Don’t just sit back and complain; do something about it.
There’s no better way to capture the spirit of Sheree Mcfarland than the sentence above. Not only has she spoken those words; she has lived them throughout her career. Whether it was by seeking out an interim CIO role at Lenox Hill Hospital despite a lack of technology experience, or working tirelessly to promote diversity through various CHIME initiatives, Mcfarland has always been a doer.
Recently, healthsystemCIO caught up with HCA West Florida’s longtime CIO to talk about the organization’s Covid-19 response – including how technology is being innovated to improve tracking, and the keys to keeping teams motivated during a crisis. Mcfarland, a native of Belfast, also discussed the unique circumstances that brought her to the United States; why she is so passionate about inclusion and creating opportunities for others; what she believes are the most valuable skills in today’s leaders, regardless of gender; and why, despite the progress that’s already been made, she feels the Women of CHIME are “only scratching the surface.”
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Key Takeaways:

* Developing a tracking mechanism proved enormously helpful in HCA’s ability to respond to Covid. Even more important, however, was “communication and education,” along with the ability to respond and work with competitors.
* Don’t underestimate the power of motivation – particularly during a crisis. “When you have something bigger that yourself to focus on, that becomes your rallying cry.”
* CIOs need to recognize the potential for burnout. “People are Covid-weary, and so you need to make sure you’re tuned in and you’re emotionally intelligent.”
* Although technology acumen is necessary, it’s not everything. “You need to get your culture right; create the right team, celebrate diversity, and focus on inclusion and on incorporating everyone’s ideas as part of the solution.”
* Involvement in professional organizations, paired with education, can provide a strong foundation for career development and can set individuals apart from others.

 
Q&A with Sheree Mcfarland
HCA – West Florida’s Covid-19 response
Gamble:  I wanted to talk about your team’s efforts in response to Covid-19, including what you’ve done with tracking.
Mcfarland:  As a healthcare system, we’re super organized. The efficiencies that we have because of our economies of scale and our supply chain are unsurpassed in the industry. Being a large healthcare system, we’re organized at the division level, and so during Covid, the division president has started the calls, and each facility reports in.
One thing my team was to build tracking and reporting capabilities for PPE (personal protective equipment). Very early on, we appointed a PPE czar at each hospital — typically a nurse — who was responsible for all the supplies at that hospital. We were finding that a nursing unit in one hospital used 96 N95 masks during a given shift, and another unit used 25. What was the reason for the variation? We knew that if we were going to get through this and not run out of critical supplies, we needed to be able to track it, and nobody does measurement and tracking better than HCA. And so my team worked diligently, and what would’ve probably taken six months in a normal schedule was done in less than four days. My development team worked with the division president, the chief nursing officer, the chief administrative and financial officer, the supply chain CEO, and the czars to come up with a tracking mechanism.