07 Dec Emerging role: How a CHIO harnesses data for population health
The CHIO role is much more about the data—the data integration, the data analytics and looking at how we can use insights to improve care
John Showalter, MD, is the chief health information officer at the University of Mississippi. He evolved into that role after studying biomedical engineering at Columbia, followed by combined residency and fellowship in clinical informatics at Penn State for medical school.
His deep connection to an Epic implementation there led him the University of Mississippi Medical School, where he took on the role of CMIO, leading the clinical work in adapting to the changes that incurred.
That role in turn led him and the institution to consider the wider role of community health and the adoption of his new title. Healthcare IT News had the chance to speak with Showalter at length, and here is what he said.
The chief health information officer has an independent academic role.
I’m currently parallel with the CIO, in a different leg of the leadership structure, I report to our associate vice chancellor of research. The CMIO is an M.D. reporting to the CIO.
The chief medical information officer role is really about physician engagement, whether it’s the physician adoption of the EHR and the new workflows. It’s about making healthcare function on an operational level and easing the technology burden on physicians and nurses as they deliver care. The CHIO role is much more about the data–the data integration, the data analytics, and looking at how we can use insights to improve care, and improve health care delivery.