6. The ability to communicate, move, and then delegate. According to Dixon, stellar CIOs build great teams that can take ownership of key tasks. "But first, they must delegate," she said. "When you have the right person in the right role, and they understand the vision, the value they bring, and the value to them, they typically want ownership of the task." Rather than micromanage, she said, the CIO can more effectively support his/her team in other ways, like removing "outside barriers" to progress and ensuring there is good support across departments.

7. The ability to build great teams. Building a great team requires a firm understanding of the goals, the timeframe, and resources, said Dixon. "The CIO's team also needs to be flexible to move quickly to achieve their goals. Therefore, a good CIO must 'rebuild' teams as necessary, reallocating resources based on project demands in order to maximize the value team members bring." 

[See also: CMIOs see roles changing.]

8. The Ability to collaborate. When working within their system a CIO need to be successful when collaborating with key stakeholders across departments. "For example, EHRs require continuous collaboration with clinicians, due to the disruption it creates in workflow," said Dixon. Likewise, ICD-10 requires collaboration with the CFO, and coordinating care requires collaboration at all levels. "Viewing collaboration as both a skill and a mindset, we like to see evidence of a history of creating or working well with a structured process that has ensures effective collaboration, not just 'strong communication skills,'" she said.

9. The ability to understand and manage regulatory requirements. "Today's healthcare CIOs must meet the demands of the patients/consumers, physicians, administration and the federal government," said Dixon. "The volume and complexity of regulatory requirements have increased so much that the ability to stay on top of regulatory requirements is now on [our] list." Although these requirements do put the CIO into a more strategic position within the system, Dixon said, he or she must monitor and ensure there is a solid understanding of regulations throughout the organization. "This includes meaningful use, EHRs, HIPAA, ICD-10 and beyond," she said.

10. The ability to mitigate risk. The most basic level of the IT organization, said Dixon, is a sound infrastructure. "If you're struggling with keeping systems running, you're likely not deploying innovative technologies. In addition to maintenance, information systems need to be safeguarded against external issues, such as natural and man-made disasters and, increasingly, data breaches." CIOs need to be savvy in working through policy, procedure, and technology, she said. To address disaster recovery, continuity planning and data breach processes.

Follow Michelle McNickle on Twitter, @Michelle_writes