Five things you can do to succeed in HealthIT

1. Reuse, repurpose, but do not reinvent.  

NIH is the anathema, if you must invent, invent something new, not something old. That way you are always spending your time on problems that haven't already been solved.  That gives you capabilities nobody else has, and thus, no competition.

2. Build upon and contribute back to the excellent work of others. 

Being associated with good work creates value and reputation without the comensurate investment associated with building alone.  It's not about the tech, it's about the rep.

3. Be known for what you can do with what you have, not with what you have.  

Your most prominent customer feedback will be on your service, not your technology. What you have can change overnight, skills take longer to develop.

4. If you have really good technology (or skills), maintain it.  

Technology and skills needs to be significantly refreshed about every three years or so to stay current, and needs ongoing maintenance to avoid getting stale between refreshes.  The worst thing you can do with great technology is to let it become just good, and the fastest way to do that is to rest on your laurels.

5. Mentor others (Thanks to one of my mentors, Glen Marshal, for reminding me of this)
Leave your competitors in the dust, but not your colleagues.  Don't be irreplacable; you will also be unpromotable.