| | October 20178UTLOOK Healthcare Tech In the current healthcare landscape, many hospitals are joining or affiliating with larger systems in order to establish more efficiency and deliver a higher standard of patient care. Piedmont Healthcare has integrated business processes and systems and is in progress with a third hospital joining their now seven-hospital system since 2013. The two completed IT transitions have largely gone smoothly because the organization focused on a solid transition of technological platforms and adopted a series of best practices based on previous mergers. However, it is Keys to Successfully Merging Technology TeamsBy Geoff Brown, CIO, Piedmont HealthcareGeoff Brownmy perspective that deploying best practice technology and process standards is now considered a core competency and an expectation. These are important components in the work of merging two often very different IT cultures. The cultural integration of the IT team is often the least visible component within a transition and only tends to be visible when things are not working optimally. When one walks in a room, we tend not to think about the lights that illuminate a room until they start to flicker. Given the formal tracks of establishing the governance framework within a transition, there are other less formal keys that the CIO should consider when in the midst of a merger. I will focus on three keys to a successful merger of IT culture. In healthcare, you will always find your way if the focus is aligned with positive outcomes for patients. The three keys I will highlight for CIO's include recognizing existing strengths, being visible and engaged during the transition, and focusing on creating a shared culture.When merging with another company, whether it is a hospital or not, it is important to understand what they do well. During due diligence, you will already have discovered a sense of the gaps. It is important to recognize what they do well early on, even if it will change over the course of the transition. However, even in the worst scenarios, I have found there is something good in the operations that could be considered a best practice. If at all possible, incorporate this element into your integration efforts. Change is challenging and this will go long way in establishing professional alignment. Recognizing an opportunity to improve or considering a problem from a different perspective IN MY OPINION
< Page 7 | Page 9 >