Newswise — An organization dedicated to advancing best practices within the global healthcare sector was launched this month in St. Paul, Minn.
The PMI (Project Management Institute) Healthcare SIG was created by a group of leaders and colleagues in project management with a shared vision of improving the healthcare industry from the inside out. They seem to have hit on a good idea. Membership in the organization reached 140 last month, before they'd even been officially chartered or done a speck of advertising. What's more, three of those members are from other countries. Officially, the PMI Healthcare group's goals are to "further professional project management in the healthcare industry by encouraging professional development and by providing a forum for project managers to network and share healthcare industry best practices throughout the world." But what they really want to do is improve healthcare. Period.
The group's goals may be lofty, but that may be a necessity based on the trends and massive data management requirements that are changing the healthcare sector at its core. Founding board members come from a broad spectrum within healthcare.
One is from a large state agency, one from a major HMO, one works for a medical specialty association, another with a young firm that focuses on information management systems for home care and community-based private practices. Two more are independent business consultants with the ear of top business leaders, advising them on risk management and offering cutting-edge IT solutions for becoming more efficient, streamlined and profitable.
Another driving force behind the Healthcare SIG is a high-powered PM (lingo for Project Manager) who specializes in quick "installs" of electronic patient and clinical records systems for clients with multiple hospitals and health systems. At any time you can find him juggling multiple projects and managing dozens of teams in the United States and Canada. All are working at record pace to get their health systems online.
"Record pace" is a term that is starting to lose its meaning. The new pace of the workforce is faster, more productive and leaner than ever before. Trying to manage client expectations against that backdrop is something all project managers seem to have in common.
There are others, too.
According to Mike McGarrity, president of the SIG and a planning director for the state's human services department, "A project manager's effectiveness rides on the ability to plan, manage, direct and carry responsibility for a lot of people. With so much financial activity taking place within the healthcare sector today -- something like $2.6 trillion was spent on healthcare in the U.S. in 2001 " it's imperative that we start taking greater accountability for how those investments are implemented to serve patients, physicians, insurers, manufacturers, you name it."
It's not enough to be what they call an " SME" " Subject Matter Expert anymore, according to this group. You need knowledge of your industry but you also need to understand project management principles to work effectively in today's healthcare environment.
"The people charged with implementing large, complex, and expensive projects for healthcare, as well as other sectors, should know that there is a name for what they do, it's project management, and there are a set of standards they can follow that work," according to Brian Doby, the vice president of operations for PMI Healthcare and the high-powered PM who also project-managed the PMI Healthcare SIG into reality.
In lieu of financial backing the group has a lot of resources in terms of research, publications, networking and professional development opportunities through its affiliation with PMI, the Project Management Institute, headquartered in Newtown Square, Penn. The parent PMI has more than 100,000 project managers in 135 counties as members. The PMI Healthcare SIG hopes to get 5,000 members in its first year. Not such a lofty goal for a team that's offering to share its talents with others as well as its vision.
Visit the PMI Healthcare SIG web site at http://www.pmihealthcare.org.
Founding officers are:Mike McGarrity, PresidentPlanning Director, Minnesota Dept. of Human Services
Brian Doby, Vice President of Operations and Project ManagementSr. Project Manager, MedPlus Inc., A Quest Diagnostics Company
William Detienne, Director of Information TechnologyBusiness Development/Engagement Consultant
Keith Hornbacher, Director of Risk ManagementHornbacher Associates
Jeffrey deRegnier, TreasurerImplementation/Project Coordinator, CareFacts Information Systems Inc.
Dave Anderson, SecretaryIT Project Manager, Medica Health Plans
Kathy Stone, Director of Marketing and Media RelationsMedia Relations Manager, American Academy of Neurology
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