Note from the President
Ken Stensvold , FHIMSS, CPHIMS
President, HIMSS MN Chapter
As 2010 comes to a close, it seems an appropriate time to thank all of the people that make our HIMSS Chapter one of the best in the nation. It all starts with our sponsors. Without their support we would not be able to bring the networking opportunities to our members. Our summer socials in Rochester and the Twin Cities are very well attended and provide our members with excellent opportunities that they otherwise would not have. At our recent holiday board dinner a current board member shared with me that when she found herself out of a job her main source of job prospects was the social events that she attended. I am happy to report that she is now re-employed because of a lead she got at one of our events. The other big event that our sponsors help us with is our chapter reception at HIMSS National. This is very well attended each year as I am sure it will be again this year in Orlando.
The second group I would like to thank is the board. From the excellent programs that we facilitate to the two $1000 scholarships that are given away each May, the board does a great job! Without the communication folks this newsletter and website would not be possible and I cannot leave out the at-large members that fill in wherever needed. This past year Minnesota received numerous accolades from the Midwest chapters as well as the National Office. These accolades came because of success of the Midwest Fall Technology Conference, which was chaired by Margaret Senn and had several others from Minnesota on the planning committee. Thank you for all you do board members.
The third group to thank would be you, the members. Without you, we would not have a chapter. You do a great job of supporting our chapter programs and other events. In the coming year I hope we can not only maintain the attendance at our quarterly programs, but increase the attendance. If you have any ideas for the programs committee don’t be shy in sending the committee a note at programs@himss-mn.org. Tammy would love to hear from you.
2010 was a great year for our chapter and looking forward to an even better year 2011. Happy Holidays to everyone.
Connect with Minnesota HIMSS Members at HIMSS11 in Orlando
HIMSS11 Annual Conference & Exhibition will be held in Orlando, FL on February 20 - February 24th. If you’re planning to attend HIMSS11 in Orlando, please join us for our annual chapter reception at the Rosen Centre Hotel, conveniently connected to the Orange County Convention Center.
Date: Monday, February 21, 2010
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Location: Rosen Centre Hotel, Salon 13/14,
What: Complimentary Appetizers & Cocktails
This is a great networking event made possible by the generous contributions of our elite sponsors: Ingenix Consulting, Phenomenal Networks, and TAJ Technologies, Inc.
You may encounter wait times for on-location registration at the venue; please pre-register and help us plan better. As always, there will be no charge for this event.
Advocacy and HIMSS
Sue Green, Advocacy Chair
We continue to face multi-faceted changes in our industry. Keeping on top on who is doing what and activity concerning National Healthcare Reform is a difficult task. Each year the HIMSS-MN Chapter draws on our national HIMSS resources to provide clarity at the national level. This year we are focused on Healthcare bills, EMR Adoption, the changes in our legislature and how it may impact National and State government. What will the future hold?
Our speaker, John Hoyt, EVP, Healthcare Organizational Services, HIMSS National, plans to provide a view into National Healthcare and the impacts to Minnesota. We all know that once a year is not enough to stay on top of the changes and John will advise us on how we can become engaged with advocacy activities at both the state and national levels. The program is scheduled for January 19th. Look for registration promos and watch the event calendar for more information. Join us for an evening of education.
In addition, to welcome our new Governor-elect, Mark Dayton, Tom Keefe, HIMSS Senior Director Government Affairs has arranged to have a letter of introduction sent. This will be accompanied by two books; one on healthcare information technology and another on who's who in HIMSS National and Advocate contacts.
Questions? email Sue Green at advocacy@himss-mn.org for more information.
Programs Update
Tammy Winden, HIMSS MN President-Elect & Programs Chair
January Program
Topic : Advocacy Event
Speakers: John Hoyt, HIMSS
John Hoyt will be speaking about progress on Healthcare bills, EMR Adoption, the changes in our legislature and how it may impact National and State government, as well as ARRA. What will the future hold?
John is the Executive Vice President, Organizational Services at HIMSS National. He is responsible for providing executive leadership and direction to HIMSS Analytics and other HIMSS departments focused on services or companies and organizations. He is based out of Chicago and will be joining us for this Program in the Twin Cities at Allina.
Agenda:
5:30 p.m. Dinner
6:00 p.m. Announcements & Program
7:15 p.m. Q &A
7:30 p.m. Conclusion
Locations
Twin Cities - Allina Commons (Host Site)
Rochester Mayo Clinic (Webex and Audio Conference)
Register here!
HIMSS Minnesota Chapter Annual Conference - Save the Date!
"Meaningful Use: Technical Challenges and Solutions"
Wednesday, May 18, 2010
Carlson School of Business, University of Minnesota
Call for proposals is open and submissions are due by COB January 14, 2011.
HIMSS MN Chapter Scholarships - Apply Today!
Andrew Galbus, PMP, FHIMSS, CPHIMS
Student Liaison, HIMSS MN Chapter
Our chapter wishes to reward future information technology or healthcare professionals investing their careers in the development of innovative system design, evaluation or implementation to improve the healthcare delivery system.
Scholarships are awarded for academic excellence and the potential for future leadership in the healthcare information and management systems industry. Review criteria include as a core foundation: scholastic achievement and demonstration of leadership potential, including communication skills and participation in HIMSS activities.
We now have two $1000 scholarships available for students, one for undergraduates and one for graduate students. You need not be a member of HIMSS to apply. This is a short application which can be found here. If you qualify, consider applying today!
A REACH Update for the MN HIMSS December 2010
Submitted by Shirley Eichenwald Maki, MBA, RHIA, FAHIMA, a REACH associate from The College of St. Scholastica
The Regional Extension Assistance Center for HIT (REACH) – the regional health information technology (HIT) extension center serving Minnesota and North Dakota - works with its contracted clients to improve the quality and value of care delivered through the adoption and meaningful use of their electronic health record systems.
Over the past five months, REACH staff has been recruiting eligible health care providers to take advantage of federal discounts for EHR services through REACH. December is significant in REACH’s recruiting/contracting effort because, under REACH’s current agreement with the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), all new REACH contracts need to be initiated before December 31 to receive the deeply discounted rates. At the same time, REACH’s HIT consultant staff is beginning to work with recently contracted clients.
In mid-September REACH received approval for supplemental funding from ONC to expand its services to support Critical Access and rural hospitals. This means that Critical Access and rural hospitals in Minnesota and North Dakota can now receive subsidized assistance with their efforts to adopt and meaningfully use HIT.
REACH services are designed to support clients in their efforts to achieve stage 1 meaningful use in 12 months or less. REACH has developed a meaningful use assessment which is available for clinics that already have an EHR to determine how ready they are to meet meaningful use with their current EHR system. This assessment consists of a survey, an interview, and a dashboard to track the clinic’s progress toward achieving meaningful use. An assessment will be available for hospitals (CAH and PPS <50 beds) in the near future.
REACH clients have access to these types of services: readiness assessments, practice and workflow redesign, assistance with selection of a certified EHR product, vendor contracting with the vendor of their choice, a process for EHR project management, EHR optimization and meaningful use, technical reporting, privacy and security best practices, and functional interoperability and HIE assessment and guidance.
REACH’s approach to working with clients is focused on building the client’s skills and providing the client with tools as needed to make HIT decisions and associated changes in an informed and sustainable way. This process emphasizes that technology is a tool—successful use of that tool requires the right leadership, culture, processes, and workflow. The REACH technical assistance model is a mix of on-site assistance, consultations, and group learning. In addition, REACH provides clients access to educational resources: toolkits, webinars, and links to online best practice resources provided by ONC.
More information about REACH services and educational events is available at the REACH website. In addition, an October 21 presentation on REACH and Meaningful Use is available for download from the Minnesota e-Health website.
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MINNESOTA CHAPTER
Be sure to check out our upcoming events at www.himss-mn.org
January Program - Registration Open
Topic : Advocacy Event
Speakers: John Hoyt, HIMSS
Topic: HIMSS Advocacy - a look at MN Healthcare Legislature
Date: January 19, 2011
Time: Dinner: 5:30, Program: 6:00pm
Sites: Allina, Mayo
Register Securely Online
HIMSS Minnesota Chapter Annual Conference
"Meaningful Use: Technical Challenges and Solutions"
Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2010
Site: Carlson School of Business, University of Minnesota
Call for proposals is open and submissions are due by COB January 14, 2011
Thank you to all of our sponsors!
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