Nursing CIOs play greater role

As U.S. healthcare providers install and build out electronic health records systems, nurses are demanding leadership roles in IT projects. And hospitals across the country appear to be responding by creating the position of chief nursing information officer. According to a survey from executive search firm Witt-Kieffer, 70% of multi-hospital systems and 82% of hospitals that are part of multi-hospital systems surveyed said they had a CNIO or equivalent. A majority of freestanding hospitals, integrated delivery networks, and academic medical centers also have hired a lead nursing informaticist. Seventeen percent said they planned to bring in a CNIO in the next year or two.