Q&A with CMIO Mark Weisman, Part 1: “What can we optimize to make life easier?”

During the past few weeks, so much has changed because of the COVID-19 outbreak. One thing that hasn’t changed — one thing that can’t change — is the CMIO’s core objective: to make life easier for providers, according to Mark Weisman, MD. For his team at Peninsula Regional Medical Center, that means removing hard stops and eliminating alerts that don’t provide value. “We still have the same priorities in terms of making this tool easier, even in the middle of a healthcare crisis.”

Recently, Dr. Weisman spoke with healthsystemCIO about how the organization is working to accommodate more patients during the pandemic while also maintaining quality care, whether that means ramping up telemedicine efforts or setting up makeshift clinics. He also discussed PRMC’s multifaceted strategy to address and reduce clinician burnout, the evolution of the CMIO from “buffer” to true leader, how he hopes the role will continue to grow, and the advice he offers for CIOs who want to develop stronger relationships with clinicians.

Chapter 1



* About Peninsula Regional (3-hospital system based in Maryland)

* PRMC’s COVID-19 strategy

* “My job is to make sure we’ve got the tools in place that providers are going to need.”

* Pushing telehealth along

* Learning from leading organizations – “No one’s worrying about competition right now.”

* 3-pronged plan to reduce clinical burnout

* Arch Collaborative findings – “Our providers were not thrilled”

* CMIO’s advice for CIOs: measure and form partnerships

* Maryland’s capitated model: ““To do it right requires a strong investment in healthcare IT.”



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Bold Statements

That’s our biggest hurdle right now: lack of access to tests — not being able to understand who is carrying it and who is not right now, and trying to protect the public.

I’m seeing little pockets of it. I see people dip their toes in it. This is really forcing the issue, because we don’t want to see patients face to face who are potentially infected if we can avoid it, particularly in the ambulatory world.

What can we optimize here to make life easier? It’s about removing the hard stops. Removing alerts that aren’t providing value, really questioning the value of the clinical decision support that’s been put in place, and moving toward a mindset of ‘prove to me that it’s working.’

I don’t think CIOs can really be effective if they’re ignoring the clinical part of the organization and just focusing on infrastructure or security. They have to be heavily invested in the clinical part, and do that in partnership with the Chief Nursing Informatics Officer and CMIO.

I saw an opportunity to be able to come in and make a difference, and that’s what I wanted to do. I want to make a difference in the healthcare system that I’m working for. I want to be effective. I want to be partners with other leaders in the C-suite who are interested in doing the same thing: advancing quality and reducing variation in care.

Gamble:  Hi Mark, thank you so much for taking time to speak with us. We really appreciate it, especially with everything going on. Why don’t you start by giving a high-level overview of Peninsula Regional Medical Center?

Weisman:  Sure. Thanks for having me. Peninsula Regional is a three-hospital system based on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We have another hospital we just acquired in the lower part of Delaware. One is on Epic and the other is on Cerner, so we’re going through all of that now. We’re just under 400 beds total, with about 3,