Inside CHIME: CHIME Foundation Support Reaches New Heights

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Randy McCleese 12.17.15 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

In 2015, the CHIME Foundation supported a record number of educational, networking and professional development events in support of advancing health IT.

It’s hard to capture exactly how big of a year 2015 was for the CHIME Foundation. On many levels, we saw unprecedented involvement with and among Foundation firms. So this column really is bittersweet for me, knowing that it is among my last official communications as chair of the Foundation board of trustees.

As most of you know, the CHIME Foundation creates unique ways to enhance connections between CHIME members and Foundation firms. The goal is to strengthen partnerships across the membership and, ultimately, within our organizations so we can continue to advance the benefits of health IT and improve patient care. Throughout 2015, Foundation firms supported a record number of educational, networking and professional development programs for CHIME members. Here’s a snapshot:

  • 20 online surveys
  • 35 College LIVE events
  • 36 online focus groups
  • 49 CHIME15 track session proposals
  • 83 focus groups the week of HIMSS15
  • 95 focus groups at the CHIME15 Fall CIO Forum
  • More than $200,000 contributed to CHIME Education Foundation scholarships

The board also held its first strategic planning retreat this year in an effort to further map a direction for the Foundation. The strategic planning process will help ensure that the Foundation continues to support the advancement of health IT and growth of our profession.

I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to all of the Foundation firms and board members who helped make 2015 such a successful year. I am certain that they’ll raise the bar even higher in 2016!

More Inside CHIME Volume 1, No. 7: