HIMSS News
2007 HIMSS Interoperability Showcase: Changing the Way Healthcare Connects
The Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) standards-based framework represents integral component of interoperability in healthcare
CHICAGO (August 24, 2006) – Participating in and managing personal healthcare will bring the reality electronic health records (EHRs) to the 2007 Interoperability Showcase during the 2007 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition. Once again, attendees will be able to track their electronic health record through ambulatory and acute patient care scenarios during HIMSS07, scheduled for Feb. 25 – March 1, 2007, in New Orleans, La.
2007 Interoperability Showcase
Through the showcase, HIMSS continues to demonstrate the benefits of interoperable patient data exchange. The 2007 Interoperability Showcase will highlight the IHE framework for delivering interoperability across local, regional and national health information networks. Featuring cutting-edge technology and standards in an interactive environment that simulates how health information is seamlessly passed among care providers to facilitate enterprise, community, regional and nationwide health information exchange.
In 2006, nearly 3,000 attendees visited the Interoperability Showcase and 700 of them created and tracked their own EHR, reinforcing their need for information on interoperability and the transformation of a unified healthcare system. The attendees followed their EHR across some 40 vendors showcasing 50 different applications equipped with the IHE profiles, to ensure the interoperable exchange of information across healthcare settings.
The technology at the 2007 showcase will demonstrate interoperability in existing EHR and personal health record (PHR) products, including cross-enterprise document exchange of laboratory results, radiology images, medical summaries and cardiology reports. Through this interactive process, attendees will be able to see how patients can participate in their own healthcare management.
This year, IHE will include a New Directions area in the showcase. It will highlight IHE's support of clinical trials, government initiatives, and emerging standards. “The IHE framework has made an important and actionable difference toward achieving the goal of interoperability in healthcare,” said Joyce Sensmeier, MS, RN, BC, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, HIMSS vice president of informatics. “Vendors who join the IHE initiative have the opportunity to demonstrate the interoperability of their products by participating in the Interoperability Showcase and featuring their EHR solutions in a clinical scenario.”
Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise/ IHE June 2006 Workshop
An initiative supported and led in North America by HIMSS, the Radiological Society of America (RSNA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC), Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise has defined a common framework to deliver the basic interoperability needed for local and regional health information networks. It has developed a foundational set of standards-based integration profiles for information exchange with these interrelated efforts HIMSS and RSNA introduced IHE in 1998 with ACC becoming the third supporting organization in 2003.
Vendors had an opportunity to learn more about IHE during a June workshop, “IHE: Changing the Way Healthcare Connects” in Oakbrook, Ill. The workshop provided the 214 attendees from 107 different organizations with a strategic and tactical look at IHE and offered details on upcoming interoperability demonstrations and showcases. The June workshop gave participants an opportunity to better understand IHE profiles and learn how IHE is used in a real-world setting. To view presentations from the June 2006 IHE workshop, visit http://www.ihe.net/Participation/iheworkshop2006.cfm.
Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise/ IHE Webinars scheduled August – September 2006
The educational webinars will provide implementation guidelines, presented by the developers of the IHE profiles, followed by a question-and-answer period. Easy to attend without leaving the office, the webinars will also help prepare participating vendors for the IHE North American Connectathon in January 2007. Build on current background gained from the IHE educational workshop in June or join the webinars as an introduction to IHE implementation.
Information Links
HIMSS Interoperability Showcase (February 2007): For more information and to access the call for participation in the 2007 HIMSS Interoperability Showcase, visit: http://www.interoperabilityshowcase.org.
IHE North American Connectathon (January 2007): Participation in the connectathon is a requirement for joining the 2007 Interoperability Showcase. For more information about the connectathon, including documented results of previous connectathons, visit http://www.ihe.net/Connectathon/connectathon2006.cfm.
Connectathon Application: Applications for the connectathon are due Sept. 15 and are available at http://ihe-kudu.wustl.edu/na2007.
IHE Implementers’ Webinar Series (August – September 2006): Visit the Web site at http://www.ihe.net
ACC IHE Cardiology Demonstration (March 2007): Visit http://www.acc.org/qualityandscience/quality/ihe/ihe.htm
About IHE
IHE (www.ihe.net) is a global initiative, now in its eighth year that creates the framework for passing vital health information seamlessly - from application to application, system to system, and setting to setting - across multiple healthcare enterprises. IHE brings together healthcare information technology stakeholders to implement standards for communicating patient information efficiently throughout and among healthcare enterprises by developing a framework for interoperability. Because of its proven process of collaboration, demonstration and real world implementation of interoperable solutions, IHE is in a unique position to significantly accelerate the process for defining, testing, and implementing standards-based interoperability among electronic health records systems.
About HIMSS
HIMSS is the healthcare industry's membership organization exclusively focused on providing leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., and other locations across the country, HIMSS represents more than 20,000 individual members and over 300 member corporations that collectively represent organizations employing millions of people. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives designed to promote information and management systems' contributions to ensuring quality patient care. For more information, visit http://www.himss.org
