What's New

Summit08: Unique HIT Experience, Unbeatable Price

When you register for Summit08, June 9-10 in Washington DC, at either the member rate of $595 or the non-member rate of $695, bring a colleague and get the second registration for only $295. To receive your discount, e-mail Andrew Fliege or call 312-915-9562 prior to making your payment.

Summit08 offers four education tracks focusing on key strategic relationships between IT professionals, the C-Suite, clinical community and the patients they serve. In addition to these educational offerings, you can earn your Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS) credential. Summit08 will be administering a revised CPHIMS exam that reflects current professional practice and incorporates a global healthcare information and management systems perspective. If you pre-register by Wednesday, May 28, you will qualify for a $50 American Express gift card and a free copy of select HIMSS books.

HIMSS Summit08 is held in conjunction with National Health IT Week and HIMSS Advocacy Day. Organizations, experts, decision-makers, thought leaders and government officials will gather under one banner in Washington, DC, to share their perspectives on the healthcare industry. Register for HIMSS Summit08 and Advocacy Day today.

HIMSS09 Proposal Deadline Two Weeks Away

The deadline for submitting a speaker’s proposal for HIMSS09 in Chicago is less than two weeks away. The call for proposals will close May 30 at 5 p.m. (CDT). Information on how to properly submit a proposal is available online.

Share your expertise with peers; increase your visibility in the industry; and enhance your professional growth. HIMSS09 is scheduled for April 4-8, 2009, in Chicago. If you know someone who is interested in submitting a proposal, be sure to forward this newsletter.

New HIMSS Membership Offers Access, Education and Savings

HIMSS Organizational Affiliate is a new membership category developed to meet the unique needs of healthcare provider organizations and their employees. Providing outstanding educational opportunities, professional development resources and four membership levels designed to perfectly meet your organization's needs, the Organizational Affiliate program offers its members an incredible number of benefits, including:

• Complimentary registrations to HIMSS events;
• Discounts on HIMSS Analytics™ products and services;
• Access to the HIMSS eLearning Academy;
• An EMR Adoption Model^SM report customized for your organization;
• A 50 percent discount to host the CPHIMS exam;
• Complimentary HIMSS and HIMSS Analytics publications;
• An Account Manager dedicated to your organization’s needs.

HIMSS eLearning Academy—Where Education Meets Innovation
The HIMSS eLearning Academy is the latest addition to our educational curriculum. This new program is designed for the busy healthcare professional. You can now take courses that complement both your schedule and professional growth. These computer-based courses are ready when you are, wherever you are, so you can study at your own pace with no stressful time constraints. Your Organizational Affiliate membership gives you access to this unique and flexible learning environment.

Discover More Online
Visit the Organizational Affiliate Web site to find more about this unique program. The Web site includes useful information regarding the benefits of membership, including a Web cast, FAQ, overview and online application. More information on the eLearning Academy also is available.

To become an Organizational Affiliate member or for more information, e-mail Phillip Shaffer or call 312-915-9275.

Get Your HIMSS Gear Today

HIMSS Gear is available to all members. Show your HIMSS pride with shirts, hats, visors, mugs, water bottles and more.

For every purchase made, $1 will be donated to the HIMSS Foundation. Since the early 1990s, the Foundation has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to more than 40 exceptional students. Don’t delay—order your HIMSS Gear today.

AsiaPac08 Commences in Hong Kong

The most comprehensive healthcare IT conference and exhibition in the Asia Pacific region—AsiaPac08—commenced May 21 (Hong Kong time).

AsiaPac08 features more than 50 educational sessions and more than 50 leading exhibitors with hands-on interoperability demonstrations. Highlights of the conference include illuminating keynote addresses and thought-provoking perspectives of industry trends and healthcare IT in the region. Other noteworthy events include the Physicians’ and ICT Leadership Symposium, the Nursing Informatics Symposium and the Developing Countries Workshop.

Separately, HIMSS has joined the ranks of individuals and corporations that have been moved to help the victims of the recent earthquake in China. HIMSS has donated $10,000 to the Hong Kong Red Cross relief to help alleviate the suffering of the people in Sichuan. More information on AsiaPac08 is available online.

Tools & Resources

DOQ-IT University Assists With EHR Adoption

DOQ-IT (Doctor’s Office Quality Information Technology) University, launched by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2007, is designed to instruct clinical office practices in the adoption and implementation of electronic health records (EHR) and care management practices.

Designed for the small-to-medium sized physician practice, DOQ-IT University, a free resource, is updated frequently with new content reflective of the current health care environment.

Each DOQ-IT University course is organized to guide users through a series of modules that include tools to manage the practice, links to evidence-based guidelines and patient resources. For more information, visit the HIMSS Web site or DOQ-IT University.

The Election and the Outlook for Healthcare IT

What should the healthcare IT industry expect from the next administration? The major presidential candidates and their parties support more investment in healthcare IT and the widespread adoption of interoperable EHRs, but it is unclear what specific support will be forthcoming.

If we are correct in our assessment that candidates of both parties will focus programs on slowing spending increases through new administrative and financial controls and incentives, and on reforming health insurance—albeit in dramatically different ways—then we should expect real and grim changes for healthcare IT policy. Neither party’s program points to greater promotion of EHRs or to a nationwide networking infrastructure. We can expect much less customer interest in clinical systems unless they can show direct business results in terms of efficiency, added revenue or lower costs. Read the full analysis in the May issue of Standards Insight.

Find Grant Opportunities on the HIMSS Web site

Gaining access to up-to-date information on grant funding opportunities has been a longstanding issue of interest for many HIMSS members. HIMSS is pleased to partner with Grants Office LLC to bring members live stream data on grant opportunities in the healthcare industry.
 
Use our grant-finder tool to find listings and deadlines for programs, grants and other funding in several categories, like education, healthcare, community development and more. To access this tool, log on through the HIMSS Member Center. Then, click on the Interactive Tools button.

HIMSS08 Podcasts Available on HIMSS Web site

A number of educational podcasts recorded at the 2008 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, are now available for download. The podcasts cover a wide range of topics, including vendor selection, technology integration, clinical decision support and much more.

VCE Education, Exhibits Open Until May 23

More than 2,700 HIT professionals and clinicians and 159 exhibitors convened online in April for the all-free HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo to learn, network and interact with industry experts and peers. Attendees, speakers and exhibitors overwhelmingly approved of the virtual forum where they took advantage of educational programs, exhibits and networking opportunities from the comfort of their offices.

The Virtual Conference education sessions and exhibit hall floor will be open until May 23. Register today and get immediate access to high-quality education and scores of exhibit booths.

Meet Our Members

Lee Castonguay
April 2008 Spirit of HIMSS Award Winner

Spearheading Aloha Hawaii Chapter’s Legislative Outreach Activities

Lee Castonguay, the recipient of the April 2008 Spirit of HIMSS Award, embodies the definition of an advocate for healthcare IT and management systems. For the past three years, he has served as a Chapter Advocate for the HIMSS Aloha Hawaii Chapter. In this role, Mr. Castonguay spearheads state legislative outreach and analysis activities for the Chapter.

Mr. Castonguay got involved with the Aloha Hawaii Chapter in the early 1980s when attempts to improve the quality of care and increase the efficiency of healthcare processes by utilizing modern technology were on the rise. At this time, he said, HIMSS was the conduit for staying up-to-date on technological advancements, and meeting Y2K challenges and HIPAA requirements head on. Once the demand for HIT education plateaued locally, Mr. Castonguay got involved in HIMSS Advocacy efforts.

“With advocacy, I found a new sense of mission,” he explained. In 2007, Mr. Castonguay left his private consultancy where he worked with some of Hawaii’s largest health organizations to join the University of Hawaii as healthcare informatics specialist for the Telecommunications and Information Policy Group (TIPG).

Since its inception in 2000, the success and growth of the HIMSS Advocacy program has left Mr. Castonguay with renewed energy to coordinate and advance HIT and management systems through advocacy and public policy initiatives, he said. “The next evolution of HIT is to get the right information to the right people at the right time with the right presentation, which requires major changes in policy to support standards, privacy rights and public interests,” he explained. “This is what advocacy is all about.”

In March 2008, Mr. Castonguay went above and beyond his duties by developing and facilitating a legislative briefing on HIT and health information exchange for the Hawaii Senate Health Committee. The purpose of the briefing was to educate the legislators on the benefits of HIT and on the HIE activities in Hawaii; and, most importantly, introduced members of the Chapter to the legislators as a resource for their legislative activities.

“Within a couple of weeks a bill to coordinate telemedicine activities was introduced that we felt not only missed the mark but would have actually set us back. We got involved, explained who the real stakeholders were and what was currently taking place. The bill was totally revamped and passed as a resolution that the Department of Health would take the lead and work with the appropriate stakeholders,” he said.

According to Mr. Castonguay, most of his recent advocacy activities revolve around personal health records. “I have been trying to keep abreast of all the activities surrounding PHRs: These include the development of the Continuity of Care Record and Continuity of Care Document; the launch of Microsoft HealthVault, the announcement of Google Health; the partnership between Dossia and Wal-Mart, Intel and AT&T; the Indivo Personally Controlled Health Record system in Boston; as well as the activity within the DoD and the Veteran’s Administration,” he said. “This is all very exciting to me.”

This past year, Mr. Castonguay achieved the Ambassador Level of recognition through HIMSS’ Chapter Advocacy Liaison Recognition Program. As the highest level of recognition, this designation demonstrates an active and ongoing commitment to advocacy activity at the Chapter level. In addition to participation in state advocacy activities, he also engages in national advocacy activities by participating in the HIMSS Advocacy Day held during National Health IT Week. He also served as Aloha Hawaii Chapter president for three terms.

The healthcare informatics specialist for the TIPG at the University of Hawaii, Mr. Castonguay brings over 30 years of experience in the HIT industry. His experience includes strategic planning, project management, systems development, budgeting, instruction, research, programming and operations. Prior to coming to TIPG, Mr. Castonguay was a consultant to some of Hawaii’s largest health organizations. In addition, he served as the Pacific support manager for Science Applications International Corp. where he implemented community health center systems at Tripler Medical Center, and as the chief of health information systems for the Hawaii State Department of Health.

Learn more about HIMSS Advocacy and Public Policy initiatives online. Nominations for the Spirit of HIMSS Award should be submitted to HIMSS Member Services Manager Jessica Bird, and should include a brief description explaining the accomplishments of the member and how he or she earns the recognition of the Spirit of HIMSS.

Calling All Members

Join the HIMSS Linkedin Group and Grow Your Network

HIMSS has created a HIMSS Linkedin Group to further connect its members and beyond. Linkedin is an online network of more than 20 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries. 

We invite you to join the HIMSS Linkedin Group to grow your professional network.
Get Linkedin with HIMSS today!

Microsoft Health Users Group Tech Forum08 Call for Proposals Now Open

Interested in presenting or attending the Microsoft Health Users Group Tech Forum 2008 in Redmond, WA? The Call for Proposal process and registration for the Tech Forum on Aug. 26 and 27, at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Wash., is now open.

If you are interested in being a presenter, please complete the online application by Sunday, June 1. Microsoft Health Users Group is looking for submissions that detail innovative and inspiring solutions to healthcare, using Microsoft technology and frameworks.

• IT Pro
• Developer
• Health Plans
• Life Sciences
• Clinical Informatics

As a speaker, your registration for the two-day Tech Forum event is complimentary. We will not provide travel. You will be notified of the status of your proposal by July 1, 2008.

Registration for this event also is open. Early bird registration ends July 31.
If you are interested in being a presenter, please complete the online application by midnight, Sunday, June 1, to be considered as a possible presenter for this event.

Survey to Help Shape Future of Microsoft Health Users Group Programs

The Microsoft Health User Group Advisory Committee is committed to working with members to provide services that are of value. To make Microsoft Health User Group programs as effective as possible, we ask for a few moments of your time to complete a survey that will help determine which projects and subject areas would be of most value to our members.

Davies Award CHO Application Deadline May 30

The 2008 Davies Awards are currently accepting applications the HIMSS Davies Community Health Organizations Award, a new honor designed to extend recognition to community health organizations. HIMSS’ decision to establish a separate Davies Award for CHOs grew out of the awareness of the unique characteristics of CHOs and the populations they serve. The deadline for nominations is May 30.

Visit the recently redesigned Davies Web site to download the pre-requisites and the application. Join the healthcare elite and be recognized for your success in deriving value from your EHR system.

For more information, e-mail David Collins, Davies Awards Manager, or call 703-562-8817.

HITSP Seeks Volunteers for Administrative and Financial Domain Technical Committee

HITSP is seeking provider, healthcare delivery organization, clinician volunteers and supply chain inventory experts for its Administrative and Financial Domain Technical Committee.

This group will work to identify and analyze gaps and duplications within the standards industry as they relate to domain constructs; list all standards that satisfy requirements imposed by the relevant Use Case or Interoperability Request and apply readiness criteria; interact with HITSP Secretariat for coordination with Standards Organization regarding standards gaps, overlaps, and identification of standards; evaluate, select and constrain recommended standards; receive and prioritize statements of work and collaborate with Perspective Committees to refine scope and develop work plan; develop and/or revise domain constructs to meet requirements, high level design and statements of work; maximize reuse with consideration for backwards compatibility; ensure domain constructs adequately support all Interoperability Specifications referencing those constructs; and work in collaboration with Perspective Committees to meet project schedule and timelines

The Committee is seeking volunteers in several areas, including application architects, designers, implementers; payors, providers and member of the vendor community; business analysts with administrative and financial systems experience; system analysts with administrative and financial systems experience; and application architects, designers, implementers of administrative and financial systems and the HIPAA transactions and code sets (HL7, NCPDP and X12).

To participate, your organization must be registered as a member of HITSP.

Standing conference calls with Web collaboration are scheduled every Tuesday from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. (EDT).

If you would like to volunteer to participate in the groundbreaking activities of this HITSP Technical Committee please contact Jessica Kant, Standards Harmonization Coordinator.

For more information on the committee, contact the committee’s leadership: Don Bechtel, co-chair, Accredited Standards Committee X12; Deb Belcher, co-chair, GE Healthcare; Durwin Day, co-chair, Health Care Service Corporation; or Theresa Wisdom, facilitator, HIMSS. For background information regarding recent Use Case postings and meeting activities, visit the HITSP Web site.

Save the Date

May 27—1 p.m. (CDT)
Webinar: Evaluating Success: Lessons Learned From One Hundred EHR Implementations
This presentation will discuss the most current lessons-learned from ambulatory EHR implementation and the experiences of one hundred practices who have implemented EHRs in the last two years. The speaker will identify common operational, technical and quality improvement themes for recently implemented practices; discuss evaluation methods for evaluating the success of implementations; and detail implementation strategies that position physician offices for success. This hour-long Webinar is costs $99 and qualifies for 1.2 contacts hours toward recertification of the CPHIMS credential.

May 29—1 p.m. (CDT)
Free Industry Solutions Webinar: Delivering Success: Integrating Decision-Making and Business Intelligence Across the Enterprise
Hospitals and health systems are a business within a customer-service industry. Patient care is their product, with a complex series of impacts that span physicians, nurses, ancillary staff, drugs, supplies, capital investments, regulatory compliance, IT, process engineering and more. Healthcare’s use of business-intelligence tools has historically lagged other industries because it has too often neglected the largest factors in controlling costs and optimizing patient outcomes. This session will discuss how Memorial Hermann, an 11-hospital system, has worked to integrate decision-making and business intelligence at both the local and health system levels to effect success. Also to be discussed are the changes in both perspective and operational structure required to move to an environment where clinical, financial and operational data can be analyzed in tandem and in virtual real-time. Sponsored by Eclipsys, this free Industry Solutions Webinar lasts at least 60 minutes and includes a Q&A session with the presenter. This activity qualifies for 1.2 contacts hours toward recertification of the CPHIMS credential.

May 30
Public Meeting on Transition to AHIC Successor
LMI and the Brookings Institution invite interested parties to participate in this public meeting on the establishment, design and transition to the American Health Information Community (AHIC) Successor. The first meeting was held March 10, in Washington, DC, and the second meeting is scheduled for April 8. Scheduled for May 30, this final meeting will continue to focus on designing and establishing a Successor organization. Registration is available online. If you are unable to attend in person, observe via Webcast or listen by teleconference. Additionally, you may view the Webcast of the March 10 meeting online. The agenda, read-ahead materials, directions to the meeting, and Webcast and teleconference information will be provided to registrants and posted on the LMI-Brookings Web site. For more information, e-mail Nathan Gannon or call 571-633-7865, or e-mail Justin Shore or call 202-797-6119.

June 3—1 p.m. (CDT)
Free Webinar: Preparing for a CMS HIPAA Security Audit - What You Need to Do Now
At the recent HIMSS Virtual Conference, Tony Trenkle of CMS explained the agency’s enforcement activities around the HIPAA Security Rule, including Security Audits. Hear how your organization can assess its HIPAA Security Rule compliance and prepare for these audits. This Webinar lasts 60 minutes and includes a Q&A session with the presenter. This activity qualifies for 1.2 contacts hours toward recertification of the CPHIMS credential.

June 5—1 p.m. (CDT)
Free Industry Solutions Webinar—Alegent Health’s Search for a Cure to their Multiple Password Ailments Comes to an End
In his role as the liaison between the clinical staff and IT department at Alegent, Dr. Michael Westcott is in a unique position to share his perspective on Alegent Health’s search for an identity and access management (IAM) partner and what he considers critical success factors for consideration as you search for and narrow down your vendor selections. Attendees will learn the importance of the liaison role between clinical staff and IT when searching implementing a single-sign on solution, and the benefits of single sign-on solutions in a healthcare environment. Sponsored by Imprivata, this complimentary Industry Solutions Webinar lasts 60 minutes and includes a Q&A session with the presenter. This activity qualifies for 1.2 contacts hours toward recertification of the CPHIMS credential.

June 9-10
Washington, DC
HIMSS Summit08
The HIMSS Summit will occur during National Health IT Week which also includes HIMSS Advocacy Day. Leveraging the location and opportunity that exists during this election year, the Summit program is designed to address both the high level policy issues as well as the practical implications. The Education program is designed as a niche program for the field, with emphasis on the key strategic relationships between the C-Suite, providers, and the consumers they serve. Register to receive free updates about HIMSS Summit.

June 11
Washington, DC
HIMSS Advocacy Day
The cornerstone event of National Health IT Week is HIMSS Advocacy Day, which advance the best use of healthcare IT to improve the quality and affordability of healthcare. Participants connect with federal and congressional healthcare policymakers in a half-day discussion on current issues before traveling to Capitol Hill to discuss HIMSS Advocacy Agenda with members of Congress and their staff. The events are capped off with a Solutions Showcase and a joint National Health IT Week and HIMSS Advocacy Day Networking Reception on Capitol Hill where Advocacy Award winners are announced.

June 9-13
Washington, DC
National Health IT Week
National Health IT Week is a broad-based, collaborative effort to accelerate national health information technology adoption. Organizations with diverse perspectives on healthcare gather in Washington, DC, to work together under one banner with the goal of improving healthcare efficiency, quality, cost-effectiveness and patient safety through healthcare IT. More than 60 organizations partnered for National Health IT Week last year. Learn how to become a partner for this year’s event.

June 17—1p.m. (CDT)
Stark and Anti-Kickback: Alternatives to the 85 Percent Subsidy Rules
Please join Legal Aspects of the Enterprise Task Force members Amy Leopard, Esq. and David Schoolcraft, Esq. for the second in this series. In “Stark and Anti-kickback: Alternatives to the 85 percent Subsidy Rules,” the speakers will discuss options for providing IT to referring physicians. Whether you are considering physician portals, ASP arrangements or other options, tune in to get the latest on legal and regulatory issues involved in providing software and hardware and the pros and cons of each. This session is the second part of a two-part series. To hear part one on the new IT donation rules as well as where and why the new rules may not be so straightforward, visit HIMSS Virtual Conference. This complimentary Webinar lasts at least 60 minutes and includes a Q&A session with the presenter. This activity qualifies for 1.2 contacts hours toward recertification of the CPHIMS credential.

Chapter Calendar

June 5
HIMSS Nevada Chapter
Leveraging Stark Reform and the Hospital Opportunities
Las Vegas

Join the Nevada Chapter of HIMSS for a one-day events focusing on “Leveraging Stark Reform and the Hospital Opportunities” The keynote speaker is Kenneth Kleinberg, FHIMSS, VP-Clinical Solutions Group, Allscripts. The cost for attending this event is $20 for members and $30 for non-members. Food and refreshments will be provided. Register for this event today.