Michael Thick has been elected chair of the CCIO Industry Network, a group of clinicians working for healthcare technology and software suppliers.
The chief clinical information officer at supplier IMS Maxims said: “as chair of the CCIO Industry Network I want to make sure that in 2017 we focus on breaking down barriers between NHS and supplier CCIOs, to improve patient safety, increase productivity and streamline processes through the use of information.”
The CCIO Industry Network was established in 2015 to provide an opportunity for industry-CCIOs to collaborate on safety, clinical risk management, and achieving efficiencies and productivity gains from Health IT in the NHS.
Activities planned for 2017 include webinars, columns and an evening debate series. These will cover usability, interoperability and achieving better outcomes.
The network has also been closely involved in the development of the Clinical Software Usability Study (cSUS), an initiative to develop comparative end-user usability measures across NHS clinical systems.
In December, the CCIO Industry Network advisory panel elected Thick as the chair for 2017. Dr Sean O’Hanlon, chief medical officer for EMIS Health, was elected as vice-chair.
Thick said most industry CCIO came from NHS clinical background and shared a “common objectives on to ensure safe, efficient patient care”.
Thick said that the network, which is hosted by Digital Health, was open to industry CCIOs and clinicians working for and advising Health IT companies from start-ups to multinationals.
“The CCIO Industry Network is here for all clinicians working with or advising suppliers to provide them with a peer support and best practice network.”
The inaugural chair of the network was Giulio Bognolo, chief medical officer at Cerner, who stood down at the end of 2016.
Thick said: “Giulio has done a magnificent job as the first chair of the CCIO Industry Network and I look forward to building on the foundations he has laid.”
Membership of the network is free to industry CCIOs, to apply to join email Katerina@digitalhealth.net.