Q&A with CIO Chris Belmont, Part 1: “It’s All About Making Decisions Based on the Data.”

For Chris Belmont, taking on a new role during a crisis is nothing new — nor is starting a new role when large initiatives are looming. And so, when he took the helm at Memorial Hospital at Gulfport during the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, he had an idea of what to expect. But as someone with decades of industry experience, Belmont was careful to avoid the trap of jumping to conclusions. Instead, he put extra effort into “learning and listening, and evaluating where we are.”

Recently, the healthcare IT veteran spoke with healthsystemCIO about what he hopes to achieve at Memorial — based on what the organization truly needs, where he believes key opportunities exist, and how he hopes to change the thinking from a systems approach to a System approach. He also talks about what brought him back to the hospital environment after a 4-year hiatus, how Covid-19 has changed our thinking, and the critical role CIOs play in forcing teams to “back up and think long-term.”

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Key Takeaways



* For Belmont, one of the key drivers in returning to the hospital environment after being away for a few years was “the opportunity to get closer to the frontlines” and be “around the action.”

* Increased competition from organizations like Ochsner Health is forcing Memorial Hospital at Gulfport to “reevaluate the way we operate” and become more focused on the community.

* It’s a common tendency for IT departments to focus more on installing solutions than on installing integrated solutions. “There’s a lot of opportunity there.”

* One of the most important objectives for CIOs is to steer organizations away from focusing on systems and more how solutions can better support the business.

* Rather than jump to quick conclusions about what an organization needs, a new leader should spend more “learning and listening.”





Q&A with Chris Belmont, Part 1

Gamble:  Are you currently in the office?

Belmont:  I’m in my office at the hospital. I’m here probably five days a week. I think at least in the initial few months, it’s really important to be present and understand the organization. One of the things I knew I missed — and one of the reasons I came back — was the opportunity to get closer to the frontlines. I didn’t realize how much I had missed that. And I don’t mean being in the lab or being in the emergency room, but just being around the action.

My wife and daughter are both nurses; they don’t have the opportunity to work remote or take an afternoon off to play golf, or go to a conference. They’re taking care of lives. They’re both NICU nurses — they were taking care of babies and really doing the important work. And so, being able to stay close, especially as our caregivers are stressed out with Covid as well as the storms we experienced, anything I can do to help is important.

 

Gamble:  Can you give an overview of the organization?

Belmont:  At Memorial, we’re going through an expansion and experiencing a lot of growing pains. We’re one of the primary providers (if not the premier provider) of care on the Gulf Coast, but that’s being challenged a bit. Ochsner has made it a goal to be the provider of choice between Houston and Atlanta, and we’re right in that path. And so they’re growing and moving into this market, which is good and bad. It’s good because it’s forcing us to reevaluate the way we operate. We’re making some acquisitions and affiliations that are going to help us become more of a system and become more focused on our communities and how to function and manage o...