Point. Click. Learn!

Time: 10:00-11:00

This session will provide attendees with: an update on the CONNECT solution; an overview of how federal agencies are using the solution to tie into the NHIN; and outline of the benefits that federal participation in the NHIN and will provide to patients, care providers, payers and other health stakeholders. This session will also detail citizen benefits that a nationwide network of interoperable health IT will provide, ranging from improved healthcare and faster benefits administration to quicker identification and response to public health emergencies.

Time: 12:00-1:00

Since the creation of the Stark exception in August, 2006, which gave hospitals the ability to partially subsidize their community physicians' adoption of electronic health records, hospitals have been slow to roll-out solutions. In spite of the IRS's clarifying memo issued in May, 2007, to address hospital concerns about violation of IRS section 501(c)(3), hospitals have not rushed to action. During this panel discussion, two hospital CIOs will discuss what barriers some hospitals may still see to EHR adoption, as well as the pathways their organizations took to implement EHR subsidy programs. In addition, a respected industry analyst will review best practices for leveraging the Stark exception.

Time: 1:00-2:00

What will it take for EHR’s with CDS to reliably and broadly facilitate improved safety and quality of care? Learn about incentives for quality generated by the economic stimulus, CMS and private payers, and about national efforts and local strategies to help satisfy these programs through HIT and clinical decision support.

Time: 2:15-3:15

This session will discuss the results of a 5010 standards testing project conducted in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by four leading healthcare industry organizations including CAQH and other CAQH participant organizations, HIMSS, Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Initiative, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA).

Time: 3:15-4:15

It is imperative that CFOs, CIOs, privacy and security officers, and hospital and physician practice legal and compliance officers know more about two important aspects of the HITECH Act that will have a substantial impact on health information technology. This session will outline what organizations need to do in order to qualify for and maximize the financial incentives provided for certified EHRs under the HITECH Act while avoiding a decrease in Medicare reimbursement, as well as the significant changes to HIPAA and deadlines for future action.

Time: 10:00-11:00

Setting and achieving specific objectives by leveraging HIT leads to workflow efficiencies and improved clinical outcomes.  The Davies Award of Excellence assesses the leadership, technology, management and functionality that are required to achieve successful EHR implementation and derived value.  This presentation will elaborate on successful EHR implementation processes used by award recipients, including effective planning for cost savings and revenue generation and maintenance, upgrading, and fine tuning of technology and work flow in order to drive improvements leading to positive ROI.

Time: 12:00-1:00

The MEHR Research Initiative was conducted at a Department of Defense (DoD) ambulatory care setting in two phases, employing qualitative and quantitative measures. This session will review the study's results and lessons learned, identifying best practices for use of mobile technology to improve EHR documentation, communication, and workflow within the ambulatory care setting. In addition, key attributes for successful adoption of mobile devices in ambulatory EHR environments will be highlighted.

Time: 1:00-2:00

In today's complex healthcare setting, IT is seen as the number one method for improving efficiency and quality. Voice assisted care technology provides hands and eyes free accurate documentation for nursing staff while enabling easy verbal access to patient information, effective communication and task management. This innovative technology is believed to increase the accuracy of documentation, while interfacing directly into the EHR. This presentation will introduce you to innovative voice assisted technology designed to support nurse clinicians at the bedside, allowing real time documentation and communication with patients and co-workers.

Time: 2:15-3:15

Geoff Brown, Senior VP and CIO of Inova Health System, will share his approach to implementing a clinical information system in the emergency departments of multiple facilities to reduce redundancies and inefficient processes that caused issues with patient and staff satisfaction. Mr. Brown will discuss best practices regarding deployment of CPOE and other technologies in different facilities, including system-wide protocols, order sets, workflow and quality indicators identified by multidisciplinary team members. In addition, the session will highlight how Mr. Brown gained buy-in using a unique physician adoption program, how he overcame obstacles and his role as CIO in brokering acceptance of these new technologies and processes. This session will include real take-aways that CIOs can use to implement IT to improve the customer's experience, including hard-to-please physicians.

Time: 3:15-4:15

Two years ago, Cotton O’Neil Clinics in Topeka, Kansas implemented e-Prescribing for over 125 physicians and 135 pharmacies. In January, 2009, Cotton O’Neil processed more than 23,000 e-Prescriptions including those in rural communities with populations of 1,000 or fewer. This presentation will detail the processes used to move Topeka and the surrounding community to successful use of e-Prescribing technology.

Time: 9:00-10:00

This session will provide the latest federal health IT policy updates from Washington, D.C., from our unique vantage point “inside the beltway”. Learn about the latest evolving developments around the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 legislation and how newly proposed Healthcare Reform legislation might impact our industry and your way of doing business.

Time: 10:15-11:15

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will begin enforcing its Red Flags Rules on May 1, 2009, requiring financial institutions and creditors (including certain healthcare organizations) to develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs. This session will examine the Red Flags Rules and what they mean to the healthcare industry, address who needs to comply with them and what the required elements of an identity theft prevention program involve, and explore how existing identity theft laws and regulations intersect with the new rules. In addition, learn about the impact of financial and medical identity theft, the new and existing laws and legislation on data security and breach notification, and electronic health records, as well as the Red Flags Rules' relationship to HIPAA and other laws.

Time: 11:15-12:15

Health information technology (IT) projects are costly, requiring significant capital and human resources. Although the majority of health IT funding comes from organizational budgets, there are federal, state, and foundation resources available to defray these high costs. However, senior executives (e.g., CIOs, CFOs, CMIOs) are often unaware of such funding opportunities or deterred by the processes involved in securing external funding. This presentation will provide practical advice on developing a health IT funding strategy that involves the use of grants and loans. In addition, it will assist management teams in preparing to complete an application for funding by describing the process and offering advice for standard forms and sections associated with many grant and loan applications. The presentation will also include information on current (as of May 31, 2009) funding opportunities available to healthcare providers in the U.S.

Time: 9:00-10:00

The Greater Rochester Independent Practice Association (GRIPA) deployed a health information exchange (HIE) across a clinically integrated heterogeneous group of over 500 providers. This session offers a complete picture of the challenges of such a project from planning to building to deployment of an integrated solution along with the practical lessons learned. Learn new strategies to empower your organization to meet budget and project goals through vendor contracts and effective communication across the user community, and how to prioritize the four critical components of integration: patient identification management, data integrity, patient privacy, and database structure.

Time: 10:15-11:15

This session will explore the findings of the HIMSS 2009 Informatics Nurse Impact Survey, sponsored by McKesson, which suggest that informatics nurse professionals play a crucial role across a wide variety of information technology (IT) areas. Nearly all respondents (including nurse and non-nurse executives) noted that informatics nurses play a significant role in user education and are also widely involved in system implementation, user support, workflow analysis and gaining buy-in from end users. These findings suggest the informatics nurse is a driver of quality care and enhanced patient safety within their organization. The presenters will also explore the how informatics nurses effectively implement IT so as to increase nurse workflow efficiency, improve user familiarity with available tools, and recapture lost time for direct patient care.

Time: 11:15-12:15