CIO Podcast – Episode 51: EMRAM with Tanya Townsend

For the 51st episode of the CIO podcast hosted by Healthcare IT Today, we are joined by a very special guest: Tanya Townsend, Sr. Vice President and Chief Information Officer at LCMC Health! We first kick off the episode by getting to know Townsend a little better and discuss the biggest challenge she is currently facing as a CIO. Then, we move onto her work at LCMC Health and their recent achievement of stage 7 in the HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) at two of their hospitals.

Part of achieving stage 7 was an EHR consolidation project, so we discuss what the impact of that has been and lessons she has learned along the way. Next, Townsend shares why EMRAM stage 7 was important to her organization. And in contrast, we look to see if there were any parts of EMRAM that Townsend would have held back on for a little while if it weren’t necessary for becoming stage 7. Looking forward, we ask Townsend what are the next steps LCMC Health is planning to take. And to finish the whole episode off, Townsend shares her advice for all of the aspiring healthcare CIOs out there on how to make it in this industry.

Here’s a look at the questions and topics we discuss on this episode:

• What’s the most challenging thing you’re facing as a CIO right now?
• You went through an EHR consolidation project recently. What’s been the impact of that consolidation and what are some lessons learned?
• As part of that effort, two of LCMC Health’s hospitals achieved HIMSS EMRAM stage 7. Talk about why this was an important effort for your organization.
• Were there parts of EMRAM that you probably wouldn’t have implemented right away if there weren’t part of that larger goal of becoming stage 7?
• What’s next on the roadmap for LCMC Health?
• What advice would you offer someone who would like to be a healthcare CIO like you?

Now, without further ado, we’re excited to share with you the next episode of the CIO Podcast by Healthcare IT Today.