Anncy Thomas, MD, CIO, Episcopal Health Services, Chapter 2

A pattern was becoming clear.

Every time a new piece of technology was implemented at Episcopal Health Services, there was a collective groan among the medical staff. Not because physicians and nurses were averse to change, but because, much of the time, they didn’t understand why it was necessary. It’s the same dilemma facing organizations across the country, and it’s the reason Anncy Thomas decided to pursue a career in informatics.

Four years later, she’s spearheading the transformation from an IT department that often lagged with basic maintenance, to an ‘information technology and services’ team focused on putting customer needs first. In this interview, Dr. Thomas reflects on her first year as CIO, which involved creating (and reassessing) a strategic plan, and finding quick wins to gain buy-in. She also discusses the need to connect with users, what it takes to “own” the business case behind IT initiatives, why it’s critical to “admit what you don’t know,” and how EHS is adapting to the changing healthcare landscape.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2



* Leadership representation from clinical & IT

* IT’s role in disaster recovery

* Understanding clinician frustrations: “I was wary of the expensive, shiny technology.”

* “Owning” the business case behind IT initiatives

* Rounding with clinicians – “That’s where the breakthrough happens.”

* Long-term vs. static strategic plans

* Changing the culture

* “Moving to a more technologically advanced future is going to take time.”



LISTEN NOW USING THE PLAYER BELOW OR CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR iTUNES PODCAST FEED

Bold Statements

We’re in an area that can be impacted by extreme inclement weather — how do we make the best decisions to quickly move those workloads, to have a more robust virtual desktop environment, and to have the ability to cut costs and provide a more mobile workforce? That’s something we talk about a lot, but how do we get there?

I was generally wary of all the expensive, shiny technology that I would see being promoted by administration or IT to solve a problem that my colleagues and I didn’t think existed. We would get so frustrated and wonder, ‘Why don’t they just fix the things that are wrong with what we already have and stop adding this complexity to our day and to our workflow?’

You can do all the workflow mapping in the world and still miss something, and so it’s important to be connected and to realize that they have jobs. They’re taking care of patients. They’re stressed out. Their goal isn’t to reach out to you when the technology is failing — you have to do that. You need to go to them and see what they’re experiencing

We have such a diverse group of people at our organization, with some that aren’t very familiar with technology with people who are fantastic with technology. And so, moving all of us as a group to a more technologically advanced future is going to take time.

Gamble:  It seems like a really important part of gaining buy-in is setting and managing realistic expectations, which can’t be easy.

Thomas:  It’s not. I don’t know if I’m there yet, but after a year, I can say that we’re better off than we were. It’s a team effort, and I think having a diverse team is really key. I’ve leaned on my leadership team because they have such different experiences. They’re like a microcosm of the expectations of leadership and the operational leads because they come from such different perspectives.

I think going through all of the objections people might have is really helpful, along with having clinical people on your IT leadership team and good technical folks who really understand tech...