In This Issue:
 About GCCHIMSS
President's Welcome
Upcoming Programs
CIO Outreach Program
Financial Report
Advocacy Update
GCC HIMSS Sponsored WINI
GCC HIMSS Fall Program
2007 - 2008 Sponsorship
GCCHIMSS Thanks Our Sponsors
President Vincent S. Vitali's 2007-2008 Welcome
Vincent S. Vitali
My Life with HlMSS
Well we begin another year for our Chapter and already time is flying by. We work in a business that changes daily and there is so much to know and even more to learn. The key seems to be having a clear vision of where you’re at in your career and most importantly, where you want to go. I’ve been in healthcare information technology for over 20 years, starting as a PC analyst with what is now Advocate Health Care in 1984. It was there that I first raised my head above the ‘crisis du jour’ to look at what was going on in the larger industry and joined GCC HIMSS. I’m not exactly sure what attracted me at that time but I recall believing that there was so much to learn from others in my field who have been there-done that and even those struggling with similar issues.
Over the years that followed, I expanded my participation in the Chapter to take on various positions, ultimately becoming President. During this period I made many contacts at HIMSS and began serving on different National committees eventually chairing the National Chapters Task Force. The networking I did over these years provided me with new job opportunities as well. Those new positions further expanded my industry contacts and that made HIMSS even more valuable and enjoyable.
So as I start my second round as President of GCC HIMSS I thought I’d tell you a little of my story as a testament to the value of participating in HIMSS, and I want all of you to understand that as HIMSS has grown and expanded, so have the Chapters, and the opportunities for professional growth and advancement have never been better.
I know you’re all busy – that’s our lot in life, but I encourage you to make this the year you reach out to learn from your peers; to meet and network with similar-minded professionals; and to expand your professional opportunities – to begin or continue writing your own story!
We here at GCC HIMSS stand ready and willing to provide excellent educational programs on our own and with various partners, advancement opportunities and certification, social and networking prospects, and the chance to volunteer on our various committees. I am extremely fortunate to have a most excellent Board to accomplish this. Feel free to contact any one of us at any time with questions or suggestions. On behalf of them, I want to welcome you all to what I believe will a fabulous year!
Vincent S. Vitali
President, Greater Chicago Chapter of HIMSS
2007-2008 Upcoming Programs
Lydia A. Splan
One of the key benefits of being a chapter member is participating in our regional programs. We strive to bring relevant exciting topics and speakers to the greater Chicago area for informative sessions and networking. Already this year we have hosted a Weekend Immersion in Nursing Informatics (WINI), and on October 25 were excited to bring you a program exploring Stark Law revisions and it’s effect on hospital strategies in support of private physicians. November 5-6, GCC HIMSS partnered with the Midwest area chapters to bring you the Midwest Fall Technology Conference. This has been a very successful partnering of healthcare and technology providers to present you with the latest and greatest innovations in healthcare technology.
We love to have robust attendance out our programs to inspire better programs and speakers in the future. Upcoming we will have a local program in January and in the spring we will sponsor another nursing informatics program. As always, we will inform you of these events through our website and email. Please register at www.gcchimss.net and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Lydia A. Splan
CIO Outreach Program
Reaching Out to Area Leadership
Joel A. Splan
Every year the Greater Chicago Chapter HIMSS Board of Directors invites local area leadership to our Provider CIO Reception and Dinner.
With busy schedules we know that leadership often cannot attend the GCC-HIMSS programs scheduled throughout the year, but we hope to engage our leadership in a special event for feedback on GCC programs and opportunities.
The objectives of the breakfast are:
1) To strengthen the ties between GCC HIMSS and the local provider organizations in order to bring better value and benefit to our members
2) To obtain feedback on our current goals and objectives for fiscal year 2008
3) To provide an opportunity to network with other Chicagoland CIOs
Inivites to this year's events will go out in early January. Plesae feel free to contact me to ensure an invite. Thank you
jsplan@nmh.org
2007-2008 First Quarter Finacial Report
Greater Chicago Chapter
Bob Milfajt
Click Here
GCC HIMSS - RHIO Liaison
Mike Cohen
Current RHIO Activity in Illinois
Mike Cohen and Ellen Ellen Van Buskirk will be sharing the role RHIO Liaison with the HIMSS national RHIO Chapter Liaison Roundtable. Monthly national teleconference meetings are targeted at keeping chapters informed of what is going on at a national level and how it may affect us at the state level.
HIMSS Analytics tracks the status of approximately 600 RHIO’s across the United States and reports that status at http://www.himss.org/statedashboard. The dashboard lists 16 RHIO efforts in Illinois including four that have already expired, and one still in the proposal stage (Caterpillar, Inc.) It is unclear what the current operating status of each RHIO is, or how many providers and/or patients it serves. We are asking Chapter members to help keep us updated, especially with any that successfully operating and can be viewed as “best practices” model within the state. We welcome any information about these organizations, or others that may be operating and are not on this list.
Please email any such information to Mike Cohen at mike@mrccg.com
GCC HIMSS Sponsored WINI
OCTOBER 12–14, 2007
Ruth MacCallum, BS RN-BC
The Chicago Chapter recently acted as a host location for a WINI (Week-end Immersion in Nursing Informatics). This program was developed and presented by Carol Bickford, PhD RN-BC and Kathleen Smith, MScED RN-BC FHIMSS. Its purpose was to provide an overview of informatics and prepare those attending for taking the ANA (American Nurses Association) certification exam in the specialty of Nursing Informatics.
The WINI was held at the WinGate Hotel in Schaumburg. The initial feedback from attendees of this conference was very positive. Content and materials received high ratings along with the location and the catering which was included in the registration fee. Although the group was somewhat small (25), the networking achieved was outstanding. Almost half of the registrants were from out of state: California, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Vermont, Indiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Georgia. The remaining Illinois attendees all indicated that they would like to attend more programs sponsored by the Chicago Chapter.
Planning will now start for the third annual NI conference to be held in the Spring of ’08.
GCC HIMSS Fall Program
Hospital Support of Private Physician EHRs: Strategies and Perspectives
Lydia Splan
GCC HIMSS was pleased to present our Fall Program featuring Mary Griskewicz, HIMSS Senior Director of Ambulatory Strategies; Ira Kalina, Partner Gardner, Carton, and Douglas LLP; and a panel of representatives from Chicago-area health systems.
Summary of Program
Do you have a strategy to integrate data from your physician practices into your EHR? Are your independent physicians asking you to connect to their office EMR? Have you considered offering your own EHR solution to your physician community? What about Stark III and other regulations?
Join the Greater Chicago Chapter of HIMSS for a seminar on one of the most important topics in the healthcare IT industry today. You'll hear from national leaders in the industry who will cover trends and directions in hospital-physician EHR partnership as well as the latest legal and regulatory issues. You'll also hear from two local health systems as to how they are addressing this need with their physician communities. This session promises to shed valuable new light on a very pertinent and confusing topic.
Panel participants included:
• Speaker - Mary Griskewicz - HIMSS Senior Director, Ambulatory Information Systems
• Speaker - Ira Kalina - Partner, Gardner, Carton & Douglas LLP
• Panel Member - George Morris, VP Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Northwest Community Hospital
• Panel Member - Dr. David Liebovitz, Medical Director of Informatics, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and CMIO Northwestern Memorial Faculty Foundation
• Panel Member - Julie Bryant, Director, Clinical Information Systems, Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Panel moderated by Mary Griskewicz and Ira Kalina
GCC-HIMSS Sponsorship
Corey M. Gaarde
This year has yet again proven to be successful in engaging a broader sponsorship base. Our continual success has enabled GCC-HIMSS to provide exciting and new programs that continually attract a spectrum of Healthcare professionals. We were able to increase our overall sponsorships to 19 corporations this year. This includes a record 9 Platinum engagements! My personal thanks go out to all corporations who participate. We would not be able to provide the continual opportunities to our community without your support.
The sponsorship program offers a variety of options to align with corporate vendors marketing strategies. We continually evolve the program based on feedback from past and current engagements to really provide benefits for not only the corporation but most importantly the user community. We try new and exciting ventures such as Webinars, vendor tables at programs, and increased marketing awareness via different communication forums.
If you have any questions regarding the GCC-HIMSS Sponsorship program please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thanks.
Corey M. Gaarde
cgaarde@nmh.org
GCCHIMSS
Thanks Our
Platinum and Gold Sponsors
Our Platinum Sponsors
Beacon Partners
Burwood
CDW
Healthia Consulting
Insight
Laurus Technologies
Oracle Healthcare
PatientKeeper
Virtelligence
Our Gold Sponsors
American Hospital Association
Elliott Data Systems
GuardEra
IBM
Mobile Access
Passport
TeraMedica
|
|
President
Vince Vitali
Vitali & Associates
Past President
Dawn Mitchell
President Elect
Joel Splan
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Secretary
Frank Scafidi
Elmhurst Memorial Health System
Treasurer
Robert Milfajt
Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundations
Communication Chair
Anthony Beard
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Communication Co-Chair
Mary Jane Rouchka
Sprint
Sponsorship Chair
Corey Gaarde
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Professional Development Chair
Susan Wozniak
Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare
Education Program Chair
Lydia Splan
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Student Liaison
Keri Christensen
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Member-at-Large
Michael Cohen
MRC Consulting Group
Member-at-Large
Ellen Swoger
Methodist Medical Center of Illinois
Member-at-Large
Ellen Van Buskirk
Keane Worldzen
Member-at-Large
Katie Becker
Healthia Consulting
HIMSS Staff
Stephanie Serra
Jessie Bird
|
|
