Programme Topics

The topic will stimulate discussions and offer practical information and solutions, including a case study. It will represent the diverse healthcare needs.

General topic categories from HIMSS ME 2012 include:

Revenue Cycle and Charge Description Master

Hospitals can lose millions in revenue because of incomplete charge capture or incorrect transfer of data. Common issues include human error associated with inconsistently capturing services eligible to be coded and billed, a lack of effective linkages between order entry charge master and billing systems and incorrect claim detail and clarifying billable events. Papers focus on how to implement charge description masters are welcome.

Implementing IT Governance, the role of the CIO, and successful practices relating to HIT leadership.

Key considerations when pulling together successful IT governance include the role of the CIO on the organization's executive committee, establishing an IS steering committee is required and meeting minimum thresholds for effectiveness, The IT strategic plan must be integrated with the strategic clinical, business and capital plans, measuring IT-enabled business initiatives, identifying executive sponsors who champion IT projects, bringing on board clinicians to act as project champions in leading and educating other clinical staff and the role of the CIO in contributing to the overall business strategy of the organization.

New Hospital Construction from an IT Perspective

With the now indispensible role of IT in the hospital, new hospital construction must envision the usage and placement of IT in the institution. Papers about how to get the right things done at the earliest planning stage are welcome.

Mobile Health from a Clinical Perspective

Clinicians dealing with increasing patient volumes and complexity are reaching out for any device that improves the quality of patient interactions, streamlines clinical workload, and reduces paperwork. This session seeks to understand clinician's needs and explores the breadth and the limit of mobile form factors in the delivery of healthcare.

Mobile Health from an IT Perspective

The iPhones, iPads and the like are coming to the hospital, but big questions remain. How will the diverse ecosystem of devices entering the hospital connect with institutional infrastructure, ancillary systems and the electronic medical record? This session will consider the challenges facing IT professionals as they seek to maintain security, reliability in an enterprise healthcare environment.

Mobile Health: Hype or Return on Investment?

Does the ultra mobile clinician spend less time chasing after paper and records or is it a nice novelty that merely creates more churn and a faster paced work environment?

Maximizing Patient Flows in Hospitals

Many Hospitals are experiencing increasing wait times, a need to "board" admitted patients in emergency department (ED) hallways, and rising numbers of hours spent on clearing a backload of patients that could be treated in ambulatory settings. Outside of the (ED) numerous inefficiencies in operating room scheduling and labs add unnecessary waits and prevent effective patient turn-around. This session will examine how IT systems can drive greater efficiency in the patient journey through the healthcare system.

Results from Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) in Hospitals

RFID, WiFi and other tracking and technologies are in place in nearly every industry in the world and the hospital would be a huge beneficiary of their effective use. This session will look at the imperative for and benefits of RTLS in relation to Asset Management, Patient Flow, Equipment Management and Temperature Management and the Safety of Patients and Staff.

The Reality of the Goal of the Paperless Hospital of the Future

What do the best of the best HIT adopters look like? To achieve paperless status and discussion on specific processes that are and are not used in the paperless hospital of the future.