Imagine that you have been hired as the chief information officer (CIO) of an academic healthcare system,. The healthcare system consists of several large hospitals and several dozen outpatient clinics, all using the same HER system. There is an affiliated but independent physician practice group as well as a School of Medicine with a strong research focus. The current health IT governance structure is as described in Figure 23- 2, except that the current committees function independently of one another and, as a result, health IT resources are being overwhelmed by the requests coming from a variety of sources, each with its own priority list. As one of your first tasks on the job, you have been asked to lead the formulation and implementation of a new health IT governance structure. The effectiveness of the new governance structure will be critical to your success and the success of your team and the institution as a whole. Figure 23-2 Chancellor of Health Affairs Dean, School CEO, Hospitals CEO, Physician of Medicine and Clinics Medical Group Center for Health Office of Research IT Steering Value Council Various other Services Research Informatics Committee committees Data Warehouse EHR Systems Knowledge Other informatics Team Team Management Team teams FIG 23-2 Sample informatics governance structure for an academic health system. Chapter 23 Describe: How would you go about assessing the current state of health IT governance and your organization's health IT governance capabilities? Examine: What issues would you need to consider in recommending improved health IT governance at your institution