The Clinical IT Executive: A Critical Role in an Evolving Field

In the 27th annual HIMSS Leadership Survey released in late February, 282 IT executives and professionals identified generalized trends within the U.S. healthcare IT marketplace and challenges they face as health IT leaders.

Of all surveyed, 71% of respondents said their organization employs a clinical IT leader, such as a Chief Medical Information Officer or Chief Nursing Informatics Officer. The report also revealed that:

  • The criticality of health IT to patient-focused initiatives suggests a need to better understand the role and impact of clinical IT executives;
  • The presence of these leaders in the organization has a notable impact on the organization’s health IT orientation; and
  • While clinical IT executives are included in the overall executive team in some hospitals, some still have a long way to go in including them.