Next week, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives will host its 22nd annual Fall CIO Forum in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Running Oct. 8 to Oct. 11, the conference will feature both keynote sessions and various educational tracks for the 400+ CIOs expected to be in attendance. All planning was done by a committee lead by CIOs and CHIME's educational and foundation staff, meaning the conference has been designed by CIOs, for CIOs, says Russell Branzell, the CEO of CHIME.
"The main goal is for this not just to be a fluff event," says Mr. Branzell. "We want this to be an opportunity for CIOs to collaborate, network and learn to solve the problems they're facing."
Mr. Branzell expects the tone of this year's conference to be slightly different than in years past. "There will definitely be an increased level of focus, intensity, urgency as we all really focus on how to solve the big issues that are in front of us," he says. "People are going to come to this conference with a much greater expectation of learning best practices and developing their skills."
To meet the educational desires of the attendees, the conference's 16 track sessions will focus on a variety of topics from meaningful use attestation to accountable care organizations to adjusting to reduced reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid. "Some of the sessions are more business-oriented, some are more tactical," says Mr. Branzell. "The individual can really tailor what they get out of this conference."
For many CIOs, one of the primary challenges is the exorbitant amount of pressures and responsibilities they're facing. "Right now, one of the biggest things they're grappling with is the magnitude of work that's in front of them as they're leading their organization through this time of change," says Mr. Branzell.
That is why the event has been set up to offer keynote sessions alongside the educational sessions to provide attendees with both macro- and micro-level strategies to tackle the many demands of their jobs. Featured speakers include author and consultant Jim Collins, game designer and author Jane McGonigal, PhD, and Jamie Heywood, co-founder of Patients Like Me, all aiming to provide attendees with leadership and strategy advice to complement the "boots on the ground" tactics presented in the sessions.
"We want to give them the breadth of skills and training to go back and solve the problems they're struggling with," says Mr. Branzell. "I really think we'll do that with this event."
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