Boot Camp Alumni Find Benefits Extend Well Beyond Program’s End

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3.28.2018
By Candace Stuart, Director, Communications & Public Relations

 

CHIME Healthcare CIO Boot Camp alumni Sarah Richardson, Ann Larkins and Joseph Kulle responded to questions about their experiences, the key takeaways and how they are applying what they learned in their jobs. The next CHIME Healthcare CIO Boot Camp will be April 7-10 in Chicago.

Richardson is CIO, California Market, at Healthcare Partners in El Segundo, Calif.; Larkins is executive director, information development at Alfred Health in Melbourne, Australia; and Kulle is senior vice president and CIO at Elliot Health System in Manchester, N.H.

Q: When did you attend the CHIME Healthcare CIO Boot Camp?  

Richardson: Fall of 2014.

Larkins: Fall of 2017

Kulle: Fall of 2015.

Q: Was this your first time participating in boot camp?  

Richardson: Yes.

Larkins: Yes.

Kulle: Yes.

Q: What were the top takeaways for you?  

Richardson: Setting strategy in alignment with business goals; creating a partnership between IT and the business; preparation for CHCIO (CHIME Certified Healthcare CIO); building a high-performing team; and creating a space for change and positive disruption.

Larkins: Practical examples from the faculty members of servant leadership in our roles and how powerful it is in building teams; creating balance in life/work/family; and being more comfortable leading from behind and finding ways to lift up others to lead (mentoring).

Kulle: With regards to the content, the main takeaways for me were to help define the business value of IT when working toward key decisions and become more of a peer to the other C-suite staff versus just seen as the “tech guy.”

Q: Have you since applied those lessons in your work, and if so how?  

Richardson: Absolutely. In some cases, the business has several ideas they want to pursue yet they may not have a true sense for how technology can plug in and assist the efforts. It’s not about finding a vendor and then looking for a problem to solve. It’s about embedding IT in strategic conversations and having us bring forward solutions that can advance the organization in the most effective and efficient manner. We have used this approach for digital health, patient experience and clinician experience in recent years.

Larkins: I have started mentoring a few of my team. I’ve kicked into a regular exercise regime and created dedicated time in my commute for personal development. I’ve opened up my boot camp folder many times to remind myself of the practical ways in which to effect change in teams and in organizations.

Kulle: A recent example related to business value has been spending the last year educating the organization on the need to spend the time and capital on refueling our Epic instance. This involved working to change longstanding mindsets by educating the business on the value refuel will bring, the need to standardize on Epic, how it will set the organization up for future growth and reduce operational inefficiencies. A peer at a nearby hospital recently commented to me, “You didn’t just pull the operational areas along; you worked to ensure they understood, became invested in and owned the decision(s) being made around the technical investments in the EMR. They are cheerleading the change.”

Have you remained in touch with fellow participants and/or faculty members?  

Richardson: Yes, and I have several friendships and key associations from the experience. It was the entry point to meeting the leaders and those involved in CHIME to accelerate my participation in committees and events.

Larkins: I am part of the LinkedIn group which is not very active, unfortunately, from a participant point of view, but for CHIME to set up a facilitated group on one of the mobile platforms would be fantastic. I haven’t had a specific reason to reach out to any of the facilitators at this point but I feel comfortable to do so, should I have a specific query.

Kulle: Yes, I have kept in contact with a few but one I stay in regular contact with.

Has that helped you in your career, and if so, how?

Richardson: Boot camp and CHIME have provided me an opportunity to grow the knowledge of my teams and organizations through exposure, access and continuous learning on a regular basis. I have met hundreds of colleagues and vendors all looking to solve some of the same challenges, which is powerful when you have a cadre of professionals with whom to share ideas. It has also provided me a space where I can ask tough industry questions and receive honest and candid feedback.

Larkins: The whole experience has helped my career in so far as being connected to a very broad network of peers outside of my own country to tap into for support while we move toward our enterprise-wide implementation of Cerner. The U.S. is generally much further down the Digitizing Health journey than Australia and so the opportunity to learn from some renowned leaders who have demonstrated success in healthcare was a privilege.

Kulle: The structure of the boot camp allowed me to form lasting relationships with a small group of people. This has allowed a good network to talk to throughout the year, to bounce ideas off of, get input on challenges I/they are facing, and general networking.

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