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In This Issue:  Letter From The President From the Past President Farewell from Frank Scafidi Programs Spotlight on a local CIO Sponsorship Financial Report Student Involvement in HIMSS Advocacy Corner People on the move...Letter From The President Welcome to the first newsletter for the Greater Chicago Chapter of HIMSS (GCC HIMSS) 2008-2009 year. The Board of Directors for GCC-HIMSS has recently transitioned over to our newly elected members and prepared what we expect to be another excellent year of educational programs and networking events. Our transition meeting was held at the National HIMSS office in downtown Chicago and it was at this meeting when I took on the role of President for the coming year. I want to thank all of our board members from the previous year, with a special thank you to our now Past-President Vince Vitali. Under Vince’s leadership we had another strong year of capacity programs bringing in industry thought leaders, improving support from our sponsors, and maintaining a strong financial outlook. Through the efforts of Vince and last year’s board we are able to execute on our ambitious plan for the 2008-2009 year. For the coming year we intend to provide at least two Chicago-area programs, and participate in two Chicago-area joint programs with HIMSS-related organizations. Based on the program ideas we received from our membership and our CIO Outreach program, we know the topics will be timely and interesting to all. We will also hold a social networking event at the National HIMSS Conference next April, right here in Chicago. As many of you are aware, the 2009 National HIMSS Conference is going to be held in downtown Chicago, creating many different opportunities for member engagement. The GCC-HIMSS Board has made it a goal to work with National to ensure that GCC-HIMSS has an important role to play at the conference. In 2008-2009, we are also planning an event “downstate” to bring greater value to our members who are not Chicago-based. We hope to engage these members bringing them at least one program this year, and to support this goal we’ve assigned two of our Members-at-Large positions with this initiative. As always, the GCC-HIMSS Board is here to serve our membership and is committed to providing the best programs and events possible. I would like to congratulate our new members, and welcome everyone to another year. New Board Members President Elect – Susan Wozniak Secretary - Brigid Donohue Education Program Chair – Mike Cohen Sponsorship Chair – Corey Gaarde Professional Development Chair – Keri Christensen Student Liaison – Kshitij Naval Member-at-Large – Ellen Swoger, Becki Lapke, David Miller Existing Board Members President – Joel Splan Past President – Vince Vitali Treasurer – Bob Milfajt Secretary – Frank Scafidi Communications Chair – Mary Jane Rouchka, Anthony Beard Nursing Informatics Special Coordinator – Ruth MacCallum Our newsletter offers an update from each of the committee chairs, information on new programs and business, and short pieces on new developments in the industry. It’s our intent to improve the newsletter this year by providing more relevant content, with more of a perspective. I hope you enjoy this first newsletter of the year, and we appreciate feedback and thoughts on how to improve the newsletter to better serve your needs. Thank you for your interest and support, and please keep an eye out for program invites early this fall. We hope to see all of you there! Joel A. Splan President – GCC HIMSS Just Sitting In Anyone who knows me knows how much I love music – all kinds of music. A few of you even know I still play in a local rock/pop group called OddPops. For me music is life! The power of music is unmatched in my opinion. It can lift your spirits or severely depress you. It can excite and motivate you or calm and soothe. How many times do you find yourself singing a tune to yourself without knowing why? So what does this have to do with GCC HIMSS? Well it may be a stretch but I look back on this past year as President of the chapter as one of those great epic songs with a seductive melody and powerful lyrics that burn into your memory and stay with you forever. Depending on your taste maybe Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody or The Eagles’ Hotel California or Aja (or just about anything for me) by Steely Dan. The point is I have been inspired by the band you know as the GCC HIMSS Board and by every ‘musician’ in the group. Together I believe we have accomplished some great things this past year for our Chapter, including great programs, greater socials, and our greatest reach and scope ever. So I wanted to take a moment to send my thanks to Janis (Dawn Mitchell), Prince (Joel Splan), Meatloaf (Frank Scafidi), Madonna (Lydia Splan), Sting (Corey Gaarde), Reba (Susan Wozniak), Jerry Garcia (Bob Milfajt), Jimi (Anthony Beard), Deborah Harry (Mary Jane Rouchka), Chrissy Hynes (Keri Christensen), John Lennon (Mike Cohen), Bonnie Raitt (Ellen Swoger), Sheryl Crow (Katie Becker), and Linda Ronstadt (Ruth MacCallum). (Don’t read too much into these selections, I just picked artists I enjoy. I hope I don’t offend anyone (artists included) as my intention was simply to show my gratitude.) So to all of you, thanks so much for letting me ‘sit in’ with the band. I think we made some pretty good music! Rock on! Farewell from Frank Scafidi Dear Chicago Chapter of HIMSS member and colleague, I am pleased to announce that I have accepted the position of CIO for the Georgetown Hospital System in historic Georgetown, South Carolina. Sadly I must resign my position as the chapter’s Board Secretary. Georgetown is a terrific organization with ambitious plans. We have two hospitals whose markets include Georgetown, Pawleys Island, Murrells Inlet and Myrtle Beach. We are experiencing tremendous growth and have many exciting and unique challenges ahead of us. It has been a pleasure working with you over the last 5 years as I've had the good fortune to serve in a number of positions on the GCCHIMSS Board. I doubt a finer and more progressive group of IT and healthcare professionals exist anywhere else in our nation. I have made many friends and acquaintances during my 10 years in the Chicagoland area and will miss you all. I wish each and every one of you the best in your career and look forward to reconnecting at National HIMSS in Chicago in April 2009. Farewell my friends and best regards, Frank Scafidi, CPHIMS Secretary GCCHIMSS 2008 - 2009 GCC HIMSS Programs Thank you to all of our chapter members and speakers for making our GCC-HIMSS programs for 2007-2008 a success! In addition to co-sponsoring the Fall Technology Conference, we hosted the October “Hospital Support of Private Physician EHRs: Strategies and Perspectives” and the January “Integrated Information Technology and Health Care Facility Design” programs. There was a webinar on “Achieving Compliance, Security, and Efficiency through Data Driven Identity and Access Management” presented by GCC-HIMSS and Laurus Technologies. For your reference we were able to provide all of the presentations on our website and they are still available for your viewing. Now it is time to launch into our 2008-2009 season of programs, which through your input are sure to be exciting educational topics for the Chicago chapter. On Thursday, September 18, 2008 at the Westin in Lombard, IL our first program of the year is a CIO roundtable. Five area CIO’s will share with us the career path they took that enabled them to land the highly coveted spot of CIO. Watch for upcoming news bulletins for details. On October 23rd and 24th, 2008 the Greater Chicago, Iowa, Kentucky Bluegrass, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin Dairyland and Southeast Wisconsin Chapters of the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS) will hold a two-day educational conference at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in the Chicago metropolitan area. The theme of this year’s conference is “Virtual IT: Keeping IT Real”. In addition, the 3rd Annual Midwest Nursing Informatics Symposium will be held a day prior to the Midwest Fall Technology Conference on Wednesday, October 22nd. The theme of this year’s symposium is “Enhancing Nursing Presence through Informatics”. New to the 2008-2009 program schedule will be IT-Table Talk discussion groups. Facilitated by local, subject matter experts, small discussion groups will be held in a very casual, relaxed environment. The goal of these discussion groups is to facilitate conversations amongst IT Managers and Analysts in a forum where they can discuss and learn about new applications or how to solve technical problems. The goal is also to provide an environment where more intimate conversations can occur in addition to networking. If you have any suggestions for topics please contact maryjane.rouchka@sprint.com or abeard@nmh.org. Thank you again for your support and we look forward to seeing you this fall as we kick off another great season of programs and events! HIMSS Organizational Affiliate Membership Program The Organizational Affiliate program is HIMSS’ third membership category designed exclusively for healthcare provider organizations. Participants in the Organizational Affiliate membership program receive unlimited individual HIMSS memberships, complimentary Annual Conference registrations (depending on the level of membership) and discounts to various HIMSS events including HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition, which will be held in Chicago, 2009. Organizational Affiliates also receive exclusive access to HIMSS eLearning Academy, which provides “stay home” value with 24/7 access to content-rich online education. The eLearning Academy consists of best practices, case studies, certification and content-rich education that can be shared by employees throughout the organization—thus serving as a cost-efficient, flexible education tool. The eLearning Academy helps build IT Professional identity inside the IS Department and across the organization. Besides the initial cost-savings advantage, every HIT stakeholder within a healthcare provider organization can have access to individual and enterprise level benefits—that will expand the opportunity to network, provide high-quality educational content and professional development resources, and create partnerships for HIT initiatives. • Bridge the IT learning gap • Create a new collaborative culture • Share the discoveries and proven practices of HIT adoption • Save on the costs of individual HIMSS memberships and event registrations To become an Organizational Affiliate or for more information, email Phillip Shaffer or call 312-915-9275. HIMSS Professional Development Resources CPHIMS is a professional certification program for healthcare information and management systems professionals. Individuals who meet eligibility criteria and successfully complete the CPHIMS exam is designated a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS). Learn more here: http://www.himss.org/ASP/certification_cphims.asp GCC-HIMSS is considering offering a Project Management class at a discounted rate for members in 2009. If you would be interested in attending, please contact Keri Christensen at Kechrist@nmh.org Spotlight on a local CIO I appreciate the opportunity to share my career experience with those of you who are working towards a senior level IT position or not. It’s been at times over the past 24 years, frustrating, challenging, overwhelming but most of all rewarding! If any of you have read or listened to (as in my case) “The Dip”, it’s very true that you really just have to “stick with the right stuff” and “quit the wrong stuff”. In each of my major career moves I learned some valuable lessons and applied that learning to the next move. Enough of the philosophy and on with the facts, my information technology career began in 1984 working at HBO and Company (HBOC), now McKesson, installing patient care information systems. I learned that there are a whole lot of activities that lead up to the installation of an information system and needed to find out more. From HBOC, I moved into a consulting role in 1990 at First Consulting Group, where I managed implementation projects, conducted system evaluation/selection projects, and developed information technology plans. Working at FCG I was able to round out my IT skills but also learned that I needed to get off the road. From consulting I moved into the VP of Information Technology position in 1997 at Excela Health, a 3 hospital IDN in Southwestern Pennsylvania. At Excela I learned a whole lot about hospital administration, the good the bad and the ugly. I am currently the CIO for Methodist Medical Center a 330-bed hospital in Peoria Illinois and I’m still learning. I’ve been an active member of HIMSS and CHIME for over 12 years. I’ve held various positions including: past president of the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of HIMSS in 1997, chairperson on the Benchmarking committee of CHIME in 2004 and most recently member-at-large for the Greater Chicago Chapter of HIMSS. I have spoken at the CHIME Fall Forums, been a guest lecturer for the Health Information Management Graduate program at University of Pittsburgh and have spoken for local business organizations in Peoria Illinois. Participating in HIMSS and CHIME has given me both educational and networking opportunities above and beyond what my career positions could provide. On an education and personal note, I hold a degree in Business from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, am married, love to golf, bike, have a standard poodle and live in Dunlap Illinois. Changes to Sponsorship Names HIMSS National has asked their local chapters to rename Diamond, Platinum, and Gold sponsorships to something else because of confusion in local and national sponsorship levels. The GCC-HIMSS sponsorships are now Elite, Premier, Partner and Supporter. Spotlight on Sponsors Laurus Technologies is proud to continue its strong and longstanding association with the Greater Chicago Chapter of HIMSS as an Elite Sponsor for 2008-09. We recognize the value that GCC-HIMSS provides to its members in providing a forum to share ideas in healthcare IT, grow professionally, and develop collaborative networking for the mutual benefit of all members. Laurus contributes to the betterment of the Chicago chapter based on our deep experience in healthcare IT. We continue to help members of GCC-HIMSS through sponsorship and participation in educational programs and networking events. “GCC-HIMSS is an ideal forum for us to demonstrate our capabilities in healthcare,” according to Mike Carr, HIMSS member and Laurus’ VP of Healthcare. “Our clients have challenges ranging from core server and storage infrastructure through identity management and master data management. We can bring experts to the table to first understand the business challenge, assess the technology needs, and collaborate on a solution.” While Laurus was a charter sponsor of GCC-HIMSS beginning in 2006, its participation with the chapter began much earlier. Laurus was one of just two firms to sponsor the Greater Chicago Chapter reception at the National HIMSS conference each year. And our employees are members and active participants themselves. “I’ve found that participation in GCC-HIMSS has been personally and professionally rewarding,” says Dawn Mitchell, Laurus’ Director of Sales for healthcare and a Past-President of GCC-HIMSS. She continues to stay active in chapter leadership activities, helping to coordinate the 2008 Midwest Fall Technology Conference. “I was a member before I joined Laurus, and am pleased that the company shares my enthusiasm about GCC-HIMSS and supports the organization.” Laurus continues its relationship with the GCC-HIMSS chapter for several reasons. Most importantly, HIMSS is an ideal way in which we can contribute to the healthcare technology community in Illinois. With over eight years experience in healthcare technology, we’ve developed a strong understanding of what is important to chapter members, and are ready and willing to meet and collaborate with GCC-HIMSS members. In addition, the chapter’s various programs and social events provide excellent networking opportunities and a way to promote the Laurus name throughout the healthcare community in the Chicago area. Finally, the opportunities to demonstrate our thought leadership provided by GCC-HIMSS are unparalleled, with high-quality programs that continue to improve every year while attracting a wider and more diverse audience, creating stronger engagement in the Healthcare IT community. Laurus Technologies will continue to be an Elite Sponsor of the GCC-HIMSS chapter for many years to come. Laurus Technologies ( www.laurustech.com) is an IT consulting and systems integration firm helping its healthcare provider clients solve some of their most pressing business challenges from needs assessment through implementation. Laurus was ranked 18th on the 2008 Crains’ Chicago Business Fast Fifty--a list of the fastest growing Chicago-area companies. Laurus listens to client needs and partners to develop technology strategies that align with their business objectives. Laurus people are experts in managing today’s increasingly complex IT infrastructure. 2007-2008 Third Quarter Finacial Report Greater Chicago Chapter Click Here What does HIMSS offer specifically to Students? Scholarships: • The HIMSS national organization offers several $5-7,000 scholarships to students in the fields similar to industrial engineering, operations research, healthcare informatics, computer science and information systems, mathematics, and quantitative programs in business administration and hospital administration will predominate. • The GCCHIMSS chapter also offers two, $2,500 scholarships annually to students in a health informatics or healthcare related field of study, one for graduate students and the other for undergraduates. Applications for this scholarship will be available at www.gcchimss.net starting in August 2008, with a deadline of October 2008. Program development opportunities: • Work with the program committee in educational program planning • Help out at program events with registration or other hosting functions Networking opportunities: • Come to our local chapter programs to learn about current topics in Healthcare IT • Stay after the program to network with other chapter members and enjoy hors d'oeuvres What does HIMSS Membership Cost? For full time students, HIMSS/GCCHIMSS joint membership is $30. For part time students, The HIMSS/GCCHIMSS joint membership is $140 and GCCHIMSS-only membership is also available for $30. If you are a student or work with students who may be interested in more information about HIMSS, please feel free to contact us directly for further details. Contact Kshitij Naval at knaval14@gmail.com for further information on student opportunities. Contact Keri Christensen at Kechrist@nmh.org for information on scholarships. Mentorship Opportunities One of the best services we can offer to our student members is the opportunity to have a mentor. If you are interested in becoming a mentor for a 1 year commitment, please contact Keri Christensen at Kechrist@nmh.org . We currently are looking for a nursing informatics director or similar in the south suburbs to mentor one of our student members. Advocacy Corner What is HIMSS Advocacy? The HIMSS Office of Advocacy and Public Policy focuses on equipping federal and state officials with the knowledge they need to implement appropriate policy. They work with all interested stakeholders including individual members, corporations, and collaborating organizations to coordinate and advance healthcare IT and management systems through advocacy and public policy initiatives. As a chapter we can support these efforts in Illinois. The eight main focus areas for advocacy are as follows: Funding and Incentives, Healthcare Delivery Transformation, Standards, Privacy and Security, Legal/Licensure, Structural, Consumer Empowerment, and Population Health Monitoring. What Advocacy resources are available to me? HIMSS has an advocacy website with many resources available at http://www.himss.org/advocacy/. Specific pending legislation can be tracked at http://capwiz.com/himss/issues/bills/. The legislation is clearly marked with the number of co-sponsors, and the HIMSS position on the bill: neutral, monitoring, in support, or in opposition. This resource also provides you with contact information for your specific elected officials so that you can let them know about your opinion on proposed legislation. What are a few bills that HIMSS supports? 1) Kennedy, Enzi, Clinton, and Hatch: Wired for Health Care Quality Act Bill # S.1693 Original Sponsor: Edward Kennedy (D-MA) Cosponsor Total: 16 (last sponsor added 04/17/2008) 5 Democrats: including IL Senator Barack Obama. 11 Republicans IL Senator Dick Durbin has not signed on as a cosponsor. Last update: 06/26/2007: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. About This Legislation: A bill to enhance the adoption of a nationwide interoperable health information technology system and to improve the quality and reduce the costs of health care in the United States. See more about the Bill: http://capwiz.com/himss/issues/bills/?bill=9998366 Contact your Senator about the Bill: Look up the bill at the link above, enter your zip code, and email your Senator! 2) Eshoo/Rogers: Promoting Health Information Technology Act Bill # H.R.3800 Original Sponsor: Anna Eshoo (D-CA 14th) Cosponsor Total: 14 (last sponsor added 05/22/2008) 8 Democrats: Neither IL Senator has signed on as a cosponsor. 6 Republicans About This Legislation: To advance the adoption of nationwide interoperable health information technology and to improve health care quality and reduce health care costs in the United States. This legislation is the companion bill for S. 1693, Wired for Health Care Quality Act. See more about the Bill: http://capwiz.com/himss/issues/bills/?bill=10425916 Contact your Senator about the Bill: Look up the bill at the link above, enter your zip code, and email your Senator! I’ve heard about State HIT Advocacy Days. Can you tell me more? HIMSS State Advocacy Days are some of the most important HIMSS events each year. Supported by HIMSS Chapters and HIMSS State Government Relations, State Advocacy Days aim to raise awareness to select HIT and management systems policy. Conducted when a state legislature is in session, a State Advocacy Day may include meetings with legislators, site visits to healthcare facilities and presentations from policy experts. In 2007, three states held a HIMSS State Advocacy Day. In 2008, HIMSS State Government Relations plans to support State Advocacy Days additional states. Once implemented, HIMSS State Government Relations intends for chapters to hold State Advocacy Days on an annual basis. If you would be interested in participating in a 2009 Illinois HIT State Advocacy Day, please contact Keri Christensen at Kechrist@nmh.org Contact your Senator about the Bill: Look up the bill at the link above, enter your zip code, and email your Senator! Congrats to our members! • Vince Vitali to Vice-President and CIO at BroMenn Healthcare System in Normal, IL. Vince had been a consultant and Interim CIO at BroMenn since November 2007. • Frank Scafidi is now VP & CIO at Georgetown Hospital System in Georgetown, SC. • Stacey Empson, FHIMSS moved from a Partner in IBM’s Global Business Services to CEO of Epiphany Healthcare Advisors, Chicago. • Mike Carr, Laurus Technologies, promoted to VP, Healthcare. • John P. Hoyt, FACHE, has joined HIMSS as Vice President of Healthcare Organizational Services in Chicago. • Phillip Shaffer has joined HIMSS as Account Executive, Provider Services in Chicago. • Tamra Mohs RN, MSN, CCRN has been promoted to Manager of Clinical Informatics at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL. • Dawn Mitchell, Laurus Technologies, promoted to Director of Sales for Healthcare and Education. • Kevin Burchill, to lead Beacon Partners’ Organizational Performance Improvement Services practice. • Mitch Paine, director at Beacon Partners and veteran of the healthcare industry, will head the Enterprise Technologies practice. If you, or someone you know, have recently been promoted or moved to a new organization, please let us know! We want to highlight your success. Please send your submissions to maryjane.rouchka@sprint.com . Certifications and degrees earned…… • Ilir Zenku, Director of Information Services, University of Chicago Physicians Group, earned the PMP certification. • Greer W.P. Stevenson, PhD, MBA, MPH, received the CISSP certification July 14, 2008. • Chuck Benda, Regional Manager of Consulting Services, Central Statea Beacon Partners, Inc. received his CPHIMS certification on May 15, 2008. • Brigid Donohue, RN, MBA, CPHIMS, Information Services- Applications Supervisor, Elmhurst Hospital, completed her Professional Development Program in Information Systems Project Management from Northwestern University, March 2008. If you, or someone you know, have recently completed a degree, certification, or program please let us know! We want to highlight your accomplishment. Please send all submissions to maryjane.rouchka@sprint.com . |
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Our Elite Sponsors  Beacon Partners  Healthia Consulting  Meridian IT Inc.  Symantec Our Premier Sponsors  Impact Advisors  IBM  MoreDirect Our Partner Sponsors  Kemtah  Fujitsu Our Supporter Sponsors  Elliott Data Systems  Mobile Access |