Running a public health information exchange seems like it’s many jobs rolled into one. The head of an exchange has to wear several hats: politician, deal broker, diplomat, CFO, contract negotiator, not to mention health IT expert. Even the smaller regional exchanges pose some significant challenges to unite several providers with disparate IT systems and policies to seamlessly exchange patient data. I was curious: What skill set is required for this job?
Being a master of collaboration is critical. New York eHealth Collaborative Executive Director David Whitlinger was a director with Intel’s health IT division before he took on his current role. In a blog post earlier this month, he said he depends on partnerships with the city and state departments of health, regional health information organizations, provider groups, public advocacy groups, federal government and private sector.
“There are myriad points of view regarding any issue in healthcare,” he said. “Listening to voices from each of the sectors involved in any given healthcare debate is the only way to understand the challenge and address it correctly.”
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Not only does collaboration help form consensus decisions, it is also key to managing sensitive health data. A spokeswoman for Michigan’s exchange, Angela Minicuci, said there are many efforts in place (inside and outside the health information exchange realm) to coordinate physical and behavioral/substance abuse data.
“Through the collaboration of key leaders within the Department of Community Health, leaders within our state-designated entity, MiHIN, and leaders from other commissions/councils focused on similar challenges, we were able to begin discussions aimed at leveraging a consistent approach to consent management,” Minicuci said.
Pam Matthews, senior director of informatics for HIMSS, said the HIE leaders should be a Jack or Jill of all trades. She listed these specific requirements as essential for leading private and public exchanges (experience with hospitals, payment reform, and policy drivers around finance and clinical care are a given):
- Broad knowledge of data integration and Meaningful Use
- Political savvy in working with state governments, diverse stakeholder groups and the organization’s board of directors
- Sound business skills to ensure the HIE has a strong financial sustainability, fee structure and service model
- Entrepreneurial/start-up experience in areas including administration, marketing, talent recruiting/retention, contract negotiations, and vendor management
- Strong sales experience to promote the HIE vision, business model and services
- A ‘people person’ with wit, wisdom and tenacity who can seek out the best and brightest in the field and develop a large network of connections
- Good sense of humor and patience
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For state HIE directors, Matthews recommends a deep understanding of the inner workings of their state government, political acumen and a collaborative spirit. Working knowledge of funding programs through public dollars and ways to leverage innovation and creativity also helps.
[Image of rows of hats in a shop from Big Stock Images]
