Q&A with CIO Pamela McNutt, Part 3: “You Have to Work Effectively in This New World.”

For many CIOs, there are about a million reasons not to get involved in advocacy. The most commonly cited, of course, is time. But to Pamela McNutt, who was instrumental in developing CHIME’s policy committee and has long been a champion for health IT legislation, those reasons are far outweighed by the positives. Not only does it help leaders stay educated on key issues, but by sharing “boots-on-the-ground experiences” with political leaders, CIOs are forging a better path for the entire industry. Recently, healthsystemCIO spoke with McNutt about the enormous transformation healthcare has undergone in the past three decades – the vast majority of which she has spent with the same organization – and how she has evolved her leadership strategy. She also discusses the critical lessons she has learned about vendor management, the keys to working for a new CEO, and what excites and scares her most about the future. Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 * 28 years of CIO experience * Working with a new CEO – “Listen, explore, and get to know their priorities.” * The power of “trusting relationships” * Navigating “turf wars” * Methodist’s core mission & values * Overcoming rough first impressions – “You realize you have more allies than adversaries.” * Hope for the future of health IT LISTEN NOW USING THE PLAYER BELOW OR CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR iTUNES PODCAST FEED Bold Statements You need to ask, ‘What does this person expect of me?’ The previous CEO may not have wanted a formal IT strategic plan, but maybe this CEO does. You need to listen, explore, and learn what the expectations are. With the evolution of all these new disciplines involving IT, whether it’s telemedicine, digital patient health, informatics, or reporting, it’s ripe for a lot of turf battles. As a leader, you have to be able to navigate that. That’s probably what excites me the most — the hope that patients will want to take control of their data and to use it to better their health. I fundamentally believe the data does belong to the patient, and I think it’s exciting that we keep moving down that path. It’s natural to see shifts in the balance of power in Washington. When that occurs, there’s often dramatic change, and you have to gear up and perhaps change some of your strategies or priorities. Gamble:  When did you assume the CIO role? McNutt:  Before I came to Methodist, I was at Hermann before it was Memorial Hermann and was still a standalone. At the time they didn’t have a formal CIO role; I was director of IT, which was considered the CIO, for two years. And so I’ve been in a CIO role for 28 years.   Gamble:  During that time, I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of changes to the C-suite. What do you think are the keys to navigating difficult situations, like when there’s a new CEO? McNutt:  The way it works is, you have to act like you’re in a new job when you get a new CEO, or even if you’re shuffled within the organization from one boss to another. When you’ve been with an organization for 26 years, you already know the people, but when you get a new CEO, you have to act like you’re in a new place. Just like the CEO coming in, you have to seek first to understand and listen. You have to get into that mode and really listen to the CEO and get to know their priorities. Hopefully they’re also meeting with you and trying to understand your challenges and your experiences.