About…

ctlukeepicmanbig — The author believes he can sing. His family &friends are less certain.

…this Blog

Welcome! The Undiscovered Country looks to the sunrise and our hopeful future, and is NOT a reference to Shakespeare. I’ll post about books, my interests, and my life and work. Informatics (my field) is not well understood (see below) but the work is important, and critical to the future success of medicine, healthcare, the lives of patients AND our doctors and staff. I’ll write about the successes, setbacks, little victories, and bruises we get along the way. My posts are MY OPINION and do not necessarily represent the view of UCHealth.

This BLOG is for you if..
-You are an informaticist looking to avoid pitfalls and learn from some success.
-You are an MD wondering what is all the fuss about Electronic Health Records
-You are in healthcare, wondering what physician burnout is all about…
-You are a patient, wondering what UCHealth is doing with your health data
-You are my boss, wondering “What in the #@*$& does CT do all day?”
-You are my children, wondering “when will Dad be home?”

…being a CMIO

A good CMIO installs an electronic health record (EHR).
A great CMIO sees the EHR as a building block for excellent clinical care.

A good CMIO teaches physicians to use the EHR.
A great CMIO listens, learns, and removes barriers to inspire creative and collaborative use of the EHR.

A good CMIO hires people for informatics / EHR work.
A great CMIO builds teams that perform better than any individual could.

A good CMIO communicates well.
A great CMIO builds trust so that constant change & improvement is not scary.

We believe that a high-functioning EHR is the central nervous system of a group of dedicated physicians, nurses, staff and patients, who work together to improve the health of individuals and communities.

I think Centaur teams are the only way forward in healthcare. In chess competitions now, hybrid human/computer teams regularly outperform both humans alone, and computers alone. These so-called Centaur teams (in Greek mythology, half human, half horse) are all the rage.

“We improve physician and team wellness and effectiveness by building extraordinary relationships and innovative tools.”
Vision Statement of our Physician Informatics Group (the Large PIGs)

It is important to have fun at work. Or at the Beer Garden, if that is where you have your meetings.

…Me

I’m a technophile, father, husband, ukulele enthusiast, and practicing physician. I see primary care internal medicine patients in Denver, CO at UCHealth. I conduct research on clinical communication, optimizing the EHR for patients and for physicians. I teach medical students, medical residents, fellows, and I mentor colleagues on leadership, informatics and building teams.