Jim Venturella, CIO, WVU Medicine, Chapter 3

Stepping in as the new CIO is never easy, particularly if you’re filling the shoes of a longtime leader who ushered the organization into the digital era. So when Jim Venturella took the helm at WVU Medicine, he knew he had a fine line to walk. He wanted to be patient enough not to push for any changes without first understanding the processes, while still pushing his team to do their best. In this interview, Venturella talks about what it was like to take over for Rich King, why he welcomed the opportunity to lead a system-wide transformation, and the role that having an integrated EHR can have in uniting an organization. He also discusses his roadmap for the Epic changes at WVU Medicine, what he believes are the biggest challenges for today’s CIOs, and why he still “operates as a consultant.”

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3



* Taking over for Rich King — “Our thinking was very similar.”

* Pushing for an “A”

* The “blessing & curse” of being in consulting

* 7 years at UPMC

* IT’s role in organizational strategy

* Prioritization challenge for CIOs — “There’s always more work than you’ve got time.”



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Bold Statements

I tried as best as I could to be patient and not make too many changes right off the bat without really trying to understand and assess, and then I think that’s accelerated over time as everyone has become more comfortable with me.

He and I spent many hours talking as we drove around the state visiting hospitals to do the introductions. Our thinking was very similar in so many areas, and that was good. In areas where we may have had different philosophies or different ideas, he was open to having those conversations.

The difference maker is truly the CEO or the lead person. If they understand and they get it and they appreciate it, things are completely different than if that individual doesn’t quite get it, because if you’re trying to work underneath them and work across other levels, you’re always driving uphill.

It’s helping to direct the leadership of the organization to really come down and focus on what are the biggest priorities we need to work on, and then getting that down and working with my team to help them focus on that.

Hopefully the leadership around the table doesn’t look at that person as just the technology person, but as another one of the senior leaders around the table talking about the strategies and how they’re going to move forward.

Gamble:  In taking on the role of the new CIO, how is that something that you approached as far as establishing your leadership style? Were you somebody who kind of hung back and observed a little bit, or did you kind of have to just jump right in?

Venturella:  I was fortunate that my predecessor was here for a little bit. He was retiring, so we had some time to overlap, which was very nice. I spent a lot of time with him and got a lot of history on how we got to where we were at that point and why decisions were made and how they were made, so that was really beneficial.

And then I did try to be patient with coming in and making changes and turning things around too quickly or turning things over and around, because the group was very successful prior to me getting there. So it wasn’t like they were a troubled area, but like anything, you come in and there’s a fresh set of eyes, and I think you can identify opportunities to move things forward. I tried as best as I could to be patient and not make too many changes right off the bat without really trying to unders...