HIMSS Privacy & Security Toolkit

HIMSS HAS BEGUN TO announce itslineup of keynote speakers for the2007 Annual HIMSS Conference &Exhibition, Feb. 25 – March 1 inNew Orleans.Steven A. Ballmer

Steven A. Ballmer is the chiefexecutive officer of Microsoft Corp.,the world's leading manufacturer ofsoftware for personal and businesscomputing. Ballmer joinedMicrosoft in 1980 and was the firstbusiness manager hired by BillGates. Since then, Ballmer’s leader-ship and passion have become hall-marks of his tenure at the company.General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.)

General Colin L. Powell, USA(Ret.), became the 65th secretary ofstate on January 20, 2001. Beforebecoming secretary of state, GeneralPowell served as a key aide to the sec-

retary of defense and as nationalsecurity advisor to President RonaldReagan. He also served 35 years inthe U.S. Army, rising to the rank offour-star general and served as chair-man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from1989 to 1993. Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Dr. Stephen R. Covey is the co-founder/vice-chairman of the Frank-lin Covey Co., a leading global pro-fessional services firm. FranklinCovey offers learning and perform-ance solutions to assist professionalsand organizations in significantly in-creasing their effectiveness in pro-ductivity, leadership, communica-tions and sales.

Information on HIMSS07 educa-tion, exhibits, networking events andmore is available at www.himss07.org. n

www.HealthcareITNews.com November 2006 n Healthcare IT News 21

A P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E H E A L T H C A R E I N F O R M A T I O N A N D M A N A G E M E N T S Y S T E M S S O C I E T Y n V O L U M E 3 n N U M B E R 1 1

In January 2007, Version 6 of theHIMSS Toolkit: Managing InformationPrivacy & Security in Healthcare (for-merly known as the CPRI Toolkit) willbe released.

The HIMSS Privacy & SecurityToolkit outlines general principles andprovides best practices and examples ofhow healthcare providers should manageprivacy and security. Sections of the pri-vacy and security toolkit identify keyactivities to integrate into the process ofmanaging information privacy and secu-rity, including: • Monitoring and adjusting to the

changing laws, regulations and standards.

• Developing, implementing and continuously updating privacy and security policies, procedures and practices.

• Enhancing patient understanding of

the organization's information privacy and security efforts.

• Institutionalizing responsibility for information privacy and security.

The focus of Version 6 is to update theexisting body of knowledge on privacyand security, and present those existingarticles of merit in an organized andaccessible format. Each section includesan introduction to the topic at hand, thelatest edition of the pertinent guidelineor literature, case studies with samplepolicies, procedures and forms, andextensive references to print and Internetsources for more information. A consoli-dated annotated bibliography, a list ofWeb sites and a glossary of terms appearat the end of the HIMSS Privacy &Security Toolkit.

The January 2007 HIMSS Insider willfeature an article focused on updates andadditions to Version 6 of the Toolkit. n

Coming Soon: New Version of the

HIMSS07 Keynoters Announced

Collecting Data on the Quality and Cost of Healthcare

Summary: On Aug. 22, President George W. Bush signed anexecutive order that requires the Department of HHS, theDepartment of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs and theOffice of Personnel Management to collect more information aboutthe quality and cost of healthcare and to share that data not onlywith one another, but with their beneficiaries as well. While about

two thirds of respondents indicate this executive order will positively impact healthcare delivery,many believe the impact will only be achieved on the healthcare delivered by the federal govern-ment. Additionally, only a handful of respondents believe the industry will be able to meet theJanuary 2007 deadline for developing and enacting programs that measure the quality of care.Finally, respondents believe the executive order will positively impact the adoption of healthcareinformation technology (HIT), specifically as it relates to the adoption of standards.

For more information, visit www.himss.org/ASP/

vantagepointHome.asp.

Other, 17%

No Impact On HealthcareDelivery 18%

Significant Impact Only OnHealthcare Delivered by Federal

Government, 32%

Significant Impact OnImproving Delivery ofHealthcare, 34%

Dr. Stephen R. Covey General Colin L. PowellSteven A. Ballmer

HITSP delivers interoperability specifications

SUPPORTING STANDARDS-BASED INTEROPERABILITY

by healthcare information system vendorsand users, the Healthcare

Information Technology StandardsPanel (HITSP) recently approvedthree sets of interoperability specifi-cations for transmitting health data,which will be used by IT systemsdevelopers. The HITSP-approvedspecifications have been forwardedto the American Health InformationCommunity (AHIC) for review andapproval. Upon AHIC endorse-ment, the specifications will then gothrough implementation testing beginningJanuary 15-19, 2007 in Chicago at theIntegrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE)North America Connectathon.

During the Connectathon, IHE’s weeklonginteroperability-testing event, systems exchangeinformation with complementary systems frommultiple vendors. Detailed validation of partici-pants’ integration work, including the HITSP-approved specifications, will be recorded.

“The specifications are a testament to the hardwork and dedication of HITSP’s co-chairs andTechnical Committee members who’ve loggedmore than 12,000 volunteer hours to deliverthese specifications in support of health datainteroperability,” said HIMSS Vice President ofInformatics Joyce Sensmeier, MS, RN, BC,CPHIMS, who serves as HITSP’s StandardsImplementation Manager. “As we prepare to test

the specifications, we’re that much closer toachieving nationwide sharing of secure, timely

and accurate health informationthrough an interoperable frameworkof healthcare systems and softwareapplications.”

Comprised of more than 200member organizations from the pub-lic and private sectors, HITSP’s goalis to achieve a widely accepted set ofstandards to enable and support anational system of healthcare datainteroperability. HITSP, operatingunder a contract administered by the

Office of the National Coordinator for HealthInformation Technology (ONC), was formed in2005.

The specifications were the next deliverable inHITSP’s efforts to harmonize healthcare infor-mation technology standards. In late June,HITSP identified an initial set of standards tofacilitate the secure exchange of patient data in anew nationwide health information network(NHIN). The 90 standards delivered on June 30supported three use cases: Biosurveillance,Consumer Empowerment and the ElectronicHealth Record. The newly-released interoper-ability specifications support these use cases.

Additional information about HITSP is avail-able through the American National StandardsInstitute (ANSI), a private, non-profit organiza-tion that coordinates the U.S. voluntary stan-dardization system, at www.ansi.org/hitsp. n

Joyce Sensmeier

22 Healthcare IT News n November 2006 www.HealthcareITNews.com

HIMSS AND HIMSS ANALYTICS haveannounced GREGORY S. WALTON,

CPHIMS, FHIMSS as senior vice pres-ident. In a role with dual responsi-bilities at both the parent andsubsidiary levels of HIMSS, Mr.Walton will be responsible forcoordination of strategic plan-ning and enhancement of rela-tionships with healthcare organi-zations (HCOs).

“Greg brings a wealth of practical expertiseto HIMSS and our senior managementteam,” said H. Stephen Lieber, president andCEO of HIMSS. “As a HIMSS member andfellow, he understands the needs of ourindustry and the perspective of our members.His skills and talents will further enhance the

value HIMSS bringsto IT professionalsand the providerorganizations for

whom they work.”Mr. Walton

brings diverse expe-rience to this newposition withexpertise in infor-

mation technology and clinical engineeringmanagement. Before joiningHIMSS/HIMSS Analytics, he served on theVirginia Technology Task Force and now actsas an executive advisor to the Virginia HealthCare Technology Council. His previousexperience also includes that of CIO forCarilion Health System in Roanoke Va.,

associate director of information services atthe University of Pittsburgh Medical Center,and healthcare IT consultant for CapGeminiand other companies.

“We’re very happy to have Greg join ourteam as well,” said Dave Garets, presidentand CEO of HIMSS Analytics. “He will befocused on our work with healthcare organi-zation senior IT leaders, bringing them valuein benchmarking their organizations andproviding information on vendor marketshare, on the state of the industry in numer-ous application areas and on trends in health-care IT.” n

Last month, we commented on PresidentGeorge W. Bush’s executive order whichrequires gathering and

promulgation of healthcarequality and cost metrics. Wequestioned whether the complexrelationships between qualitycare, risk adjusted outcomes andcosts are really understood. Wewould like to explore this subjectfurther.

In the online Standards Insight, we havetraced the historical threads that have causedus to come to a point best captured in NewtGingrich’s book titled Saving Lives & SavingMoney. These threads had been woven into awhole cloth that defines HIT can enable us totransform healthcare, improve quality andoutcomes and reduce costs. But do we reallyunderstand either these measures or theirinterrelationships?

Without belaboring the Hawthorne effect,we can say with some degree of certainty thatif you measure something and reward betterperformance that you can improve the result.What about the interrelationships of qualityto outcomes and costs? Last month, we citedthe Premier study, which suggested thatimproved compliance with best practicesreduced length of stay and, in most cases,improved outcomes. While adopting bestpractices and standardizing processes improvesome outcomes and reduce some costs, wemay not know what to measure and what

unforeseen impact such measures will have.In terms of objective measures of health

status, mortality and natal mor-tality, U.S. healthcare does notproduce the best outcomes. Someof this may be the result of dis-parity of care quality and access.Some may be the result of cultureand choices. Perhaps moreimportant than outcome metrics

themselves is the question of whether the carewe receive is as good as it can be and fully worththe resources we expend on it. Here it is clearthat all is not well. In addition to the Instituteof Medicine “To Err Is Human” estimates ofmedical errors, we have seen study results thatsuggest Americans receive appropriate careabout half the time and as many die from errorsof omission as they do of commission.

Certainly, healthcare costs are a problem,but they can also be seen as a sticky situationaggravated by the efforts to solve it. On theone hand, we have evidence that the economycannot remain internationally competitive orfiscally solvent unless we control their growthas a share of gross domestic product. On theother hand, as Business Week recently pointedout, healthcare spending is responsible for vir-tually all the growth in jobs over the last fiveyears. Most hospitals are one of the largestemployers in their community. A substantialamount of the Center for InformationTechnology Leadership (CITL) studies pre-dicted savings comes from not repeating

unnecessary tests. Do we really want to “cut”healthcare spending? Or do we really want tomake sure we are getting full value from ourspending?

If our problem space is unclear, how certainare we of our solution? There is little direct evi-dence of the impact of HIT on quality, clinicaloutcomes or costs. We have previously illus-trated that being a “most wired” hospital doesnot appear to be associated with high qualityscores. Similarly, the Institute for HealthcareImprovement conducted its successful100,000 Lives campaign of wide adoption ofsix best practices without any incrementalinvestment in HIT. Computerized practitionerorder entry (CPOE), one of HIT’s latest inno-vations, has shown mixed clinical results evenwhile increasing technology costs and cliniciantime. Few would argue that HIPAA Admin-istrative Simplification has as of yet producednet economic benefits. Information technolo-gy is more diffused and less measurable interms of direct impact quality, outcomes orcosts. In fact, we should assume that HIT willenable us to do more—but not necessarilywith less—with not partially predictableimpacts on quality, outcomes and costs. n

Ed Larsen is an independent strategy consultantand tracks interoperability standards for HIMSS. Acomplete version of this article is in this month’sStandards Insight on the HIMSS member page.Comments or questions can be sent toerlarsen@erlinc.com.

STANDARDS

INSIGHTby Ed Larsen

HIT and Quality, Outcomes and CostsPUBLICATIONS STAFF

VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONSFran Perveiler

MANAGER, PUBLICATIONSNancy Vitucci

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS MANAGERSJoyce LofstromSharolyn Rosier Hyson

COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATORCari McLean

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CHAIR George T. Hickman, CPHIMS, FHIMSSSenior Vice President and Chief Information OfficerAlbany Medical Center

VICE CHAIR Marion J. Ball, EdD, FHIMSS Fellow, IBM Global Leadership InitiativeCenter for Healthcare ManagementProfessor, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing

CHAIR ELECT John Wade, FCHIME, FHIMSSVice President and Chief Information OfficerSaint Luke’s Health System

VICE CHAIR ELECT Victoria Bradley, DPN, RN, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, Director of Patient Information University of Kentucky Chandler Medical CenterUniversity of Kentucky

Margret Amatayakul, RHIA, CHPS, FHIMSSPresidentMargaret A. Consulting, LLC

Barry Chaiken, MD, MPH, FHIMSSAssociate Chief Medical OfficerBearingPoint, Inc.

Charles E. Christian, FCHIME, FHIMSSDirector, Information Systems and Chief InformationOfficerGood Samaritan Hospital

Ray Gensinger Jr., MD, CPHIMS, FHMISS Deputy Medical Director Hennepin County Medical Center

John Hansmann, CPHIMS, FHIMSSRegional Manager, Management EngineeringIntermountain Health Care

Liz Johnson, FHIMSSVice President, Clinical InformaticsTenet Healthcare Corporation

Karen J. Ondo, FHIMSSExecutive Vice President, Business SolutionsKLAS Enterprises & Principal Computer SystemsAssociates

Jay Srini, FHIMSSVice President, Emerging TechnologiesUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERH. Stephen Lieber, CAEHIMSS

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Simon P. Cohn, MD, MPH, FACEP, FACMIAssociate Executive DirectorKaiser Permanente

Janet M. Dillione, FHIMSSPresident, Health ServicesSiemens Medical Solutions, USA, Inc.

Steve FoxPartnerPepper Hamilton LLP

Miriam ParamorePrincipalSpiral Group, Inc.

Register by Dec. 18 and save money on HIMSS07

HIMSS Analytics expand Senior Management Team Focused on strategic growth, HIMSS and

Dec. 18 is the last day to register at the discounted early-bird rates for the 2007 Annual HIMSS Conference &Exhibition, Feb. 25 – March 1 in New Orleans. Registrationis open at www.himss07.org/registration. From Dec. 19through Jan. 29, 2007, pre-conference rates will apply.Attendees registering after Jan. 29 will pay the late regis-tration/onsite rates.

HIMSS recommends making hotel reservations prior toregistration—to reserve your hotel of choice. Hotel reser-vations can be made online through Ambassadors atwww.ambassadorstechnology.com/housing/himss/index-template2007.cfm.

HIMSS also recommends booking air travel soon. Airtravel reservations can be made through Navigant, theofficial travel agency for HIMSS07. Navigant can bereached by calling 877/517-3038 Monday - Friday 9 a.m. -8 p.m., EST. n

On Sunday, February 25, prior to the start ofthe 2007 Annual HIMSS Conference &Exhibition—February 26 – March 1 in NewOrleans, HIMSS will offer workshops toexamine the issues that are transforming thehealthcare IT industry today.

Workshop 200, 8:00 am to 5:00 pmInformation Security

With the leadership of a top-rated HIMSSinstructor, this workshop will cover the keyconcepts that require special insights and skillsfor designing, implementing and administeringcomprehensive information security protectionprograms. Through interactive exercises, partic-ipants will develop an understanding of bestpractices and common security practices usedin healthcare. Workshop 201, 8:00 am to 5:00 pmPatient Safety Strategies that Work: Toolsand Tips

At Johns Hopkins and the University ofPittsburgh Medical Center, innovativeapproaches are creating new cultures andimproving patient safety. Workshop speakerswill describe Johns Hopkins’ ComprehensiveUnit-based Safety Program (CUSP), focusingon its processes, functions and effects, in addi-tion to identifying components and effects ofthe University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’sinitiative known as Transforming Care At theBedside (TCAB).Workshop 202, 8:00 am to 5:00 pmPutting the Process into Process Redesign(co-sponsored by SHS and developed withinput from the HIMSS ME/PI Workgroup)

This workshop will provide attendees with aWORKSHOPS [continued on page 24]

Pre-conference workshopskick-off HIMSS07

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www.HealthcareITNews.com November 2006 n Healthcare IT News 23

HIMSS and eHI Sponsor

Connecting Communities ForumsCreating the Vision, Living the Reality for RHIOs/HIEsHIMSS AND THE E-HEALTH

INITIATIVE (EHI) have devel-oped a series ofConnecting CommunitiesRegional Forums to sup-port the industry in pro-viding practical informa-tion and guidance on real-ities and opportunities of development andgrowth of regional health information organ-izations (RHIOs) and health informationexchanges (HIEs). The ConnectingCommunities Regional Forums will be heldon Dec. 12 in Salt Lake City; Dec. 14 inChicago; May 3, 2007 in Orlando and May10 in Boston.

Active participants in RHIOs, HIEs, largehealth plans and hospital IT groups, as wellas other key stakeholders in informationexchange and healthcare IT professionals willpresent first-hand information on challengesand resolution for situations faced by allRHIOs and HIEs. Sessions include pertinenttopics such as envisioning value and benefits

for stakeholders, navigating state and federalrelationships and funding sources, addressingprivacy and security issues, complying withnew Stark Rule changes, leveraging electron-ic medical records, and utilizing technicalstandards and business rules in health infor-mation exchange.

Attendees will meet executives “in thetrenches” who will provide various suggestionsand approaches for starting successful HIEsand RHIOs, as well as ongoing managementof operations. Straightforward activities anddecision points will be shared for all stages ofoperations that are critical to the long-termstrategy for a strong RHIO.

Individuals who attend a Connecting

PLATINUM

MediMedia USAMediMedia USA is an innovative specialty healthcarecommunications, publishing and medical educationcompany offering many of the best-known brands inhealthcare communications for physicians, healthcareprofessionals, managed care organizations, hospitals,employers, patients and consumers with a presence inevery portion of the United States that manufactures,markets and sells healthcare products and services.MediMedia USA is also the pre-eminent provider ofsolutions for pharmaceutical companies along theirentire marketing continuum, targeting physicians,payers and patients with superior content andapplications. Our attention to content quality, accuracyand ease of comprehension, as well as our experiencein delivering specialized information to targetedaudiences, has earned MediMedia USA unparalleled

trust and respect throughout the industry. MediMediaUSA has strategic partnerships for medical publishingwith some of the leading organizations for health andsafety management, including Harvard Medical Schooland the American Red Cross. MediMedia USA hasover 1,000 employees in 11 U.S. locations.www.medimedia.com

GOLD

Digital MD SystemsFounded in 1997 and headquartered in Bedford, Texas,Digital MD® Systems is an ISV responsible for thecreation and development of the award winningDOC™, a comprehensive and intuitive point-of-careEMR suite.www.digitalmd.com

WELCOME

To learn more about the benefits of corporate membership, please visit www.himss.org or contact David White at 312/915-9508.

NEW CORPORATE MEMBERS

While in town for HIMSS07, attendees shouldtake a day before or after the meeting to see thesights in New Orleans. A few insiders say that if theywere to spend one day touring the Big Easy, theseare a few of the places they would not want to miss. Start with Brunch at the Court of TwoSisters Jazz Brunch Buffet Located at: 613 Royal StreetFor more information: www.courtoftwosisters.com/brunch.htm

It was two aristocratic Creole sisters, Emma andBertha Camors, and the clothing shop they owned athistoric 613 Royal Street that gave the restaurant itsname.

The buffet's fresh, classic Creole selectionschange according to season and time of day. Take a Mid-afternoon Stroll through theNew Orleans Museum of Art’s (NOMA)Five-acre Sculpture GardenLocated at: One Collins Diboll Circle, City Park. For more information: www.noma.org

This favorite cultural getaway for locals is a must-see for visitors to the Crescent City. Locals rave that theworld-class collection of modern and contemporary

The Texas Department of State HealthServices’ Behavioral Health IntegratedProvider System (BHIPS)—one of two 2006

Nicholas E. Davies Public Health Award win-ners—consists of a Web-based electronic healthrecord (EHR) and an information system used tomanage financial and quality improvement activi-ties for the Texas behavioral healthcare system.This tool is used to narrow the substance abusetreatment gap between those needing treatmentand access to care, thus ensuring as many Texansas possible, who are in need, have access to andavailability of effective and efficient substanceabuse and mental health services regardless offinancial status. BHIPS supports a continuum ofservices through a three-level strategy aimed atprevention, intervention and treatment. BHIPS hasbeen instrumental in helping providers adopt acontinuous quality improvement culture. Withoutthe BHIPS data, these improvements would nothave been possible.

In addition, BHIPS was a valuable tool in theaftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The day after470,000 people came to Texas as a result of the hur-ricane, the dynamic, interactive design of BHIPS,housed in Austin, allowed it to respond overnight tothe public health need by capturing those patientselectronically. The guiding principle in the develop-ment of BHIPS has been there “should be absolute-ly nothing that the Department of Health or aprovider needs that can’t be found in the record.”

The New York State Environmental Public HealthTracking Network (NYS EPHTN) Data ExchangeSystem, also a 2006 Davies Public Health Awardwinner, provides environmental hazard and healthoutcome data exchange and collaborationbetween neighboring state, localities and federalagencies. Housed in Albany, NYS EPHTN inte-grates data about environmental hazards andexposures with data about diseases that are possi-bly linked to the environment.

Through this system, federal, state and local

agencies can monitor and distribute informationabout environmental hazard and disease trends;advance research on possible linkages betweenenvironmental hazards and disease; and develop,implement and evaluate regulatory and publichealth actions to prevent or control environment-related diseases.

The system offers data about environmentalhazards, exposures and health effects over spaceand time, in addition to providing real-time dataflow, joint decision support, professional collabora-tion and rapid dissemination of information to boththe New York State Department of Health and its

public health partners. NYS EPHTN, which can beused by other states with minimal modification,acknowledges the important role of informatics inpublic health and the significant contributions to bederived from the national effort to address environ-mental hazards and implement policy changes andintervention programs.

The Davies Awards recognize excellence in theimplementation and use of health information tech-nology in three categories: organizational, primarycare and public health. Originally created by CPRI-HOST in 1995, the Davies Award program honorsDr. Nicholas Davies, an Atlanta-based physicianwho was committed to improving patient carethrough the use of health information technology.The December issue of the HIMSS Insider will pro-file the 2006 Davies Award winners in the organiza-tional category; the Primary Care Award winnerswill be featured in the January 2007 HIMSS Insider.

For individuals interested in serving as a DaviesCommittee member, applications are being accept-ed Nov. 1 through Dec.1, with service beginning thefirst week of January. Please contact David Collins,manager, HIMSS Davies Awards Program, atdcollins@himss.org for additional details. n

Chris Muir Robert Steffel Holt Anderson Karen Hunt

Communities Regional Forum can earn amaximum of 7 AMA PRA Category 1Credits™ and earn up to 8.7 contact hours ofcontinuing education credits toward renewalof the CPHIMS credential. Physicians shouldonly claim credit commensurate with theextent of their participation in the activity.This activity also meets the Massachusetts

Board of Registration in Medicine’s criteria forrisk management study.

Visit www.himss.org/HIEForums for thecomplete agenda for the ConnectingCommunities Regional Forums and to regis-ter. To obtain instant information on stateand local HIT initiatives, visit the HIMSSHIT Dashboard at www.hitdashboard.com.n

Changing the way healthcare connects Participating in and managing personal

healthcare will bring the reality of electron-ic health records (EHRs) to the 2007Interoperability Showcase during the 2007Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition.Once again, attendees will be able to tracktheir EHRs through ambulatory and acutepatient care scenarios during HIMSS07,scheduled for Feb. 25 – March 1 in NewOrleans.

Through the showcase, HIMSS continues todemonstrate the benefits of interoperablepatient data exchange. The 2007Interoperability Showcase will highlight theIHE framework for delivering interoperabilityacross local, regional and national health infor-mation networks. Now in its eighth year, IHE isa global initiative that creates the framework forpassing vital health information seamlessly—from application to application, system to sys-

tem and setting to setting—across multiplehealthcare enterprises.

The showcase will feature cutting-edge tech-nology and standards in an interactive environ-ment that simulates how health information isseamlessly passed among care providers to facil-itate enterprise, community, regional andnationwide health information exchange.

In 2006, nearly 3,000 attendees visited theInteroperability Showcase and 700 of them cre-ated and tracked their own EHR, reinforcingtheir need for information on interoperabilityand the transformation of a unified healthcaresystem. The attendees followed their EHRacross some 40 vendors showcasing 50 differentapplications equipped with the IHE profiles, toensure the interoperable exchange of informa-tion across healthcare settings.

The technology at the 2007 showcase willdemonstrate interoperability in existing EHR

and personal health record (PHR) products,including cross-enterprise document exchangeof laboratory results, radiology images, medicalsummaries and cardiology reports. Through thisinteractive process, attendees will be able to seehow patients can participate in their ownhealthcare management.

This year, IHE will include a New Directionsarea in the showcase. It will highlight IHE's sup-port of clinical trials, government initiatives andemerging standards. “The IHE framework hasmade an important and actionable differencetoward achieving the goal of interoperability inhealthcare,” said Joyce Sensmeier, MS, RN, BC,CPHIMS, FHIMSS, HIMSS vice president ofinformatics. “Vendors who join the IHE initia-tive have the opportunity to demonstrate theinteroperability of their products by participat-ing in the Interoperability Showcase and featur-ing their EHR solutions in a clinical scenario.” n BIG EASY [continued on page 25]

2007 InteroperabilityShowcase:

Public health agencies offersubstance abuse treatment and track environmental hazards through IT

A Day in the Big Easy

Dr. John Keppler (left) and Glenn Richardson discussusing the BHIPS EHR system at the Department of StateHealth Services in Austin, TX.

24 Healthcare IT News n November 2006 www.HealthcareITNews.com

SPIRIT OF HIMSS AWARDSEPTEMBER

• When you attend any of the 300+ educational sessionspresented by leaders in the field;

• When you experience the future of healthcare IT products in the Interoperability Showcase;

• When you interact with the leading healthcare IT companies to learn the right solutions for your organization;

Come experience the New Orleans renaissance and take advantage of the many hotels and restaurants now open and better than ever—and within walking distance of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Steve BallmerChief Executive Officer

Microsoft

Dr. Stephen R. CoveyCo-Founder and

Vice-ChairmanFranklin Covey Company

General Colin L. PowellUS Army (Ret.)

Former US Secretary of State

HIMSS07 in New OrleansFebruary 25 - March 1, 2007SAVE DATE:TH

E

™

www.HIMSS07.orgRegistration is Now Open - Register and save!

• When you have the opportunity to network with thousands of other healthcare IT professionals and learn about the latest technical, commercial and policy developments;

• When you customize your conference to navigate the many educational and networking opportunities;

innovation will happen.

innovation will happen.

Lohnes demonstrates exceptional leadership to HIMSS advocacy effortsMargaret M. Lohnes, RN, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, isthe recipient of the September 2006 “Spirit ofHIMSS” Award. As chair of the HIMSSAdvocacy Legislation/Regulation Review TaskForce and vice chair of the HIMSS Advocacy &Public Policy Steering Committee, she has pro-vided exceptional leadership to HIMSS.

Ms. Lohnes’ support of HIMSS advocacyefforts and work to ensure representation of theclinician perspective in all policy positions has

been outstanding. Her extraordinary performancewas demonstrated when she personally recruitedover 15 HIMSS volunteers to serve on theLegislation/Regulation Review Task Force, whichreviews new legislation and regulations to beginformulating HIMSS positions. Ms. Lohnes alsovolunteered to chair a monthly teleconference tokeep HIMSS members apprised of the latest inlegislation and regulations, as well as hosts specialdiscussions of late breaking policy items.

On August 30, Ms. Lohnes chaired a tele-conference of 22 HIMSS members and edu-cated them on two key pieces of HIT legisla-tion: H.R.4157 and S.1418. She also recentlychaired the review of the newly released StarkReform/Anti-Kickback Act and worked withthe HIMSS Government Relations staff toproduce a white paper on the ramifications ofthese regulations to membership.

Beyond her normal volunteer duties as a

steering committee member and work as ISmanager at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena,CA, Ms. Lohnes spends on average two hoursper day of volunteer time supporting HIMSSadvocacy efforts. Her outstanding efforts toinvolve HIMSS volunteers in public policyinitiatives make her truly deserving of the“Spirit of HIMSS” Award. n

Nominations for the “Spirit of HIMSS” Award aresubmitted to the Membership Committee for consid-eration. Nominations should be submitted to JessicaBird at jbird@himss.org. and should include a briefdescription explaining the accomplishments of themember and how they earn the recognition of the“Spirit of HIMSS.” Winners will be selected andannounced in the HIMSS Insider and HIMSS E-News. One annual honoree will be selected from the12 winners each year.

Niche education offered duringpre-conference programsIn addition to attending pre-conference work-shops, HIMSS07 attendees can head to NewOrleans early to take advantage of specialty pro-grams designed to offer education strategies andsolutions to niche audiences in healthcare IT.

Sunday, February 24

• Nursing Informatics Symposium: Collaboration for Transformation

• CPHIMS Train the Trainer Program

Sunday, February 25

• 2007 HIMSS Physicians' IT Symposium: The Continuum of Care

• Pharmacy IT Symposium: The Wired Pharmacist

• Payer Symposium: Redefining the Payer-Provider Relationship in the Age of Consumerism

• Clinical Engineering and IT Leadership Symposium

• Quality Symposium: IT Supporting Improved Patient Care

• RHIO / HIE Symposium: Preparing for the Second Wave

• MS-HUG Spring Tech Forum• CPHIMS Full-Day Review Course• Academic Forum—IT Research and

Information Management: Education Needsfor the Next Generation (special session open to all HIMSS07 attendees)

For content details, registration and a list of co-sponsors for each program, and to request asymposium brochure, visit www.himss07.org.Please note: an additional fee applies to most ofthe programs listed above.

WORKSHOPS HIMSS07[continued from page 22]structured methodology for process redesign inhealthcare systems undergoing IT or other largeorganizational change implementations. It willdescribe standardized methods, tools and tech-niques for redesigning processes and validatingthe results of implementations. Actual casestudies will be presented.Workshop 203, 8:00 am to 5:00 pmConvincing Others: A Critical Skill for Today'sHealthcare Information Technology Leaders

The purpose of this workshop will be to pro-vide participants with hands-on experiences andstrategies designed to enhance their skills in con-vincing stakeholders to embrace new technolo-gies. The focus of the workshop will be onunderstanding human nature when it comes toaccepting or rejecting change and interpersonal,communication, presentation, assertivenessand leadership style techniques.Workshop 204, 8:00 am to 5:00 pmBuild Your Project Management People Skills(co-sponsored by The Project Management

WORKSHOPS [continued on page 25]

sculpture is presented in a breath-taking natural setting. The Collection, valued at$200 million, includes European painting and sculpture from the 16th through 20thcenturies; American painting and sculpture from the 18th and 19th centuries andAsian, African, Oceanic, Pre-Columbian and Native American art.Jazz up the Night at Preservation Hall Located at: 726 Peter Street (the French Quarter) For more information: www.preservation-hall.com Locals say this is where it all began and visitors who wants to hear New OrleansJazz should make it a “must see.” More than forty years after the hall opened in 1961,the hall is filled nightly to capacity with people eager to hear New Orleans jazz played byoutstanding musicians. Insider tip: bring food and drink; they do not serve it there.

For more information on things to do and see in New Orleans, visit www.himss07.org.n

www.HealthcareITNews.com November 2006 n Healthcare IT News 25

© 2006 ChartOne, Inc. All rights reserved.

The clinical value of an EHR is undeniable, but the business of healthcare demands a Legal Health Record. It’s the record that helps you get paid faster, improves operational performance and reduces your risk. It’s complete and producible — and ensures you have the whole EHR story.

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WORKSHOPS HIMSS07[continued from page 24]

le Connect: CHARTONE 1106

Institute (PMI) – HealthcareSpecific Interest Group)

This workshop is designed to helpHIT professionals better understandthe human element in project man-agement, and (most important) tothen develop those communicationand “people” skills for themselves.Taught by leaders from the acclaimedPMI SeminarsWorld program, themorning will offer interactive groupexercises; the afternoon will be devot-ed to interactive sessions using break-out groups, challenging scenarios,role play, and facilitation to drive thelearning process.Workshop 205, 8:00 am to 5:00 pmStrategic Planning for Healthcare ITProfessionals

The "lack of a strategic IT plan" isconsistently cited as a "significant bar-rier" to implementing HIT, accordingto numerous HIMSS membershipand conference surveys. This work-shop is designed to help attendeesovercome this barrier by providing theprocess necessary to develop a strategicplan. Participants will be able to iden-tify and work toward outlining arobust process for developing a strate-gic IT plan, defining future opportu-nities and risks and presenting real-world implementation lessons.Workshop 206, 8:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.Business Information Systems:Claim Attachments Workshop (co-sponsored by AFEHCT)

Electronic health claim attach-ments, mandated by HIPAA,improve and expedite claims process-ing, reduce denials and appeals,reduce paperwork, save in claimpreparation time and postage, andfor some attachment types, allow thedata required to be predictable. Thisworkshop will provide the tools forbetter understanding the businessneed for claims attachments inhealthcare and the standards

General Fund Contributors

L. BarrettDonald BechtelLiz Johnson, FHIMSSThomas MarlowSean MitchellEndowment Contributors

Simon Cohn, MD, MPH, FACEPDave Roberts, FHIMSSArnol SimmonsTom KeefeEric JacobsenBlair HedgepethMary Griskewicz, FHIMSSAmina BussellGail ArnettBrenda DuncanJoAnn Klinedinst, FHIMSS

THANK YOU FORCONTRIBUTINGTO THE

The following individuals generously contributedto the HIMSS Foundation in September.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

For more information or to make a contribution,please contact Erica Pantuso, VP Member

Services, epantuso@himss.org or 312/915-9277.

involved, while offering tips on iden-tifying and best addressing currentissues involving providers and payers.Workshop 207, 1:00a.m. – 5:00p.m.Healthcare IT: What You Need toKnow for a Successful Future

This workshop provides a solidgrounding in the fundamentals anddrivers of HIT and then proposesseveral scenarios to be dissected andanalyzed. Attendees will learn howHIT has evolved to this point,

including the factors influenced ingrowth and direction. In addition,speakers will identify the market andgovernmental forces that are influ-encing, driving and constraining thedirection of healthcare and discussthe future role HIT might play in“saving” healthcare in the U.S. n

An additional fee is required for attendingeach workshop. Program details and reg-istration are available at www.himss07.org.

BIG EASY [continued from page 23]