Women In Health IT

Her best advice always: ‘Stay intellectually curious.’

Katrina Miller and Esther Lee of L.A. Care Health Plan discuss the challenges of comparing the data from those who fall into the newer Medicaid expansion population against other sets, and the importance of top level support in getting big data initiatives off the ground.  

Could it be than men and women negotiate differently?

AHIMA said it will create a new model for releasing patients’ health information, Flip the Clinic will add actionable ideas for change and Farzad Mostashari’s ACO startup Aledade will run pilot programs with its customers.

Many organizations have a Project or Program Management Office (PMO). If not at an organization wide level, at least within the IT department. There are different models. Some PMOs provide standards, tools, methodology and overall tracking. Others provide this foundation as well as a team of project managers (PMs) who can be assigned as needed to major projects. Our PMO at University Hospitals is the latter model. Our PMO has evolved under our new manager, Joe Stuczynski. He and his team are making significant improvements with the support of IT leadership. They have developed a roadmap for further changes and improvements for the next year. It is refreshing to be in an organization where we are not debating about the tools and whether they are good enough. We are not debating about what projects need to run through the PMO and if everyone needs to follow the standards. Instead, we are embracing and leveraging the tools and the PMO is able to focus on what it should be – tracking projects and providing PMs to manage projects. Our 90 minute weekly PMO meeting is attended by department leadership and PMs. It has a standing agenda that includes: Action Items from previous weeks – represents a level of accountability and tracking Process Updates – keeping everyone informed on changes New Project Requests – these are later vetted through the IT governance process Project Successes – acknowledging what was completed the previous week Architectural Review Overview Dashboard – shows total number of projects with Green, Yellow, Red project health by major area and change from previous week Detailed review of each project in Red Program review – each major area (i.e. business, clinical, ambulatory, infrastructure, security) is on a rotation for deeper dive Scope Reviews for new major projects – provides chance to “connect the dots”, discuss any interdependencies and ask questions Outputs from this weekly review that get posted on our IT visual management board are: Project successes Dashboard of all projects by health status For each project in “Red,” we cover the issues, impacts and the action plan to resolve, as well as risks and mitigation plans. The green/yellow/red is noted for the project overall, as well as scope, schedule and cost. With this information at a glance, it is easy to identify where help is needed and what it will take to move the project from Red to Yellow or Green. Scope reviews for new projects include summary, scope, business objectives, budget, timeline, and team members. Having a chance to discuss interdependencies and raise any questions or concerns is critical for a new project. The PMO has a number of goals. Two are particularly pertinent here: Improve Project, Program, Portfolio Management maturity – “get everyone on the same page” Incorporate a continual self-evaluation process Looking at the last few months, these two goals are clearly being met. And that’s powerful. Blog originally posted on www.sueschade.com.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, revealed her Tech & Innovation Agenda on June 28 while on – where else? – the campaign trail.

My fourth grandbaby was born this week. I helped out by taking care of his 19 month old big sister while his parents were at the hospital. Being able to be present to give this support to my daughters is one of the reasons I started my next chapter back in January. Why is it so important for me to spend time with my family as my four grandchildren grow up?  My father died when I was just 4 years old. His death left my mother to raise my 3 older siblings and me alone. Her parents lived 3 hours away.  We only saw them a few times a year – a 3 hour drive for a mom and four kids was a big deal back then. My father’s parents had died before my parents were married. And my own daughters grew up without grandparents. By the time my husband and I were in our 30’s, all of our parents were deceased. None of them lived to age 70. As a professional woman, I have worked far more than 40 hours a week since my late 20’s and been in management since 1984. When I had babies, a 6-week maternity leave was the norm. Both my daughters went to infant programs in daycare centers when I went back to work. I learned that babies start to smile at their parents (and it’s not just gas) at around 6 weeks old. I realized that I would miss her first smile being back at work. I treasure the times I have now with my grandkids. My daughters are appreciative of the help I can give but don’t want it to be a burden. I have heard people my age say being a grandparent is great but it’s really nice to be able to hand the kids back to their parents. Yes, kids are demanding and tiring when you are no longer young. And as the grandparent there is so much we don’t know about their specific routines even though we successfully raised our own kids many years ago. My 19 month old charge this week has had a fever and an ear infection. I had to figure out how to get her to take her medicine on top of the normal routines. I’ve quoted various articles and leaders in previous posts, but never a children’s book. As we read the popular and prize winning book “Olivia” by Ian Falconer at bedtime last night, the closing struck home: When they’ve finished reading, Olivia’s mother gives her a kiss and says, “You know, you really wear me out. But I love you anyway”. And Olivia gives her a kiss back and says, “I love you anyway too”. I hope to be a positive role model for my grandkids as they grow up. I look forward to all the fun times we’ll have together. As I watch the debate about gun control in Congress, I hope that our leaders will do the right thing and help move us toward the safe and loving country we want for our children and grandchildren. One of the most powerful health care organizations, the American Medical Association, took a big step last week in calling gun violence a public health crisis. I applaud them for that. Blog originally posted on www.sueschade.com.

McNeil, a professor in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, founded Harvard’s healthcare policy department in 1988.

Harvard Business Review article explores findings and what they mean.

This week we all grieve for the families and victims in Orlando.