CHIME Helping HIT Execs With Technology And Applications
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Trade groups designed to help educate and provide resources in a collaborative environment.
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executive (CHIME) has announced it has taken another step to support healthcare professionals with the creation of two new organizations designed to assist CTOs and CAOs in their educational and professional development, as well as with the transition to and evolution of electronic health records (EHR) and Meaningful Use (MU) requirements.
The Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Technology (AEHIT) and the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Applications (AEHIA) will serve the educational and professional development needs of senior technology and applications healthcare executives, according to iHealthBeat.
CHIME Board Chair Randy McClese said, “With the establishment of these two new organizations, CHIME has taken an active role in providing these healthcare leaders an opportunity to pool their collective knowledge and advance their skills. CIOs are increasingly relying on leaders like CTOs, CAOs, and CSOs in order to deliver and manage a complex technology environment, so collaboration among these highly-accomplished individuals is essential to furthering industry solutions and opportunities.”
“Both of these new organizations will help strengthen the CTO and CAO roles in order to meet the challenges created by the rapid and unprecedented changes in healthcare technology,” said CHIME Executive Vice President of Membership and Professional Development George W. McCulloch, FCHIME, CHCIO. “Our goal is to provide the education and collaboration necessary for these leaders so they can solve issues, share best-practices, and form meaningful, supportive relationships with their peers.”
This announcement follows the earlier creation of The Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Security (AEHIS), which CHIME created in July as the first professional organization for chief security officers (CSOs) in the healthcare setting. According to the July press release, AEHIS was created to address a gap in the industry, and provide educational resources in healthcare security as well as a collaborative and supportive environment for CSOs to come together.
“As patient data breaches and cyber security threats continue to rise, there has never been a greater need for accomplished and skilled professionals to safeguard our industry’s most sensitive information,” said CHIME President and CEO Russell P. Branzell, FCHIME, CHCIO in the statement. “The CHIME Board recognized our industry’s void in supporting the professional development and peer-to-peer needs of CSOs, and that educational resources for key members of the CIO’s executive team were lacking.”
“In light of today’s ever-changing digital world, chief security officers in healthcare are under immense pressure to protect their organization’s information assets and architecture, while adhering to HIPAA-related privacy and security mandates,” said CHIME Executive Vice President of Membership and Professional Development George McCulloch, MA, MBA, FCHIME, CHCIO. “Our goal is to help provide the education and collaborations necessary for CSOs to progress their knowledge, solve issues, and form meaningful, supportive relationships with their peers.”
Each of the three new organizations will operate as separate membership associations under the CHIME umbrella. The creation of these organizations is designed in part to demonstrate CHIME’s commitment to supporting all levels of the healthcare structure.
Branzell stated, “CHIME is committed to not only supporting healthcare CIOs, but also those on the CIO’s executive team. The CHIME Board recognized our industry’s need for the professional development and peer-to-peer needs of CTOs and CAOs, where professional development educational resources for these individuals were lacking.”
For more information about any these organizations, please visit www.aehit.org, www.aehia.org, and www.aehis.org.