successful mergers, including HIMSS assimilating the Association for Electronic Health Care Transactions (AFEHCT) in 2006, the CMIO group continues to remain independent.
CHIME has appointed William F. Bria, MD as its new Executive Vice President of Medical Informatics and Patient Safety and he will serve as the liaison between both organizations and assist in providing strategic direction to AMDIS. “This is a mutually beneficial opportunity to bring a vast amount of talent and thought leadership together from both sides,” says Bria. “I am honored to serve in this new and rewarding role and look forward to contributing to the exciting development opportunities this arrangement provides. I truly believe AMDIS’ best years are ahead of us.”
While CHIME will manage the annual AMDIS fall symposium, AMDIS will continue to sponsor and manage its Annual Physician-Computer Connection Symposium, being held June 24-26, 2015, at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa in Ojai, CA.
As Forbes notes, “Clearly, CIOs can no longer just let the medical staff deal with safety issues, since hospitals and physicians are increasingly being compensated based on patient outcomes, not simply by the volume of services they provide. Nor is the CMIO still just a liaison between clinical and technical staff. This person is a key part of the IT leadership team in healthcare organizations now, often at the same corporate level at the CIO.”