Q&A with Brian Lancaster, Part 1: “Consumerism Is a Key IT Strategy.”

One of the most compelling challenges facing CIOs today is in translating the organization’s mission and values in a way that makes sense — and is relevant — to the entire staff. It may not seem that difficult, at least on the surface, until you’ve tried to explain to server managers how they’re helping to transform care. It’s a message that has to be delivered in just the right way, and one that requires a completely different skillset than the traditional CIO role.

Luckily, Brian Lancaster isn’t a traditional CIO “by any stretch of the imagination,” he said in a recent interview. It’s hard to disagree. Having spent far more time on the vendor side (18 years) than in the provider world (5 years), Lancaster offers a fresh perspective on issues like the communication barrier between IT and end users, and what transformation really means.

In this interview, he talks about the six strategic goals that are driving IT initiatives at Nebraska Medicine, what it takes to facilitate collaboration after a reorg, and the mistake leaders make when it comes to coaching.

Chapter 1



* About Nebraska Medicine

* Partnership with UNMC to “transform lives”

* Moving to a shared services model – “It gets complicated quickly.”

* Priorities driven by business, not IT

* Reducing burnout through optimization

* The “golden thread” tying mission to IT objectives

* CIO’s role as translator



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Bold Statements

It’s not ill will. It’s just that thinking of, ‘That’s a clinical issue; that needs to go to the clinical team.’ You don’t want to step on someone else’s toes. But when we all share a network, and we ask patients to traverse in that network, it gets very complicated.

If you see a problem and you know how to solve the problem, don’t call a meeting to talk about the problem — just solve it. Even if it’s a clinical problem and you’re an academic or support person.

Consumerism is a key IT strategy. It really talks about how to use technology to transform how we teach, how we do research, and how we provide care.

When you don’t have connectivity, it quickly becomes a strategic objective. How do we make sure our wireless network has the appropriate bandwidth across every location? How do we make sure it’s going to enable future innovations around location services?

When our CEO or chancellor talk about transforming lives across the region through education, research, and patient care, it’s hard for a help desk person or a person working on a server to really understand that — ‘How am I transforming care by managing the server?’ So we try to draw that line.

Gamble:  Let’s start with some information about Nebraska Medicine. Can you provide a high-level overview of the organization?

Lancaster:  Sure. We’re located in Omaha, Nebraska and basically support the surrounding region with our two hospitals and 40 clinics. We have an academic partner, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, with whom we share a visionary and lofty mission to lead the world in transforming lives for a healthy future through our educational programs, innovative research, and extraordinary patient care. We’re a $1.8 billion academic health system. We provide care across all specialties and are known for our quaternary care.

 

Gamble:  And it was pretty recently that the partnership came together?

Lancaster:  Nebraska Medicine has had many different names over the years; at one point it was Clarkson Regional Hospital, which was located across the street from the university hospital. Then in the late 90s, through the vision and collaboration of key physician leaders,