Information management: emergence of a new deal. Roundtable on information management.

Is a new position in healthcare management--the chief information officer (CIO)--emerging? As yet, there is no clear answer. However, if such a management position were to emerge, it could be one that facilitates and coordinates the informational interests of the CEO, CFO, and others in the healthcare organization. This position and others on the management team could work together in a cooperative and mutually supportive relationship. In a roundtable discussion sponsored by HFMA, six individuals, part of a CIO advisory panel for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, met to discuss up-coming issues in information management. In this discussion, trends in information management, characteristics of the ideal CIO, and the relationship between the CFO and CIO were explored.