Q&A: Barwon Health CIO, Ann Larkins
- 02 November, 2011 12:02
- Comments
A tertiary nursing education and years of clinical experience combined with a Masters in Business Technology helped prepare Ann Larkins for the CIO role at Barwon Health.
Larkins was appointed to the role in November 2007 and is partway through the implementation of a Cisco thin client virtualization platform to improve workflow and collaboration for the organisation’s staff.
She sat down with CIO Australia to discuss what her average day entails and why she not ashamed of her favourite gadget.
Read more on CIOs to watch.
What does an average work day involve for you?
Most days I will be found working actively with senior team members, to monitor clinical systems, projects and progress. Keeping teams motivated and energised to push through the daily issues that hold up workflows.
There are always lots of meetings to be across! I am always working to reduce the number and increase the efficiency of them so that I can be more visible and actively involved in clinical areas; I find by absorbing the talk that is going on amongst staff in their working environments we can come up with ways to improve and add value through information and data integration. Fortunately my clinical background allows me to be the conduit/translator between the language and culture of IT and healthcare.
What are some of the major challenges you face in the role of CIO?
Keeping on top of what clinicians are asking for from the systems they use. I want to be able to provide them with elegant tools and systems that match their workflow so that their time to care is enhanced and enriched with data and relevant information. Safety and quality is core to our success as an organisation, and information is a key enabler for this.
What are some of the recent projects you have been working on?
We have a number of projects on the go, but the most significant is our converged thin client telephony project with CISCO which will see some portability of session and workflow matching with device capacity that we have not been able to achieve to date with our current ageing PC and Sunray thin client fleet. This is our major project for the current financial year and once this is rolled out Medications management becomes a much more achievable from a change management point of view.
What are the three biggest issues facing CIOs today?
1. Effective and robust business continuity planning a challenge more than an issue.
2. Incorporating decision support and business intelligence to workflows within organisations — whatever the industry.
3. Having the vision and means to capitalise on emerging technologies, integrate them and support staff in mobile technology and devices on that platform ubiquitously as tools of the trade.
Favourite gadget?
Unashamedly it is my iPad 2 which allows me to work any time anywhere to help me maintain a work life balance that is sustainable. I'm also fascinated by social media platforms and exploring inventive ways of working with it across our organisation to improve consumer engagement, which is the next big frontier for us in improving the patient experience of our care.
Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.
- Bookmark this page
- Share this article
- Got more on this story? Email CIO
- Follow CIO on twitter
-
Apple aims iPads at High Schools
-
Face Time - Interview with John Brennan and Robert DiStefano
-
Google Jumps Into Social Bookmarks Game
-
NBN build gaining momentum daily: Quigley
-
Face Time - Interview with John Brennan and Robert DiStefano
-
The mobile print enterprise - How IT consumerisaton is driving anytime, anywhere printing
The widespread adoption of smartphones and tablets, across Android, BlackBerry and Apple iOS platforms, has broadened the effectiveness of professional workers to remotely support business requirements. A continued reliance on printing amongst many businesses means IT must provide enterprise mobile printing capabilities that are secure and reliable. This not only ensures employees remain productive but also allows mobile printing to be tracked and controlled – vital in an era when many businesses face financial, environmental and security concerns. Read more. -
Removing BPM Silos to Unleash Process Power - 15 Best Practices for Enterprise BPM
You are about to get a lot smarter about Enterprise Business Process Management (BPM ). T his article is the first in a series of our soon-to-be-published book, “The Intelligent Guide to Enterprise BPM .” So consider this first article your all-important primer. -
Avaya Deploys the Avaya Desktop Video Device with the Avaya Flare® Experience
A revolutionary new video collaboration device, the Avaya Desktop Video Device has been making waves in the communications industry ever since Avaya introduced the product in the fall of 2010. Avaya’s own employees have been among the earliest users and have seen first-hand how the product can improve collaboration and make people more efficient and effective. Read more.
-
Professional Iis 7 and ASP.NET Integrated Programming
-
Programlive CD - Stand Alone Version
-
Digital Photos, Movies, & Music Gigabook for Dummies
-
AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Bible
-
How to Automate Your Computer Center
-
Netbooks for Dummies
-
Photoshop Design for the Web
-
Excel 2010 All-In-One for Dummies®
-
Search Engine Optimization








Comments
Post new comment