The many health care reform initiatives underway are forcing hospital information technology and information management departments to evolve and titles to change. The new names are more than cosmetic, heralding a shift in leadership roles to meet new realities and priorities. Shane Pilcher, vice president of Stoltenberg Consulting in Bethel Park, Pa., reports seeing expansions of IT departmental functions and, concurrently, a greater role for chief information officers in recent years. "It's becoming more for helping the organization achieve organizational and strategic goals, not just a business unit," Pilcher says.
