I feel fortunate to chair a very interesting and relevant session during the SIIM 2017 annual meeting this week. The session will focus on the following areas, which are often discussed with clients and industry colleagues.

It seems that there is no well-defined formula or consensus regarding the staffing levels and the structure of an Imaging Informatics Team (IIT). Typical questions are:

• How large should an IIT be, given the annual Radiology exam volume and number facilities the team supports?
• In the era of EMRs and IT centralization, what is the right mix of roles between IIT and Corporate IT?
• How does IT centralization affect IIT financial decision-making and budgets?

James Forrester’s talk will address the above topics, based on his experience at University of Rochester Medical Center.

Another interesting observation is that typically outside of the Director of IIT role, IIT members lack understanding of corporate finance. Even though most significant projects must be budgeted for in advance and any innovation or improvement proposal must be accompanied with a well-crafted business case. Robert (Bob) Coleman’s talk will provide an overview of proven budgeting methods, core components of a good business case, and the required skills to prepare one.

You may also wish to check out this interactive, whiteboard session, which will walk through some common financial models used to evaluate the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Return on Investment (ROI) for imaging IT projects when talking to the CIO.

Looking forward to seeing everybody in Pittsburgh!