As more healthcare systems, pharmaceutical companies, and accountable care organizations (ACOs) rely on data for everything from improving care to enhancing revenue collection and conducting research, they're also tasked with protecting information's privacy and integrity. That responsibility can, of course, fall under the jurisdiction of the chief security officer, among other executives. But a growing number of organizations have carved out room at the boardroom table for a chief data officer. CMS made healthcare headlines when it named Niall Brennan its first CDO in November. Like Wells Fargo Bank, the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles, Sephora, McDonalds, and the Department of Transportation, CMS recognized it needed an executive dedicated to oversee data collection and dissemination in a world of big, better, and more information.
