As I mentioned in my post discussing the last year on EMR and HIPAA, I thought it worth talking about some of our plans for the coming year. 2010 is going to be an absolute banner year for EMR. We’re going to see the beginning of major shifts in the EMR world. Everything from merging EMR companies to clinics fretting over the EMR stimulus money. It’s going to be a very exciting and interesting time for those interested in EMR.

EMR and HIPAA Blogging – We’ll continue blogging, although maybe not as much as we did last year. However, it’s just part of my routine so I’ll be surprised if too much changes in that regard. I’ve NEVER had an issue with things to blog about. In 2010 I think sifting through all the content and news will be the real challenge. At the end of the day, my goal with blogging is to provide value to readers. Hopefully I can achieve that goal in 2010.

EMR and EHR Blog – Many of you know that I’ve been doing quite a bit of blogging on EMR and EHR. I expect the blogging on that site will increase in 2010. There won’t be too much difference between EMR and HIPAA and EMR and EHR, but EMR and EHR will generally focus on more news items. Also, I’m considering launching another EMR site that just does EMR news. We’ll see how that evolves.

EMR – EHR Conference – I’m working together with a partner to hold an EMR and EHR conference. I’ll be helping to put together the agenda for the conference which will likely be held around September 2010. The focus of the conference will be on providing practical information on selecting and implementing an EMR.

EMR Selection Book – I’ve made really good progress on my EMR selection e-Book. I expect to launch it to the world in early 2010. Then, I’ll start working on an EMR implementation e-Book along with other related e-Books. Hopefully I can add some value to those searching for the right EMR. Not to mention improve EMR implementation success rates. In some respects, I think these books as a cliff notes version of this blog. Other people have called it an “EMR for Dummies” type book.

Attending HIMSS 10 – I’ll be attending the HIMSS annual conference for the first time. If you can’t attend, then we’ll be covering it for you. I’m still deciding the best way to cover the conference. If you have suggestions or ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments. I was told we’ll have a Meet the Bloggers session at the conference also. I’m excited to meet readers of the site and also to talk with potential advertisers. I’m also interested in talking with someone who wants to sponsor all the posts I do at HIMSS. If you’re interested in more details, drop me a note.

I’m sure there’s a lot more, but that’s some of the major things. I’m also working on a side project which deals with online fundraising for organizations. I’d be interested in talking with non-profit hospitals to learn more about what they’re doing to fundraise. If you have a few moments to talk, let me know on my contact us page.

P.S. If you’re looking for my thoughts on the ONC “meaningful use” final rule, it will come in the next couple days. I like to give myself a few days to synthesize the information. It’s 76 pages (or something like that) for goodness sake.

One night this week I decided to take a look at some of the various research, conferences, etc that were being done by HIMSS. While visiting their site I came across an HIMSS virtual conference. You can imagine my intrigue since I’ve wanted to attend the HIMSS annual conference for a while and just haven’t been able to manage the scheduling or expense for the conference. That’s the great part of the HIMSS virtual conference: it’s free and I can watch it from the comfort of my office.

Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely some drawbacks to an online conference. There is something nice about seeing someone face to face and experiencing a live demo of a product. Not to mention the free conference giveaways and free dinners with vendors. However, there are also some great advantages to a completely virtual conference also. Take for example, the networking with colleagues. I think almost all of us are familiar with the feeling that we should be networking with those around us. Yet, there’s kind of this uncomfortable feeling of how to start a conversation with those around you. One nice thing about the internet is that it helps to take down those barriers and allows people to feel more comfortable interacting. It’s worked really well for guys meeting girls online and so I don’t see why a virtual conference couldn’t offer the same benefits to its attendees.

I applaud HIMSS for this move into the virtual conference world. I’m excited to see how it plays out this Wednesday, November 19th and Thursday, November 20th. There are a number of HIT sessions that look interesting along with some EHR, e-prescribing and even an opening keynote about healthcare and politics. You can see the full list of sessions here. I’d like to see a broader range of sessions and a larger “vendor floor” (albeit virtual), but for a first offering I think that HIMSS has done a great job.

I have a meeting here and there throughout the virtual conference that I have to attend, but I’m sure I’ll be active in the conference chat rooms when I am attending. Also, I’ll be posting updates to my Twitter account if you want to follow me there. You can also follow HIMSS on twitter now too.

Here’s a link to register for the HIMSS virtual conference. If you’re planning on attending also, let me know. I’d love to see what other bloggers plan on attending.