Q&A with CIO Craig Richardville, Part 1: “That’s What We Do; We Serve the Organization.”

For CIOs, especially those who are new to an organization, there’s a lot of focus on the to-do list, and understandably so. But what’s just as important, according to Craig Richardville, is the ‘not to-do’ list. What often happens, he has found, is that individuals can become stuck “spinning their wheels on certain functions or features that aren’t a priority” — and in some cases, won’t ever be.

This is where leaders need to set realistic expectations, communicate them effectively, and have a defined ‘no-bucket,’ he said. Recently, healthsystemCIO spoke with Richardville about his first six months at SCL Health, which has included a major restructuring to ensure that the right people are on the bus, and that IT priorities are aligned with the organization’s newly released strategic plan.

He also discusses his approach to change management, what he learned during a year-long CIO sabbatical about the enormous potential of innovative startups, and why it’s time to retire the ATM comparisons, once and for all.

Chapter 1



* About SCL Health

* 3 primary markets, 3 different landscapes

* Strategy as new CIO

* First 30 days: discovery through one-on-ones

* Creating VP roles focused on technology, applications & digital

* Establishing ITDS – “It was important we kept ‘services’ in the name”

* Technology partnership w/ Google

* Consolidated areas through ServiceNow hub



LISTEN NOW USING THE PLAYER BELOW OR CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR iTUNES PODCAST FEED

Bold Statements

It’s quite diverse in terms of all that we do and how we do it, which gives us openings to all different types of abilities to extend our care and expand access to our care.

We really started to get a better perspective as to what was happening within the organization, what was working well from their perspective, and what wasn’t working well.

To me, it was important that services was kept in our name, because that’s what we do. We serve other parts of the organization, and our patients.

A lot of the future work is going to be driven upon digital services and our transition into a digital industry that delivers healthcare services, and so I want to make sure there was a group focused on that.

Each initiative within it has its own programming so that it has a scope, a budget, a schedule, and a benefit section. All of this is part of a 5-year program that aligns with our strategy.

Gamble:  Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us. We have a lot to talk about. Now, you’ve been with SCL Health for about six months, correct?

Richardville:  Yes. I started in February, so it’s been six months, and it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a great opportunity to share some experiences from my past and leverage those learnings, while also learning a new organization and new market. It’s a great leadership team. Our mission and vision of being a faith-based organization really brings you back to your roots. It’s a nice place to be.

 

Gamble:  I know it’s a pretty large system, but can you give a birds-eye view of the organization?

Richardville:  Sure. It’s about a $3 billion system in terms of revenue. We’re a Catholic, faith-based organization with three primary markets. One is called the Front Range, which is primarily the greater Denver area. Another is the Western Slope, which covers the other side of the Rocky Mountains and taps into eastern Utah, and then there’s the state of Montana. Those are our primary markets. We divested services out of California and Kansas in order to focus on these three markets. We employ somewhere around 500-plus providers, a couple of hundred ambulatory care site, and eight acute care hospitals, and we have somewhere around 80,000 admissions. We also extend our services via several joint venture...