We talk a lot about collaboration in healthcare. We use words like “alignment,” “transparency,” and “partnership” (really, when are we starting buzz-word bingo?!), but rarely do we build experiences that actually test whether we mean them.

The inaugural Northern Ohio HIMSS Charity Golf Classic & Collaboration Summit did just that. 💥

Designed for Connection

From the moment I walked into the Stonewater Golf Club, I knew this event was different. (And not just because this event was overlooking a gorgeous golf course!🤩)

The half-day agenda was packed with topics and different formats, like bite-sized ‘lessons’ from leaders. There was a quiet intentionality to how the room was set up. You didn’t see the usual clustering…teams huddled by organization, vendor tables tucked in the back, or the familiar dance of folks scanning the room for a safe spot.

Instead, assigned seating pulled people into unexpected conversations. Providers, vendors, and consultants found themselves side-by-side, not just in programming but in real dialogue. You could feel the shift; it wasn’t about where you were from, it was about what you were building toward. And it worked. 👏🏼

Christina Lepri, RDCS, CDH-P welcomed everyone and set the tone for the afternoon. With a lemon in hand, she shared a story about the importance of starting every conversation by aligning on what problem we’re actually trying to solve. She shared how if a first customer was looking for lemon juice for a hot toddy, and the second customer was looking for a lemon for zest for a pound cake, there are needs that aren’t being talked about. And we do this all.the.time. in healthcare! It was a great opening for the Collaboration Summit. 🍋

When life gives you lemons... figure out how to collaborate!

The ice breaker session, lead by Mike Mosquito, CHCIO, MBA, PMP, CDH-E (in town during his birthday week! 🥳) was fantastic, especially given the intentionality behind the seating. It was about ‘flipping the script,’ and having vendors talk about what they wish health systems execs would do/say/know, and vice versa. As a marketer who has sat on the vendor side nearly my whole career, I relish the chance to hear directly from health system leaders. Tracey Touma, CHISL, CDH-L shared how she actually wants to be friends with vendors. (I LOVE THIS!! Bring on the friends and connections. 🥰) She wants REAL collaboration and partnership and wants to know about and connect with the vendor. All this goes back to TRUST – which is the foundation to any relationship, just like a marriage (more on that later!).

Also at our table, a common want for honesty bubbled up:

Vendors: Own when your product/solution may not meet up to ALL the specs. Or, be honest and say the solution hasn’t been deployed in that specific environment.
Health systems: just reply back to the vendor saying “not now” instead of ghosting. No one likes to be ghosted, #amiright?! 👻
Vendors: your emails are likely getting deleted. Michael Hsu, PMP, CHCIO, CDH-E was asked, when you ARE ready for the solution that was being marketed to you… do you go back and search for that email? Mike said no, he deletes it... and doesn’t go back. 🫣
Health systems: share what the must-haves are in the business use case for any chance of it getting approved. Tracy shared how all investments need to improve patient care, or patient outcomes, or the caregiver experience. And if it doesn’t meet one of those, it won’t get funding.
Vendors: Be realistic about timing. You know a health system needs to go through procurement/legal. Health systems – provide updates!

Steering the Mission: How Tonya Reeder Aligns Data, People, and Purpose of Walter Reed

This session had me LAUGHING out loud. Jennifer Owens was, as always, fantastic on stage. And her interviewee, Tonya Reeder, BSN, MS-HCA, MBA, PMP, ITIL, CySA made for a very entertaining and insightful chat. Jenny started with by reading through her accomplishments in a true-or-false style… and Jenny joked that she’d ‘stay professional’ for the session instead of just asking how she got so cool! (Tonya said it’s from her mom 🥺🫶🏼)

Anyone on Tonya’s team at Walter Reed is LUCKY! Her presence, warmth, and no-nonsense approach was inspiring. (And did I mention, she’s hilarious!). Tonya made it clear: successful transformation is all about aligning people, process, tech, and data… but starting with people. A former ER nurse who still works a shift every month, Tonya brings frontline reality to IT strategy. She takes her team to talk to patients, challenges her org to fail fast (on purpose!), and puts business needs before tech for tech’s sake.

These two...could listen to them for HOURS!

The approach of an amazing leader: "If something goes wrong, it’s my problem. If something goes right, it’s your problem." Extra inspiring: Tonya shared that she’s not there to impress leadership at the esteemed Walter Reed medical center. Instead, what drives her is improving care for the 1% who serve our country. 🇺🇸 And she does it all without losing her sense of humor, or her sailor’s mouth!

Paneling with Purpose: Vendor / Health System Trust and Collaboration IRL

I had the honor of moderating a panel that explored the sometimes squishy, sometimes slippery topic of trust between health systems and vendors; arguably one of the most important dynamics in digital health. We tried to go deeper than the surface-level sales-cycle fluff and actually talk about what trust looks like in real life.  And based on some of the feedback afterwards, I think we succeeded!

My panelists, Richard Ong, MBA, MSc, FACHE, CHCIO, CSPO, Dave Fiser MBA FABC, and Mangoné Fall, were the perfect trio to unpack this from multiple angles. This was my first time moderating a CXO panel, and these three made it easy. (Thank you so much, gents!)

We kicked off the panel by exploring a foundational question: What does trust actually look like between a health system and a vendor?

My first time moderating a CXO panel!

Dave shared a powerful example from his early days in the role: right-sizing a massive vendor relationship with AT&T wasn’t easy, but it paid off big when a critical moment hit and they responded in under 30 minutes. That kind of trust is built, not bought.

Rich described trust like a marriage...it’s about mutual expectations, clarity in roles, and showing up for each other consistently. Are you delivering on what you promised? Are you in sync? It’s the fundamentals. I LOVE a good analogy and I came back to this a few times throughout the panel. 🤵🏼♂️👰🏻🤵🏼

Mangoné emphasized that trust goes beyond the contract. It’s not just about the dashboard metrics, it’s about knowing what the health system exec is measured on and helping them achieve it. The landscape always shifts after the ink dries, and how vendors show up after the deal is done is what really earns long-term partnership status. 🏆

Then we moved into the moment when a relationship shifts from transactional to transformational—including what it’s like to be an “Epic-first” shop and how vendors navigate that. (Hint: delicately.) The conversation shifted into breaking down silos across IT, clinical, and operations; and the need to bridge gaps between vendors and internal teams, not just between departments. And we tackled the magic question: what gets a health system leader’s attention and trust when a new vendor shows up? Rich added great insight here, having been on both the vendor and health system side.

What I loved most was how real the panel felt: candid, collaborative, and full of nuance. This wasn’t about finger-pointing (offline we decided that we WOULD mention vendor names in a good light, but not in a bad light!). It was about shared goals, mutual respect (marriage essentials, right!💍), and what it actually takes to build strong, long-lasting partnerships in healthcare.

Leadership Panel: No Slide Deck. The Audience as Spectators. Let's GO!

Moderated by Christina, this session threw out the playbook (and the PowerPoint!) to create space for an unfiltered conversation about innovation, trust, risk, and real-life leadership in health IT.

Harun Rashid, R. Ryan Sadeghian (HIRING), MD, MBA,MSc, FACHDM, FHIMSS, FAAPL, FAAP, and Mike Mosquito, CHCIO, MBA, PMP, CDH-E (in from Georgia!) pulled back the curtain on what it takes to drive transformation inside healthcare organizations today.

Great panel with such a variety of topics!

The Big Picture: Rethinking Roles and Rewriting the Future Harun challenged the room to think beyond just moving systems to the cloud...what does tomorrow's work look like? He emphasized that staffing shortages and clinician burnout won’t be solved by hiring alone. We need to embrace automation and AI not as buzzwords, but as tools to fundamentally reshape how we support care teams and patients. He painted a future where digital assistants help people take charge of their health and IT leaders help their orgs reimagine what’s possible. 💡

Emerging Tech, Real Stakes Mike called out the AI hype: “Agentic AI? Just one buzzword stacked on another. But the question needs to be, "has it created value?" With this technology, the answer is a resounding "Yes.” He pressed on the idea that when patients are involved, the stakes get very real, very fast. If your AI causes harm, it's not just a tech failure—it’s a human one. Dr. Sadeghian echoed this, urging leaders to clearly define what they mean by “AI” and educate their teams. He stressed the importance of building tech that works, then asking: where else can we apply it?

Leadership Through Vulnerability A standout moment came when the audience asked about vulnerability and imposter syndrome. Mike didn’t sugarcoat it, when you take a stretch job, you are an imposter at first. The key is surrounding yourself with people smarter than you, then learning fast. Harun added that trust and teamwork are non-negotiable. His advice: fail fast, learn faster. Dr. Sadeghian shared his own academic journey and the need to bring fresh voices into the room, like students who are learning the most advanced AI on YouTube because many faculty simply aren’t there yet.

Cybersecurity, Governance, and Hard Truths The panelists didn’t shy away from the gritty side of innovation either. Cybersecurity loomed large, with Harun noting it’s the #1 thing that keeps his CEO up at night. His team treats breaches with total urgency: “Everything stops when there’s a breach.” And innovation can’t come at the expense of governance. No one wants a six-month cyber review, but health systems can’t afford shortcuts either. CIOs are no longer just protecting their own house, they’re now responsible for making sure vendors don’t compromise the entire ecosystem. No pressure, right? 🙃

Other Memorable Moments

John Doan, CISSP, ISSAP from Cleveland Clinic (who I would get to play golf with the following day!) resisted coming to healthcare for a long time, which I had to chuckle at. An inspiring CTA for his cybersecurity team is a Japanese term called ‘gembla,’ meaning, walk to where the value is being driven.
Vulnerability is a superpower! From Tonya's reminder that credibility is built over time, to the brilliant blend of parenting analogies and operational wisdom from Heather M. Costa, MPS, CBCP, CCRP, the through-line was clear: people follow people they trust. And trust starts with humility.
Panelists and presenters alike talked about the emotional labor of leadership. Burnout isn’t exclusive to the bedside. The best leaders are naming that out loud; and inviting others to do the same.
One of my favorite threads was around how technical and clinical teams often want the same thing, but don’t always speak the same language. That’s where vendors can play a huge role...not just in building the tools, but in facilitating understanding and connecting the dots.
Family Feud, healthcare edition! Things I got right: Phishing emails are the most common initial access point for ransomware attacks in healthcare. (Everyone remembers their first phishing failure; mine was circa 2015...an 'invoice' that I thought was related to a tradeshow! Remember that, Renee Close?! 😅) And according to IBM, in 2024, the average cost of a healthcare data breach is $10.93M (!!!!).

The evening gave us all a chance to transition from day-to-night in our 'snappy casual' attire for great food, networking, and even a band! 🎸 It was great catching up with Northern Ohio HIMSS regulars, like Brian Borrhello, Joyce Duemling BSN, RN, Anthony Caponi, Ashish Masih, FACHE,FHIMSS, CHCIO, and Christina Janus, MBA, RHIA, new/er friends like Erik Pupo, Scott Collins, Adam Terzich, Daeylin Rock, and Amy Bates (amazing photography skills!), and old Hyland Healthcare friends TJ Murphy, Matthew King, and Dane Bogart.

Evening networking fun with local and out-of-town industry friends! And I love a good sunset, it was beautiful setting through the trees over the course!

Day 2: Fairways & Fun

Day 2 opened with a keynote from Dr. Sadeghian about Building Your AI Solution from the Ground Up. He shared about not just building AI for innovation’s sake… but to solve the gaps that kept surfacing. The talk explored innovation, change management, and governance, and I loved hearing about the patient-friendly explanation sheet for a parent navigating their child’s rare autoimmune condition. Talk about meeting the patient and parents where they are, and telling them what they need to hear in plain language. Symptoms and treatments are covered, and it even said “We don’t know what triggers this but it’s not anyone’s fault and it’s not contagious.” I know my best friend who had a daughter receive a T1D diagnosis at a very young age would have LOVED to hear it that directly: this isn't your fault / you didn't do anything wrong!

Dr. Sadeghian closed with a few action items to ensure success: if you're promoting AI, learn it. Co-design it. Translate it. Measure it. Govern it. Tech changes fast, and your strategy has to be built to last.

To the Course! ⛳️

Panda was proud to sponsor a hole!

Right after the keynote, we moved onto the golf course, where, let’s be honest, a different kind of collaboration unfolds. 😆 Panda Health, now part of AVIA 🐼 was proud to be a hole sponsor, and our team of John Doan, CISSP, ISSAP, Blaine Levin, Dan Adamonis had FUN!!!

This was my first time playing in a work golf outing, and my summer women's league is pretty casual (we don't turn in scorecards 🫠) so I was a little nervous about my skills. Luckily, scrambles are the best, and we were all pretty much on the same level (except maybe John. He is also in a league and they turn in scorecards.😅) MANY golf balls were lost (Stonewater is HARD!), some sand was brilliantly hit out of (golfers: have you ever met someone who wants to hit out of the sand!?!?), and there were not one but TWO birdie puts from yours truly (🙋🏼♀️), that may have resulted in some birdie juice. 🐦

Second closest in the putting contest (Except Jack ... but second try, right?!)

After a HOT day of golf, we tried our hand at the putting contest (proud to say I was second closest, but alas, did not win the prize of the free vacation, right Adam Terzich?! And Jack Niemann had a great one too but it was his second try so didn't count 🫣), had dinner and heard stories from the day, and got to see who the winners were. Congrats, TJ, for longest drive! 🏌🏼♂️

Final Thoughts

I’ve been to my share of industry events… and this one stands out. Not just because the content was strong. Or the people were amazing. Or that it was in my backyard (Cleveland summers are the BEST! ☀️). Or that there was GOLF! But because the intentionality behind every detail: from the agenda to the seating chart to the pacing to the pairing - all of it reinforced the very values we say we want more of in healthcare.

More listening
More candor
More table-mixing
More trust
(And, more golf... because while this was my first work golf outing, it's definitely not my last!)

A HUGE thanks to Christina Lepri, RDCS, CDH-P, her event committee, and the entire Northern Ohio Chapter of HIMSS team for creating something new and necessary. This wasn’t a conference. It was a collaboration! 🤝 And we need more of that to improve this world of healthcare. 🤍

When Trust Isn’t a Buzzword: Notes from the Northern Ohio HIMSS Collaboration Summit