Today I had an amazing series of meeting with really smart people. Many of my findings from those meetings will be featured in blog posts over the next month after HIMSS. I’ve come across some trends and ideas that I think readers will be really excited to hear about.

However, I’d say that today was marked by social media at HIMSS 2012 for me. Here’s a quick run down of the social media events I participated in.

First, Shahid Shah, the Healthcare IT Guy and Jennifer Dennard joined me in holding the Genius Bar in the social media center. It’s been interesting to see the variety of people that have come by the genius sessions. I think the idea of having a genius bar is a really good one and I think the HIMSS social media staff have liked the idea a lot as well. I can see it really expanding and do even better than we’ve done this year. Although, this isn’t surprising since we through the idea together a week or two before HIMSS.

Immediately after the genius bar, they held the #HITsm Tweetup. It was fantastic fun with so many familiar faces. There was only one main downside to the Tweetup. The internet connection wasn’t working and so I could only do it on my phone. The internet situation has been a problem for me for a lot of HIMSS. I can’t say how annoying it is to try and cover HIMSS and not have a decent internet connection. It’s pretty hit or miss from my experience. I’m not sure why.

Regardless of the internet connection, it was a pretty interesting experience to do a tweetup live. I almost wish it would have been a silent tweetup. Basically, random laughs and what not. Either way though, at least MelSmithJones was thinking inside the box and we got her to think inside the box. #insidejoke

In the afternoon, I participated in a Meet the Bloggers panel with Jennifer Dennard, Neil Versel and Carissa Caramanis O’Brien. I think the audience got some decent information from what was said. I must admit that one thing I loved was looking into the audience and knowing so many people who had come to hear what we had to say. A number of people said some kind things to me about the event which were really appreciated. Although, my favorite part was a lot of the individual discussions I had with so many people after the Meet the Blogger panel.

Then, to top the night off we had the really great 3rd Annual New Media Meetup. I think we had about 120 people show up to the event. The band was admittedly too loud for a really good discussion, but as someone said on Twitter at least they were a good band. A really big thanks to simplifyMD and Ozmosis for sponsoring the event. simplifyMD even stepped up and decided to add some food at the event. They were outstanding to work with and the three people who won Kindle Fire’s from Ozmosis were absolutely excited.

At the core of all the social media mentioned above is: People!

Meeting with and connecting with interesting, smart, unique, talented people is always a wonderful experience and that’s why I love social media.

As you can probably imagine, things have been extraordinarily crazy with HIMSS happening this week. My first HIMSS event actually was on Saturday and Monday I enjoyed a number of interviews and spent some time at the venture forum. As some of you know, my goal at HIMSS is mostly to spend time around really smart people having really interesting discussions. These discussions form the basis for a multitude of posts to come post-HIMSS. Unfortunately, that means much of the best things I learn and talk about at HIMSS won’t come until the weeks and sometimes months after HIMSS.

If you want to get a bit of an idea of the insane activity that’s happening at HIMSS, you should browse through the various press releases on EMR and Health IT News. David has done an amazing job posting all the various press release announcements that are sent out before and during HIMSS. You’ll need to go through a few pages of press releases, but even browsing through the titles offers an interesting perspective on the industry and what it’s trying to communicate.

Also, this year I decided to do some more videos at HIMSS. I wanted to do something that was simple, but interesting. Plus, I wanted it to be a series of videos that when watched video after video provided something more. Thus, I decided to do what I’m calling 5 Questions with EHR Vendor Executives at HIMSS12. I posted the first video with Dr. Andre Vovan, Founder of Mitochon. I think I’ve already done 4 more that I’ll be posting on EMR and EHR over the next little while. I hope you find the videos as interesting as I do.

I also would be remiss if I didn’t post one of the most incredibly things I learned at HIMSS. It has almost nothing to do with Healthcare IT, except for the fact that Inga at HIStalk LOVES shoes and so shoes are relevant at HIStalkapalooza. I guess some other people take shoes very seriously as well. I learned that Timur Tugberk from DrFirst was wearing an $1250 pair of shoes. When he said this, Brittanie from ESD said you know that’s twelve hundred and fifty dollars, not twelve dollars and fifty cents. Of course, with that background, I of course took a picture for others to see:

Funny thing is. I bet I haven’t spent $1250 in my entire life on shoes. I guess different strokes for different folks.

It’s Sunday and the excitement to see old friends and hear interesting things at HIMSS 2012 is just around the corner. The #HIMSS12 hashtag is off the charts with people flying into Las Vegas and others talking about what they’re doing, seeing, hearing and expecting from HIMSS Las Vegas.

Most people on Twitter are quite excited for HIMSS (as am I), but a few have said that people won’t be missing much. I thought about it for a minute and realized that the thing I love most about HIMSS is meeting really smart people. With 37,000 people likely to attend HIMSS 2012, there are plenty of smart people to meet and connect with at HIMSS.

Justin Barnes, VP at Greenway Medical, is one of the smart people I like to talk with at HIMSS. Turns out that tonight he was sharing some of that wisdom, information and perspective on Twitter tonight. So, this EMR and Health IT Twitter roundup is the Justin Barnes edition.

Strong #MeaningfulUse progress ~ $3.1+ billion paid to 43,000+ care providers. #CMS #EHR #EMR @ONC_HealthIT @CMSGov #HealthIT #HIMSS12

— Justin Barnes (@HITAdvisor) February 20, 2012

I wish he would have broken this out into ambulatory doctors versus hospitals. $3 billion of ~$36 billion projected. I guess they’re expecting a windfall next year?

That is the billion-dollar question @theEHRGuy. There are good reasons to stay the #ICD10 course & good reasons to delay…. #HIMSS12

— Justin Barnes (@HITAdvisor) February 20, 2012

Is a billion dollars at stake in the ICD-10 delay decision? Regardless of the exact amount, it shows you the magnitude of the ICD-10 delay announcement.

Tuesday looks to be the day now when we should see the #MeaningfulUse Stage 2 proposed rule. #CMS did try to get it out on Friday. #HIMSS12

— Justin Barnes (@HITAdvisor) February 20, 2012

Someone on Twitter asked if it could be delayed past Tuesday. Neil Versel from Meaningful Healthcare IT News answered well: “Never underestimated bureaucracy.”

Good #MeaningfulUse update ~ $71M+ paid to 3,379 Nurses & Physicians Assistants under #Medicaid #EHR Program. #CMS #HIMSS12

— Justin Barnes (@HITAdvisor) February 20, 2012

That’s a little surprising to me that so many Nurses and PA’s got paid so much since they only qualify under Medicaid. I’m glad to hear it.

$412,866,000 in #EHR #MeaningfulUse incentives paid to 22,937 #Medicare Eligible Professionals. #HIMSS12 #EHRAssociation @CMSGov #EMR

— Justin Barnes (@HITAdvisor) February 20, 2012

When the number is totally written out, that’s a lot of 000′s and that’s only millions.

Looking forward to seeing many old friends and making many new friends at HIMSS this week.

As many of you know, I posted my HIMSS 2012 session schedule on EMR and EHR a few weeks back. Sadly, many of those sessions have been taken off my schedule, but a number of really good ones still remain. I just counted 27 other meetings with vendors the week of HIMSS. I think it’s fair to say I’m doing my part to see as many as I can to provide you some really interesting coverage.

Outside of that hectic schedule, you’ll also be able to find me at a number of events (mostly social media related):
Meet the Bloggers Panel – This is happening Wed 2/22 4:00-5:00PM at the HIMSS Social Media Center. This will be a fun panel for me with two people I know quite well and love: Jennifer Dennard and Neil Versel. Plus, Carissa Caramanis O’Brien who I don’t know that well, but look forward to meeting as well. If you like social media or blogging, you’ll enjoy this.

HIMSS Social Media Center Genius Bar – I’ll be there Tuesday, 11:30 am-12:00 pm, Wednesday 10:30 am-11:00 am, and Thursday 11:30 am-12:00 pm at the HIMSS Social Media Center. Stop by and ask any question you want. You can make an appointment for it here.

New Media Meetup at HIMSS Sponsored by simplifyMD – We’re almost out of space for this event so I’ve stopped any major promotion of it. It amazes me the wonderful people on the list. Soon I’ll probably have to change it to a wait list signup once we reach capacity.

I also wanted to point out some of the interesting things that sponsors of EMR and HIPAA are doing at HIMSS. I just asked them for info late, so a number of my advertisers haven’t been able to get me anything yet. If they send me their info, I’ll update the post.

NoMoreClipboard, in collaboration with iMPak Health, will launch and demo a new comprehensive solution for achieving a successful medical home or accountable care organization. This new device, ideal for technology adverse patients, will help health systems and employers improve clinical outcomes, reduce ER visits and hospital readmissions and reduce chronic disease costs. See, feel, touch and participate in product demonstrations conducive to real-world scenarios and enter to win a $500 Best Buy gift card at HIMSS Booth #7902.
Location: Booth #7902

DrFirst is presenting the HIMSS Hero at this year’s event. DrFirst will be doing Chair and foot massages, a Caricature artist turning you into our Superhero, Collapsible water bottles, House Footies (DrFirst branded hospital socks), and Giving away an iPad 2. Stop by to learn more about DrFirst’s shift to an EHR platform company.
Location: Booth #5456

Cerner is excited to expand our presence at HIMSS12. The Cerner booth #476 will provide HIMSS attendees the opportunity to connect with peers, interact with Cerner associates and learn about Cerner solutions. Multiple Cerner clients will be in the booth to offer peer perspectives to physicians in attendance and to present how they are progressing in their journeys toward achieving Meaningful use, high quality measures and greater efficiency. Cerner associates will talk through complete workflow and documentation solutions for interdisciplinary teams, medications management, device connectivity, quality reporting, revenue cycle management and leading-edge services. In addition to the show floor, 15 Cerner clients will present in the general HIMSS educational tracks. Cerner will also participate in the Interoperability Showcase and IDC-10 Knowledge Center, where we will showcase specific solutions in respective areas.
Location: Booth #14542-, 476

GE Healthcare IT delivers workflow solutions for specialists and tools which provide insights for
hospital leadership to enable healthcare systems to run more effectively and efficiently- resulting
in better quality care for more patients at a lower cost. At HIMSS12, we’ll showcase highlights of
our extensive portfolio featuring numerous new product introductions. Now available, Centricity
Patient Portal 13 is a flexible, scalable, customizable portals that extends the provider workflow to
the patient’s home. With a range of easy-to-use self-service tools, Patient Online enhances patient
communications, optimizes staff and provider productivity, and can help strengthen the provider’s
market and competitive position. It helps customers meet Meaningful Use Stage 1 patient and
family engagement criteria and prepare them for expected Stage 2 requirements. Centricity
Perinatal-Connect provides the ability to correlate data from disparate Hospital Information
Systems (HIS) and other sources onto the fetal strip. It enables access to multiple fetal monitoring
strips while allowing documentation in the HIS all at the same time, without obstructing any
clinical information, helping clinicians deliver their best care all while maximizing current hospital
investment in perinatal IT. GE Healthcare IT will also demonstrate planned capabilities of its 50-50 joint venture with Microsoft, Caradigm, launching later this year.
Location: Booth #2635

This year, Practice Fusion has teamed up with Fitbit and our blogger friends Brian Ahier and Don Fluckinger to kick off our contest. Brian and Don will be competing for the most number of steps for a chance to win a charitable donation made by Practice Fusion in their name. HIMSS attendees interested in winning a Fitbit of their own can simply tweet their response to “Why do you want a Fitbit?” using the hashtags #fitbit and #HIMSS12 Unable to attend HIMSS12 but still want to experience the action? Virtual HIMSS12 is for you. Our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Robert Rowley and Las Vegas hand surgeon, Dr. Andrew Bronstein will be presenting an on-demand session titled Interoperability on the Front Lines: It’s Already Here.
Location: Booth #4074

HITR.com will exhibit at booth 7707 with its affiliates Billian’s HealthDATA and Porter Research. The HITR team is looking forward to meeting attendees and showing them the benefits a free membership in the HITR.com community can bring – healthcare IT benchmarking surveys and results, social networking opportunities, and more! Register at the booth to win one of our twice-daily Kindle drawings.
Location: Booth #7707

EHR Scope will be exhibiting in booth 13756. We’ll be doing video interviews for www.EHRtv.com, including some walk-in interviews. At the booth we’ll also be showing other activities of EHR Scope, including www.EMRConsultant.com, as well as Dragon Medical Spanish, which is now available for Latin America. In addition to the activities at the booth, we’ll have 2 roaming camera crews doing interviews of exhibitors, by appointment only.
Location: Booth #13756

At HIMSS, Amazing Charts is introducing Version 6.2, with the ability to connect with HIEs and PHRs automatically. On signing a note, the patient’s CCD is automatically uploaded to the patient selected PHR or HIE (See Screenshot). In 2011, Amazing Charts received the Best In KLAS Award for #1 EMR for 1-10 Physicians.
Location: Booth #13316

Mitochon is the first FREE ONC-ATCB Certified, web-based Electronic Health Record (EHR) Health Information Exchange (HIE) and Patient Health Record (PHR) solution for medical professionals. The FREE EHR platform combines Scheduling, Charting, ePrescribing Labs and Collaboration of Care. This year at HIMSS Mitochon has a major announcement taking place on Monday February 20th. Dr. AndreVovan, Founder and Chief Medical Officer for Mitochon stated “all roads are leading to Accountable Care Organizations (ACO)/Integrated Delivery Systems and Mitochon is positioned to enable organizations to reach that destination.” Look for this announcement to learn more about Mitochon’s new offering and check out Mitochon’s Booth #265.
Location: Booth #265

Since I have HIMSS on the mind (as has probably been seen from my previous posts), I figured I’d talk about what we can expect from meaningful use at HIMSS 2012 in Las Vegas.

Meaningful Use Conversations Dominate
I think with all certainty all of us will be tired of hearing the word meaningful use after HIMSS. I might have to try and keep track of how many conversations I have where the words meaningful use aren’t used. Notice I’m counting the ones where it’s not used since I know that almost every conversation will include meaningful use.

I’m not sure that’s very healthy for the industry, but I think that’s the reality of where we’re at. While I’m sure I’ll ask plenty of questions about meaningful use as well, my favorite EHR vendors are probably going to be those that say: we meet meaningful use, we’ve abstracted meaningful use so its not an annoyance to doctors, and here’s what we’ve done to innovate our product outside of MU.

Meaningful Use Stage 2
Any day now I think that ONC/CMS is going to announce the final details for meaningful use stage 2. I imagine the regulatory process could push this so that ONC/CMS announce meaningful use stage 2 at HIMSS, but from what I’ve read I think they want to get it out before HIMSS. I hope they’re successful in making this happen.

Either way, I’ll be surprised if we don’t know about meaningful use stage 2 before/during HIMSS. So, if you want to be in the know, be prepared to talk about the final details of meaningful use stage 2. In the mean time, check out Lynn’s previous MU Monday post about meaningful use stage 2.

Federal IT Participation at HIMSS 12
Every healthcare related part of the federal government is going to be represented at HIMSS 12. HIMSS has been nice enough to provide a page listing all of HHS, CMS, ONC, AHRQ, CDC, HRSA, NIST, OCR, SSA, and VA sessions at HIMSS 2012. My only complaint with that page is that there are still a bunch of details missing on a number of the sessions. I imagine this is the government dragging their feet, but it sure makes it hard to plan.

While many of the government sessions can be dry and boring (partially attributed to what I call the government muzzle), it can be a really good place to hear the direction of the federal government when it comes to healthcare IT directly from their own mouth.

I also suggest that Farzad Mostashari’s keynote address won’t be nearly as interesting to someone familiar with healthcare IT as his ONC Townhall: Advancing Health IT into the Future session on Wed, 2/22 at 2:15 in San Polo 3503. I know I also want to work in a session on MU stage 2 and the future of EHR certification from the federal perspective as well.

“Meaningful” References
Is it just me, or do other people have a problem using the word meaningful now. At least it’s a challenge with many of my healthcare friends. Although, sometimes I throw it in there just for irony’s sake. Hopefully this post was meaningful to you.

Also, a big thanks to all those that filled out the EMR and HIPAA reader survey. I’ve loved all the feedback. Interestingly enough, one of the more common feedback items was that you liked the Meaningful Use Monday series. We’ll do what we can to keep it going.

Welcome to the weekend round up of various EMR, EHR and Health IT tweets. One thing that’s been really interesting is seeing the excitement of people leading up to HIMSS. It’s amazing how much better a conference becomes with this lead up. The connections that are made before the conference set it up for a much better experience. I honestly can’t wait to attend HIMSS and be with so many interesting people.

Now, on to some interesting tweets that I found from around the twittersphere:

REC data shows docs waiting for vendor EHR upgrades | Government Health IT | via @drwareinc bit.ly/wgLBhx

— Linda Lia (@EMRAnswers) February 12, 2012

I found this tweet quite interesting until I read the article that it links to. The title says something about docs waiting for vendor EHR upgrades and then the article mentions almost nothing about EHR upgrades and doctors waiting for it. Is there really that much of delay in getting the latest EHR software? Ok, maybe I can believe it in Hospitals (I’d like to know from that perspective too), but I can’t imagine someone that’s paid for an upgrade is still waiting for that EHR upgrade to meet MU.

I do believe many dragged their feet and are just now planning for an upgrade. A large number of older EHR installs never did regular updates to their EHR software (Big Mistake) and so upgrading so many versions at once is a bit daunting and so it wouldn’t surprise me if many clinics are reticent to go through that process. Although, that doesn’t mean they’re waiting for EHR upgrades. It means they’re waiting to go through their own process.

The article does have an interesting stat that EHR Vendor Selection was the biggest reported barrier with 34% percent claiming that barrier. I guess more clinics need to read this EMR Selection e-Book.

The article also points out an interesting benefit to RECs: survey organizations.

#HIMSS12 My Talk: “How to create a care coordination team using spare parts” = EMR + Checklists + Low Cost Team bit.ly/xEmV21 #hcit

— Lyle Berkowitz (@DrLyleMD) February 6, 2012

I love the simple formula. I think we often try to make things harder than they need to be.

Data sharing – #ImmunizationsTypical EHR System ’Falling Short Of Its Potential,’ Say Researchers shar.es/fR5ZE #MU #queryhealth

— Kim Nolen (@kim_nolen) February 13, 2012

This is just one example of potential EHR benefits. There are a lot more that I think we’ll start seeing now that we’re getting wider EHR adoption.

Watch out for these #EHR and #EMR pitfalls! It’s often humans, not technology, to blame: bit.ly/AscI2R(via @HITExchangeMag)

— HP Healthcare (@HPHealthcare) February 9, 2012

Ahh…but it’s so much easier to blame technology since it doesn’t talk back.

If you haven’t yet seen this video that DrFirst created for HIMSS 2012 and the HIMSS Healthcare Hero, then you need to watch it now. It’s a really beautiful video: http://bit.ly/AnNvzU

After seeing such a well made video, I definitely wondered what was up DrFirst’s sleeve at HIMSS 2012. So, I reached out and today I had the chance to talk with Cam Deemer President of DrFirst about the transition that’s happening at DrFirst.

I think that most of us have known DrFirst as an ePrescribing company. Since about 2004 they have been extremely focused on the ePrescribing area and that shows in the fact that DrFirst is the “ePrescribing Inside” 230 EHR companies. That’s a really impressive number and includes a client list with such names as GE and Greenway.

DrFirst is ready to make a shift which they’ll be talking about at HIMSS in Las Vegas. What I think makes DrFirst’s ePrescribing platform really interesting is that they can provide it using the DrFirst interface or an EHR vendor can customize it to their liking using a series of API calls. It takes a unique company and a unique set of skills to be able to do this effectively. Now imagine they provide these same functions and features across a whole array of EHR related products and services. By doing so, DrFirst becomes a really interesting EHR Platform.

You can find DrFirst at HIMSS to get the entire list of the products and services that they’ll be offering to EHR software vendors beyond just ePrescribing. However, I was really intrigued when they talked about their EHR platform providing compliance programs, patient education, and even co-pay discounts which help with medication compliance. I wouldn’t say that any of these things on their own are all that interesting. They are however things that a small EHR vendor wouldn’t have the time or the resources to be able to execute properly. For those EHR vendors who use the DrFirst interface, they can be turned on with the flip of an online switch.

Now just imagine a whole suite of other EHR services that DrFirst could provide EHR vendors as well. It becomes a really interesting value proposition. Plus, DrFirst also has a number of interesting solutions in the hospital market that also leverages this platform. Things like medication history for hospitals and a lab platform.

At the end of the day, EHR vendors are going to decide if this is a value added service or not. Many larger EHR vendors are going to develop a number of these features themselves and that should be expected. I just see it as a really healthy thing to have these type of EHR platform services available. Many EHR vendors have been so swamped with meaningful use and EHR certification, it’s great that a third party integration could continue to add real value to an EHR software.

The real challenge for DrFirst is going to be around how well they integrate these new EHR service offerings into the various EHR software vendors. If the integration is clean and adds value, they’re going to do very well. If it’s kludgy (a software term for messy) and doesn’t integrate well, then we won’t see much adoption. I think their current 230 EHR integrations are one sign that it will go smooth, but we’ll see.

My next question to consider is how DrFirst could extend their platform next. I can think of a number of mobile health companies that could benefit from the right connection to prescription data or to doctors. I’ll be pressing them at HIMSS to find out what’s next. I hope you will too and come back and share what you find out.

On a side note, I just got the list of things DrFirst is doing at their HIMSS 12 booth. It’s extensive and will be a can’t miss booth. Watch for the details in my upcoming HIMSS 12 exhibitor post.

Full Disclosure: DrFirst is an advertiser on EMRandHIPAA.com.

I’m sure many of you are recovering from the Super Bowl right now. I got exactly what I wanted from the Super Bowl: a great game. I didn’t care too much either way, but I am glad that I predicted the Giants to be the winners. Too bad I’m not a betting man. Although, I guess that’s the trick with betting….but I digress.

Time for my regular weekend round up of interesting things happening in the healthcare IT and EMR twittersphere. We’ve got some really interesting tweets this week. Here we go.

@NateOsit We also have a webinar of @eCollab12 for those that wont’ be able to make it to #HIMSS12.ecollab12.eventbrite.com #hitsm

— Leonard Kish (@leonardkish) February 3, 2012

When I created and posted my list of HIMSS 12 sessions, they hadn’t created the agenda for the eCollaboration Forum at HIMSS and so I couldn’t add any sessions. However, the eCollaboration Forum at HIMSS 12 agenda is up now, so check it out. I know there are a number of sessions I’m going to add from the forum. I also love that they have the online option linked in this tweet for those not attending HIMSS 2012.

Yes, stage 2 #meaningfuluse NPRM will be out before #HIMSS12. meaningfulhitnews.com/2012/01/30/yes… #healthIT #ONC #CMS #hitpol #EHR #EMR

— Neil Versel (@nversel) January 31, 2012

This is really important news. I think a lot of us are REALLY interested to see the final meaningful use stage 2 details. Good find by Neil Versel.

Speaking doctor-to-doctor(s) using healthcare social media bit.ly/wiqbyu #hcsm #hcsmeu

— H2Online (@H2Ohu) January 30, 2012

I’m sure we’re going to continue seeing the trend of more and more doctors gleaning value from engaging in social media. At a minimum doctors are going to start finding more and more new patients using social media including things like physician blogging. A well done practice website and social media effort is going to be really valuable for the doctor of the future.

3 reasons why you should start a blog for your hospital bit.ly/ypCE78 #hcsm #blogging

— Mark Ragan (@MarkRaganCEO) January 30, 2012

Yes, blogging will also help hospitals in a number of ways too. Social media can benefit hospitals, doctors, practices, etc.

@DonRosenthal Tablets are for content consumption. PCs are for content creation. Much more intellectual flexibility w/ PCs. #HITsm

— Erica V. Olenski (@TheGr8Chalupa) February 3, 2012

I was fascinated by this tweet. First because I wonder what changes will make tablets more than just great for content consumption. Second, the idea of PCs being more intellectually flexible.

RT @patientslikeme: “my healthcare data is not nearly as portable/accessible as my financial data.” @jeff_cole #hcsm

— Jacqueline Thong (@jacthong) January 30, 2012

I know there are reasons why financial data is more portable and accessible than healthcare data, but it still irks me that we haven’t overcome those reasons…yet!

REGISTER NOW!!

I’m really excited to announce the 3rd annual New Media Meetup at HIMSS 2012. Last year’s event had an amazing turnout in Orlando and I expect this year’s will be even better with a whole bunch of interesting new and old faces. It’s quite frankly my favorite part of HIMSS thanks to the amazing people who are there.

Everyone is welcome at the event. Maybe you participate in New Media (Blogger, Tweeter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc) or maybe you just enjoy consuming other people’s media (like this blog) or maybe you’re interested in using New Media for yourself or your company. Everyone is welcome to attend and network with others interested in New Media. I’m excited this year to welcome the #HITsm and #hcsm crowd that will be out in full force I’m sure.

If that isn’t enough reason to attend, I’m really happy to have teamed up with simplifyMD to sponsor the New Media Meetup at HIMSS Las Vegas. The event will be on Wednesday 2/22 7:00-9:00 PM at the awesome BB King’s Blues Club in the Mirage Hotel (A short walk across the street from the Venetian/Sands). That’s right: an open bar, Live Music with a dance floor, and amazing people.

UPDATE: Ozmosis has come on board again this year to sponsor the giveaways at the Meetup. They’ve provided 3 Kindle Fire that we’ll give away to 3 lucky people who attend. Read more about Ozmosis and see pictures of the awesome BB King venue for the event on EMR and EHR.

REGISTER NOW!!

Please register for the event so we know how many to expect. I expect we’ll max out registrations for the event like we did last year, so register now before it’s too late.

Be sure to tell all your Blogger, Twitter and other new media friends about the event so we have the best and brightest in the healthcare IT social media world at the event.

About Our Sponsors

simplifyMD – Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Atlanta, thousands of end-users benefit from simplifyMD every day as they manage millions of electronic health records for physicians in 27 specialties and on two continents. simplifyMD was created specifically to lower operating costs, increase revenue, and provide relief to overworked physicians and administrators. Offering a cloud-optimized SaaS solution for one low monthly price, that costs less than traditional paper folders, makes simplifyMD’s EHR software as easy to buy and implement as it is to learn and use. At simplifyMD we believe the EHR experience does not have to be so complicated. All EHR companies promise efficiency, simplifyMD guarantees it.

Ozmosis, Inc. brings the power of “Social Business” to the healthcare industry. Our collaborative care platform, OzmosisESP, accelerates clinical transformation by enabling hospital systems to coordinate treatment, manage clinical content, deliver virtual training and communicate more effectively.

HealthcareScene.com – The premiere healthcare IT and EMR network of websites. HealthcareScene.com consists of 14 different EMR, EHR and Healthcare IT websites having generated over 7+ million pageviews and includes over 3500 article and 9000 comments. HealthcareScene.com works to promote the interesting independent voices in healthcare. HealthcareScene.com also recently launched a content creation division for third parties.

Influential Networks – Influential Networks is one of the largest networks of healthcare IT influencers combined with a premium healthcare IT ad network. Through the Influential Network, we help both marketers and publishers reach their goals within this powerful niche market. Influential Networks goal is to connect influencers with publishers beyond just advertising.

If you have any questions about the event, feel free to drop us a line on our Contact Us page. See you in Las Vegas!

I recently started to think about some of the implications associated with multiple languages in an EHR. One of my readers asked me how EHR vendors correlated data from those charting in Spanish and those charting in English. My first response to this question was, “How many doctors chart in Spanish?” Yes, this was a very US centric response since obviously I know that almost all of the doctors in Latin America and other Spanish speaking countries chart in Spanish, but I wonder how many doctors in the US chart in Spanish. I expect the answer is A LOT more than I realize.

Partial evidence of this is that about a year ago HIMSS announced a Latino Health IT Initiative. From that today there is now a HIMSS Latino Community web page and also a HIMSS Latino Community Workshop at the HIMSS Annual Conference in Las Vegas. I’m going to have to find some time to try and learn more about the HIMSS Latino Community. My Espanol is terrible, but I know enough that I think I could enjoy the event.

After my initial reaction, I then started wondering how you would correlate data from another language. So, much for coordinated care. I wonder what a doctor does if he asks for his patient’s record and it is all in Spanish. That’s great if all of your doctors know Spanish, but in the US at least I don’t know of any community that has doctors who know Spanish in every specialty. How do they get around it? I don’t think those translation services you can call are much help.

Once we start talking about automated patient records the language issue becomes more of a problem. Although, maybe part of that problem is solved if you use could standards like ICD-10, SNOMED, etc. A code is a code is a code regardless of what language it is and computers are great at matching up those codes. Although, if these standards are not used, then forget trying to connect the data even through Natural Language Processing (NLP). Sure the NLP could be bi-lingual, but has anyone done that? My guess is not.

All of this might start to really matter more when we’re talking about public health issues as we aggregate data internationally. Language becomes a much larger issue in this context and so it begs for an established set of standards for easy comparison.

I’d be interested to hear about other stories and experiences with EHR charting in Spanish or another language. I bet the open source EHR have some interesting solutions similar to the open source projects I know well. I look forward to learning more about the challenge of multiple languages.