We are thrilled to announce new physician leadership to represent the needs of VCH and PHC on the Clinical & Systems Transformation (CST) project.

Last Monday, Dr. Eric Grafstein started as our new Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) for VCH and PHC. Eric is respected in the medical community, not just as an outstanding emergency care physician who serves as Regional Medical Director and VCH/PHC Regional Department Head for Emergency Services, but as an individual who is passionate about applying technology and
ingenuity to improve patient care and effect positive, system-wide change.

Working in partnership with the CMIO for PHSA, Eric will be responsible for leading the clinical implementation of key Cerner enabled initiatives across VCH and PHC. The position is also accountable for ensuring that medical staff, clinicians and multidisciplinary teams are effectively engaged in decision making, planning, activation and evaluation of the CST program – essentially ensuring that clinical voices are heard and considered, and that design and implementation decisions are effectively communicated back to key clinical stakeholders.

Continuing the good work

Dr. Eric Grafstein is the new Chief Medical Information Officer for CST.

Eric comes into this important role as Dr. Bruce Long transitions back to his medical career. Bruce took a leave of absence to serve as our first CMIO in the early days of CST, where he worked tirelessly towards the goal of improving patient care, quality and safety. Eric will now pick up that work and be our lead physician voice in ensuring that we are designing a high quality system that is validated and tested by clinicians, ensures patient safety, and meets the needs of medical staff and all users across VCH and PHC.

Eric will be supported by four Associate Chief Medical Information Officer (ACMIO) positions that report to him, as well as to senior operational and medical leaders in each of VCH’s communities of care or PHC’s Vice President of Medical Affairs. These new positions will be pivotal in driving clinical engagement, in helping all of us see CST as an opportunity for us to shape and contribute to, as opposed to viewing it as a stand-alone initiative. Being attached to the communities of care and to Providence will ensure that local sites are represented and that their needs are considered through design, implementation, and the months that follow.

Specifically, the ACMIOs will co-lead, champion and support the engagement of physicians in the clinical implementation of CST and related standardization initiatives across the health organizations down to the local or site level. The individuals in these roles will also serve as advocates and coaches to physicians, promoting the use of information technology to assist clinicians in the delivery of patient care while supporting quality improvements and research efforts.

New ACMIOs

We are pleased to announce that the following physicians have stepped forward to serve as our new ACMIO’s. A fifth ACMIO for Coastal sites is pending appointment:

• Vancouver (VGH) – Dr. Sam Gharbi, GIM
• Coastal (LGH) – Dr. James Kung, ED
• Providence (PHC) – Dr. Charles Lo, Anesthesia
• Richmond (RH) – Dr. Jamila Madhani, Neurology

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Eric Grafstein and our new ACMIOs in to these important positions. We hope you will support them and see them as both a source of expert knowledge about CST, and also effective conduits into this system-changing project that holds such immense potential to improve patient outcomes and create the 21st century clinical environment you deserve.