At the September EXPO.health event we featured a panel of former CIOs. It was an excellent event with lots of fantastic insights. You can view the recording here. During the post-panel discussion, I posed a question that I thought would be relevant to the HITMC Community: How can you get the attention of a Healthcare CIO?
Here is what the panel had to say.
Strength in Numbers
Strength in numbers. John Lynn, Chief Editor at Healthcare IT Today cited a conversation he had once with Drex DeFord, former CIO at Scripps Health and Seattle Children’s where DeFord told him that it was easier for him to get behind a project that was brought forward by a member of his team rather than himself being the champion.
“If the team bring it forward, now you have strength in numbers,” said Lynn.
Use Public Documents
“CIOs are not the right target for most Health IT companies,” stated Shahid Shah, Digital Health/Life Sciences entrepreneur and Founder at Netspective Media.
Having said that, Shah did give a very practical tip for those that are forced to target CIOs: Start with the organization’s public documents (ie: annual reports). Find out what the organization’s strategic goals are for the coming year. Then ask the CIO if they have made any progress on a particular goal, but DON’T talk about how you can help.
“That question will either get you an answer like: Great question – we are doing X and Y,” said Shah. “Or ‘holy cow’ I’m supposed to be working on this. Both answers are a good way to engage in a conversation.”
Solve a Problem
According to Shereese Maynard, health IT strategist and policy specialist, the best way to engage a healthcare CIO is to talk about how you can actually solve a problem they are facing.
“Don’t tell them who you are or what you do,” said Maynard. “Tell them the problem you can solve for them…and it better be a problem they want to actually solve. Also, don’t try to sell them something for where they are now. Help them understand how you can fit into their future plans.”
Watch this short video for more from these three great minds.
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