INSIDE CHIME: Cooperative Member Services – Building Stronger Partnerships

Inside CHIME - header

Randy McCleese 11.5.15 by Randy McCleese, MBA, MS, FCHIME, LCHIME, CHCIO, Chair, CHIME Foundation Board of Trustees;
Vice President of Information Services and CIO, St. Claire Regional Medical Center

 

CHIME Cooperative Member Services will help CIOs gain access to preferred pricing, products and services in a streamlined way.

St. Claire Regional Medical Center is a small, 159-bed hospital in the Northeast corner of Kentucky. As with any hospital our size or smaller, there are pretty significant resource constraints. It can be a challenge to access products and services designed for our size and at an affordable price.

Helping health IT leaders navigate the vast world of technology providers and professional services firms is one of the underlying goals of CHIME Cooperative Member Services. Approved by the CHIME board of trustees last month, Cooperative Member Services, which is housed under CHIME Technologies, is designed to help members save time, money and resources as they search for business partners. The program gives health IT leaders access to preferred pricing and products from Foundation firms. It is not only a way for members to find cost savings, but it should foster even closer partnerships companies that are strong supporters of CHIME’s mission and education programs. Those enhanced relationships are especially important in today’s environment as we all wrestle with the need to create a more efficient and effective delivery system, and to do so at a lower cost for patients.

CHIME began piloting Cooperative Member Services in the spring with Gallitano & O’Connor LLP, Hosting and Next Wave Connect. The initial test period yielded some positive results for CHIME members and the participating firms. Foundation firms opting in will pay a subscription fee. Contrary to some published reports, CHIME is not involved in any contract negotiations between firms and CHIME members and there’s no revenue share for CHIME. The subscription fees collected cover the cost of the program, any additional funds will be reinvested into the organization to enhance scholarship offerings and educational programs.

Cooperative Member Services should be viewed as a win-win for CHIME members and Foundation firms. It represents a new and unique way for providers and their business partners to engage with one another.

The program will officially launch in January 2016. CHIME members wishing to learn more about Cooperative Member Services, click here; Foundation firms can learn more about signing up here.

More Inside CHIME Volume 1, No. 4: