Q&A with CHIME CEO Russ Branzell, Part 2: “We’re Ready to Get Back Together.”

Of all the ways in which healthcare was affected by Covid-19, one of the most significant was the inability to collaborate at in-person events. CHIME was no exception; as the pandemic forced both its Boot Camps and Fall Forum to convert to virtual events.

It forced the organization — which has always been a proponent of face-to-face interactions — to pause, but not to stop. “We’re constantly trying to figure out what are the toughest problems in healthcare, and what can we do as a collaborative group to make it less burdensome for all of us,” said Russ Branzell in a recent interview.

It’s pretty clear what the toughest problem was in 2020. CHIME, like many organizations, was forced to pivot, and rapidly accelerate a strategy that had already been outlined to become a digital organization. And while changing the conference format was a key step, it certainly wasn’t the only one; education, task force meetings, and one-on-one conversations took on a new nature, and even opened up new opportunities for collaboration.

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Key Takeaways:



* As of now, CHIME plans to hold the 2021 Fall Forum live, while also offering a virtual component. “We believe, and we’ve heard, that people are ready to get back together.”

* CHIME has made it a priority to offer free content to non-members during the pandemic, in the hopes that industry leaders will continue to seek education and share best practices.

* Whether it’s the opioid crisis or a lack of diversity in leadership roles, CHIME is “constantly trying to figure out what are the toughest problems in healthcare and what can we do as a collaborative group to make this less burdensome.”

* It’s critical, particularly now, to recognize the work of healthcare heroes, including those who have provided much-needed IT support. “People didn’t just give an extra 10 percent; they gave everything they had.”





Q&A with Russ Branzell, Part 2 [Click here to view Part 2]

Gamble:  In the fall, CHIME plans to have both the live conference and the virtual component. It seems like a smart thing to do, because as you said, there are individuals and organizations that aren’t going to be ready to travel.

Branzell:  Right. There are a few ways to look at this. It goes back to our original strategy, which is that there are always going to be some people who will not be able to attend, especially if you look at from an international perspective. Plus, a lot of people might want to hear sessions later. And so we’ll broadcast and record them.

But we also have a lot of people — and we’ve heard this repeatedly — who are ready to get back together in big groups. And by ‘big group,’ I mean a CHIME-sized group, not a meeting of thousands upon thousands. The CHIME family is ready for a reunion, and we believe fall will be a good timing for that.

We will look forward to seeing you and Anthony and so many others — not just because you’re great at what you do, but more importantly, you’re part of our family. We want our family get back together. Yes, we’ll offer education and networking. But we believe that from a humanistic perspective, it’s really important for people to be able to get back together. At the same time, we’ll make sure we’re connecting with everybody virtually.

The other part is in that virtual world, our CHIME members can continue to share content with their entire team.