As we wind down an exciting year in healthcare IT, and look forward to an even more dynamic one, I’d like to take a moment to thank all the people who make HCI the superior information product it is today.
To start, no one will argue that we have an amazingly talented and passionate staff. Stacey Kramer, our managing editor, works tirelessly behind the scenes to bring you clean and crisp magazine pages. Kate Gamble, recently promoted to associate managing editor is, without a doubt, one of the most outstanding professional journalists I have come across. Senior Editor Daphne Lawrence was born to “tell it like it is,” cutting through the spin and getting to the heart of the matter. Senior Contributing Editor Mark Hagland knows more about healthcare IT than most CIOs, having devoted over 20 years to following this industry. And Contributing Editor David Raths is an expert in HIE and state-level policy issues.
It has been a true privilege to work with these dedicated and talented people.
But beyond our formal staff, HCI has engaged a talented team of bloggers who round out our content offering with their commentary and analysis. It all started in late 2007 with one blog and a hunch that readers were ready for something beyond traditional news and articles. Luckily, Vince Ciotti was intrigued enough by the idea to sign on. More than two years and 20 bloggers later, the results have been amazing.
Part of the appeal of our blogs, many have said, is the diverse background of those contributing content. From acute care provider-side IT perspectives (Dale Sanders, Marc Paradis, Mark Harvey, Suresh Gunasekaran and Neal Ganguly), to the long-term living/rehab scene (Rich Temple and Travis Gathright), to career management and social networking (Tim Tolan and Gwen Darling), to legal issues (Reece Hirsch), to analysts and consultants (Jim Feldbaum, Pete Rivera, Joe Marion, Michael Craige and Pam Arlotto), to the vendor perspective (Joe Bormel), to the quality debate (Richard Bankowitz), there’s been something for everyone.
In September 2007, the blogs saw 192 pageviews. By January 2008, that number had grown to over 2,400 and in December 2008 we finally cracked the 10,000 mark. In general, 2009 saw traffic of between 11,000 and 13,000 pageviews per month, with a high in April of over 18,000 clicks (over 20 percent of overall site traffic).
Speaking of the overall site, it has performed no less impressively, up 45 percent for the year. While in the print world, we take for granted you like what you’re seeing. Online, the stats don’t lie, as readers vote with their mice. We are extremely gratified, humbled and thankful the information produced is being consumed. Comparing the fourth quarter of 2007 with 2009, traffic is up a solid 60 percent.
The most impressive CIOs I interview have one thing in common, they’re smart enough to know they don’t know that much, to know any success they may be associated with is the result of those they are privileged enough to lead. I feel the same way. 2009 was a tremendous year for HCI due to the collective efforts of our staff, bloggers and other contributors. But they also had a few things in common, namely passion, commitment to excellence, and an underlying desire to improve the delivery of healthcare in this country. As an industry, and a publication, we’ve made good progress in 2009, and I know we can go even further in 2010.
Happy holidays!
