InSight & McKesson: Working Together in Strategic Harmony
It's true that InSight and McKesson are independent organizations. We are also partners, working together— strategically —to benefit you. Undoubtedly, “strategic partners” sounds like a professional and advantageous theory, but what should it really mean to you, as an InSight member?
In hopes of creating a general understanding of InSight's approach to a strategic partnership, the InSight Board of Directors and McKesson Executive Committee enacted an official paper last year, thoroughly explaining the shared beliefs--our strategic partnership --of McKesson and InSight.
The paper, “A Resolution of Strategic Partnership,” defines how we will best work with McKesson to fulfill our mission by providing vision, voice and value to each of you. Additionally, the resolution also serves as the basis for InSight's strategic planning, policy writing and every-day decision making by the Board.
Four categories are outlined in the paper: collection, communication, promotion and education. We support each category in a variety of ways, but here are some that I'm most excited about:
The Document Repository, located on www.insight-net.org , is a great resource for all of us. The information covers a wide range of topics, and is updated regularly.
As you remember, our headquarters staff recently conducted a member needs assessment, asking for your feedback. We compiled the data, sorted through your comments and made notes for improvement based on your feedback. Internally, we use this collection to help improve your benefits.
Sharing ideas with other members is almost reason enough for InSight to exist. As a user group, we must discuss our thoughts, questions and concerns in order to learn and improve upon our professional skills. Recently, www.insight-net.org opened its Discussion Forums to more individuals by creating a McKesson Customer Login option. I'm encouraged by the use of this communications tool, and hope you will continue to visit the forum and benefit from it.
I have the utmost confidence in the excellent relationship the InSight Board of Directors has with the McKesson Executive Committee. The Board was recently invited to attend two meetings, one highlighting an analyst's perspective and another held for the media at HIMMS. Both are excellent examples of leadership working together to share ideas and best practices with one another, while maintaining our standard of excellence with this partnership.
Personally, I have heard a tremendous amount of positive feedback from you about the enhancement process. In fact, you rated having “ a voice in contributing to product development and enhancements,” the most important benefit in our recent member needs assessment. Clearly, this is proving to be a win-win situation for both parties. As InSight members, we are able to provide our feedback in a scenario where we can feel confident it is being heard. For McKesson, they are able to utilize our honest feedback to improve the quality and functionality of their products. As we move forward, I hope that we can improve the value of this for our members while we provide even better direction for our partners at McKesson.
As you know, we collaborate with McKesson on the exciting Product Solutions Center (PSC). The PSC features the latest McKesson products and services and allows InSight members to see the first glimpse of what is to come.
Furthermore, liaisons for each committee are directly tied to McKesson. This helps to provide support for the group, as well as promote each committee's goals.
Simply taking risks as an InSight member, by volunteering for new positions and trying new things will help you to gain the knowledge and skills you need to progress professionally.
One of the best examples of the many educational resources InSight provides is the Annual Conference. Last year, our conference saw record attendance—a testament to its value. At the conference, you have the opportunity to attend many excellent sessions presented by your peers along with many sessions led by McKesson staff members.
Since the conference was most recently held in Atlanta , we were also able to tour McKesson's headquarters facility and meet some of the people we work with each day through phone and email conversations. Having the opportunity to personalize the partnership in this way makes our working relationship so much more enjoyable. I would also welcome input from other CIO's who do not attend the conference regularly focused on how we could make this more attractive to you.
In summary, this document institutionalizes our purpose. It was created as a guide for InSight's current leadership and to facilitate our individual growth. I want to make sure we apply these beliefs each day, to ensure they become timeless, carrying over for generations to come.
Remember, this is your organization. If you have any questions, please contact me at jonesc@slhn.org.
Cyndi Jones
InSight President
CIO, St. Luke's Health Network