The CMIO Quick Start Guide Part Two: Are You Ready to Bring On a CMIO?

The CMIO Quick Start Guide is a series of posts on the role that the Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) plays within an organization. As the number of healthcare organizations pondering the addition of a CMIO to their staff increases, it’s vital that every organization understand the benefits of hiring a CMIO, what they’ll actually do once they’re hired, and how you can expect them to improve your operation. Over the next few weeks, we’ll cover these topic and how you should bring one on to your team to ensure mutual success. Stay tuned for a new post every Tuesday.

what a CMIO is

Why Should You Hire a CMIO?

For Growing Organizations

Does your leadership lack visibility into IT? Does IT beat around the bush when explaining current and future projects to the board and/or physicians?
Are your doctors fed up with their IT systems? Do they feel like their grievances are rarely responded to, if not flat-out ignored?
Is your strategic plan for clinical IT poorly defined? Are requirements that touch clinicians assumed or even determined by IT without physician input?
Are your workflows convoluted or rarely defined? Does each department have a significantly different set of workflows? Maybe even whole IT systems?
Are you unaware of the ongoing and upcoming projects that IT has on their plate? Do you know how any of them will affect their stakeholders?

For Mature Organizations

Are most of your providers utilizing your EHR or other clinical systems, but you still have quite a few laggards refusing to use?
Have your workflows and processes been defined, but no one knows where to go from there?
Have you been putting off a big clinical/technical change because you don't know who will manage it?
Do major procurements take a long time because of communications difficulties between all the stakeholders?

For All Organizations

What will they accomplish short-term? Long-term?
Who will they report to?
How often are they expected to be physically in the office?
Will they come from inside or outside the organization?
How will they be compensated?
When do you expect their first day will be?

Requirements for Hiring a CMIO

Must Haves

$$$ for their salary
$$$/time for the candidate search
Buy-in from the CEO, Board of Advisors, and the CIO
A clear goal for the CMIO to reach or a major problem that needs solving

Nice to Haves

Dedicated staff to work with the CMIO
Budget for the CMIO to spend within their role
A clear reporting structure and bonus structure (if needed)

Icing on the Cake

Perks such as $$$ for CMIO to attend gatherings where other CMIOs are present
Who the major points of contacts for all IT systems are, as well as points of contact for those on the clinical side so they can feel out the organization
Telecommuting/remote work agreements

"Selling" the CMIO Position

First, Be Honest

Second, Determine your Unique Selling Proposition

Are you going to be building a new hospital or clinic somewhere? What CMIO wouldn't enjoy planning clinical IT systems from the ground up instead of inheriting a mismanaged system?
Is your team comprised of the best in the world? Is the culture something they like to brag about?
Could they get involved in research that is near and dear to their hearts?
Does your location in sunny San Diego (or other desirable locale) appeal to them?
Will they have a team that will help them in accomplishing their goals?
Will they have a budget to make their own approved purchases for software, hardware, team gatherings, etc?
Will they be able to work from home one day a week? Work extra time from M-Th so they can have Fridays off?
If they would like to, will they be able to continuing practicing medicine while meeting CMIO duties?

this post from fizzle