Q&A with Broward Health’s Kathy Ross, Part 2: Communicating the Vision

With every career opportunity, there are both advantages and drawbacks. “Nothing is all good or all bad,” says Kathy Ross. What distinguishes true leaders, she believes, is the ability to leverage those experiences to help create a better environment. It’s a topic Ross knows well, having held leadership roles at a variety of organizations, from acute care hospitals to large health systems. For example, spending nearly a decade at Ascension Information Services taught her how to navigate a “matrixed environment,” while early days as a respiratory therapist helped her understand end users.

Last summer, Ross embarked on a new role as CIO at Broward Health, a five-hospital system that has undergone a great deal of turnover. This time, she hopes to learn what it takes to provide stability while introducing a new way of doing business. In this interview, she talks about why the position appealed to her, how Broward is working to become an agile organization, and the importance of ownership when it comes to projects. Ross also shares her thoughts on the challenges faced by the next generation of clinicians, what mentored has meant to her, and how professional organizations hcan help leaders “get to where you need to be.”

Chapter 1

Chapter 2



* 10 years w/ Ascension: “It taught me how to work in a matrixed environment.”

* The new class of technophile clinicians – “The challenges are different, but equally as complex”

* Value of communication skills

* Mentoring – “It’s only going to enhance you.”

* Coaching moments

* Advancement of women & minorities in leadership roles

* CHIME’s CHCIO certification – “They really are invested in future CIOs.”



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Bold Statements

It’s like starting a new organization. It’s being at the foundation of what Broward Health is going to mean to the community. It’s exciting to be a part of that base level of developing it and being a part of that team. That’s one of the primary reasons I came.

Clinicians are coming into the workforce that don’t know any other way except for electronic. These clinicians grew up with cell phones — they’ve never heard of a typewriter. It’s every day to them, and it is only going to help adoption of new solutions.

It’s really important to develop those skills. Whatever it takes — reading, going to CHIME, going to boot camp, talking with your peers, getting a personal coach — that’s what you need to be successful as a CIO.

The majority of my career I’ve walked into executive meetings and I’ve been the only woman. It’s so refreshing to see more women in IT leadership roles, especially in healthcare.

Gamble:  What was it about this particular role that appeal to you?

Ross:  As I mentioned earlier, it’s like starting a new organization. It’s being at the foundation of what Broward Health is going to mean to the community. It’s exciting to be a part of that base level of developing it and being a part of that team. That’s one of the primary reasons I came: it’s such a challenge and such an opportunity.

 

Gamble:  You spent several years at Ascension, which is probably about as complex as health systems get. How are you able to draw from that experience?

Ross:  Well, as you said, Ascension is an extremely complex organization. I was there for a while, and it taught me how to work in a matrixed environment; how to be an influencer and to make sure that you’re developing the right partnerships. There were so many different levels and different divisions you had to work with,