CHIME expands to represent more health IT titles

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, known as CHIME, will launch two new organizations, one to represent chief technology officers (CTOs) and the other for chief application officers (CAOs).

The Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Technology and the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Applications, acronymed as AEHIT and AEHIA respectively, will be the first professional organizations in the industry to represent CTOs and CAOs working in healthcare. The organizations will provide educational resources and a forum for fellow CTOs and CAOs to communicate and share best practices.

CTOs are responsible for technology infrastructure, while CAOs are responsible for software and applications. IT executives, however, do not need the C-suite title to gain membership into AEHIT or AEHIA, as long as their role matches membership criteria, CHIME said.

The two membership organizations will operate under the CHIME umbrella, giving members access to the organization's wider resources and networking opportunities. The college also recently launched the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Security, which represents hospital chief security officers, who are responsible for IT security.

CHIME President and CEO Russell Branzell said in a statement that the college launched the groups to extend the organization's purview to recognize leaders who work on the hospital chief information officer's team, adding that access to quality resources for CTOs and CAOs has been lacking.

Interested executives who apply before December 31, 2014 will receive a complimentary one-year membership and be recognized as founding members. Applications are available at the AEHIT and AEHIA websites.

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