A New Vision of Technology

Strategic Expansion and Re-positioning of Information Technology

The PTTF recommends a major and strategic expansion and re-positioning of information technology. Major because the investment required will be tens of millions of dollars, as judged by the programs desired and the experience of comparable institutions. Strategic because investments are required if we are to compete successfully for patients, faculty, and staff and if we are to meet increasingly proscriptive regulatory requirements. Expansion should include creating opportunities for key stakeholders, addition of new programs, and commitments to core resources. In doing all this, there is opportunity and a necessity to reposition resources to better address the key missions.

The Time is Right!


Catch a wave and you're sitting on top of the world
— Anonymous surfer
 A good politician will see the wave coming and try to catch it. Many stakeholders have converged on the conclusion that the CMH campus requires major investments in technology. This is driven by a variety of pressures coming from multiple directions. While CMH has been late in developing technology, this could now work to our advantage. There is opportunity to coordinate expansion of resources and achieve synergies that are not possible in more mature environments. For this reason, the PTTF proposes a model for integrated technology development, the Children's Computing Resource Center. This model intentionally lacks organizational detail, which can only emerge from substantive discussions with all stakeholders. But it creates a vision that is achievable and advantageous to all the stakeholders, if they will participate in its development and catch the wave.

Leadership's Key Role

Vision to change organizations must come from the top. The PTTF, which is merely an advisory group, urges the senior leadership to catch the wave and seize the moment — a critical window of opportunity that now exists. Leadership of the key constituencies (CMH, CMIER, CMH Medical Staff, and the academic programs) has converged around key concepts for excellence. The new high-tech, state of the art hospital requires a technology framework fitting of a nationally recognized pediatric academic medical center. The technology initiatives required will touch every corner of the organization. The PTTF recommends that the senior leadership embrace the vision inherent in the Children's Computing Resource Center Model and through their leadership, enunciate this vision thoughout the organization.