Women In Health IT

Maybe it's time for a discussion about what people want from the U.S. healthcare system.

My first professional event since moving back to New England is tonight, November 7. Boston Health 2.0 is a chapter of the national Health 2.0 organization. They hold monthly meetings to promote and catalyze new technologies in healthcare. The November event is a panel titled “The Power Women of Health IT: Path to Success”. All powerful women have advice to give others and stories about obstacles they’ve overcome. This group of women panelists is no different and I’m excited to be part of it. Helen Figge, senior vice president, Global Strategies and Development at LumiraDx, USA; Cara Babachicos, corporate director/CIO, Community Hospitals, Partners Healthcare. The panel will cover advice on entrepreneurship for women, how women can influence the health IT industry, differing perceptions of competency in men and women, importance of mentorship, how men can be more supportive of professional women, and obstacles we’ve overcome in our own paths to success. But which obstacle should I comment on? Looking back to my early days in management, unfortunately there are many stories to share. There was the male colleague who had it out for me during a five-year period when I was the only woman on the IT leadership team (it was the 80’s). One of the things he did early on was to spread a rumor that I was only in management because I was related to a board member with the same last name. It was so not true; I didn’t even know the board member. As he continued to be combative and uncooperative in our work together, he told me he’d deny anything I said that he said just to intimidate me. He even came into my office one day, shut my office door, held the doorknob and threatened me. Yes, I survived all his bullying behavior and eventually let our boss know what was going on. But it was our next boss who eventually showed him out the door. In a different situation, I had to report a male colleague from another department for sexual harassment and face all the questions and doubts about what happened. And for years, I balanced the responsibilities of two young children while moving up the management ranks and attending an MBA program in the evenings. Were these obstacles? Yes. But they all made me stronger. The takeaway is you must speak up and not tolerate bad behavior from others. And be sure to create a strong support system at work and at home. On the eve of an historical election day when the first woman from a major party is the presidential nominee and stands a very good chance of being elected the first female president of the United States, why not talk about “power women” in health IT and their path to success? This post was first published on Sue Schade's Health IT Connect blog.  

Interoperability of medical records across physician offices remained elusive in 2015, according to the latest data reported out by the Centers for Disease Control.

“You need to own your own career and to be open to the possibilities. It applies whether you are early, mid or late career.” That was my opening statement in my early January blog, “New year, next chapter”, when I announced that I was leaving a permanent CIO position to pursue a new path. And it is advice I have often given others. It’s now my time for that next possibility and I’m excited about it. I’ve decided to launch a new health care IT advisory firm, StarBridge Advisors, with two colleagues. I’m teaming up with David Muntz and Russ Rudish. David is a nationally recognized CIO who has served some of the largest and most complex healthcare provider organizations in the country including Baylor Health Care System and Texas Health Resources. Prior to that he served as CIO and was promoted to CEO of Wadley Institutes of Molecular Medicine. David also served as White House-appointed first Principal Deputy National Coordinator, Chief of Staff, and CIO at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Together David and I have a combined 60-plus years of experience in health IT management. Russ was the Global & US Health Care Leader for Deloitte through 2014. Prior to joining Deloitte, he was Executive Vice President of Eclipsys Corporation, overseeing all client facing activities — sales, marketing, product management, customer support, outsourcing and professional services. Upon leaving Deloitte, Russ formed Rudish Health Solutions, which focuses on strategy and M&A consulting, interim management and executive search. He also became a principal in Health Care IT Leaders, which provides staff augmentation services. StarBridge Advisors will provide world class IT leadership advisory and interim management services to healthcare organizations. We want to be a trusted advisor on leadership matters in the HIT marketplace and to help clients innovate, transform, lead, and make a positive impact on healthcare in the U.S. Our services will include: interim management; executive advisor; leadership coaching; leadership transition assessment and planning; executive search assistance; operational effectiveness; vendor evaluation and selection; and assistance with IT governance, cybersecurity, public policy, interoperability, and patient and family engagement. That means providing today’s solutions and tomorrow’s leaders. We will partner with other firms offering HIT services and bring in individual experts depending on the specific engagement and client needs. I’ve never quite seen myself as an entrepreneur. I have been comfortable finding my place on the executive leadership team of large health care organizations. But I decided to launch a new firm partnering with these two colleagues whom I greatly respect and share common goals. I’m confident we can be successful together and have a positive impact on our industry. I’m excited about this new venture. I continue to be committed to improving health care and to developing the next generation of IT leaders. And I’m certainly not planning to compromise my master plan goals I have already made. As I have said before: “I have considered for some time what I want my next chapter to be, in both my professional and personal life. I want to live close to my daughters and grandchildren in New England and spend more time with them. I want more flexibility and to work less than full-time over the course of a year, and I want to do work I really enjoy.” Remaining true to my master plan. Stay tuned! This post was first published on Sue Schade's Health IT Connect blog.

Employer bias is one potential reason for the gap in STEM, research concludes.

In a November 1 letter crafted by Dell’s Entrepreneur in Residence, titled “#WhatWeNeedToSucceed,” addressed to presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, 85 entrepreneurs, founders and leaders of tech companies and other enterprises – both women and men, – call for government support.

CEO John Flannery sees gender equity as critical to solving many of the healthcare challenges around the world.

Global gender gap report reveals persistent disparities in salaries, participation in workforce.

A new survey found that health IT pay is on the rise, but many HIT pros believe they should be earning at least $15,000 more every year. 

Research from Accenture and Girls Who Code is out with the classic good news, bad news regarding women in the computing workforce. The bad news? The number of women in the U.S. computing workforce will decline from 24 percent to 22 percent by 2025, the research shows.