| | july 20148CIOReviewBy Clark Golestani, EVP & CIO, MerckWhitehouse Station, NJ based Merck is a healthcare provider through prescription medicines, vaccines, consumer care and animal health products. It has a market cap of $171 Bn.The healthcare industry has weathered many shifts over the last few decades, but the one we are facing today could very well be the most dramatic--especially if you are in Information Technology. In the past, IT was rarely on the front lines of the change. We provided support on the back-end--while teams including scientists, researchers and sales led the change effort. However, in a world where electronic medical records are a reality for many countries and patients are beginning to track their health via mobile phones or wearable technology--IT now finds itself in more of a co-pilot chair. So what does that mean for the healthcare CIO?As I think about the role of the CIO from when I first started my career and compare it to the CIO healthcare industry needs in the future, I see some obvious differences. CIOs have traditionally been technologists by trade. However, while this characteristic defined most CIO roles in the past, it is merely one out of three dimensions for the healthcare CIO in the future.Before I get into those three dimensions, or roles, let me first explain the basis for them. McKinsey talks about a framework of Three Horizons that can help a company manage current performance while optimizing for future opportunity. I believe that lens can be adapted to an IT organization to manage both current and future growth. Horizon one for IT focuses on optimizing the core capabilities and operations for the company­basically driving productivity up while bringing costs down. Horizon two focuses on building out new capabilities that will help the business overachieve on its growth objectives. Lastly, the third Horizon represents disruptive technology and creating visionary, yet viable, options that could shake up the existing environment. I personally use this framework as I think about my organization at Merck, and have found it leads to three roles that I must play to drive our organization forward and be successful. Role One: Chief TechnologistThis first role is an obvious one, and is most likely the role traditional CIOs gravitate to the most. A CIO must have a Three Dimensions forthe Healthcare CIO in the FutureClark Golestaniopinionin my
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