Fall 2014 Newsletter

Presidents Message

Dear Maryland Chapter of HIMSS Members, Colleagues and Friends,

Hope you all are enjoying the beautiful fall colors and getting ready for the Thanksgiving. We at MDHIMSS have been quite busy since the season started. Our Fall Networking session in September was a big success once again as we kicked off the year. Dr. Mark Keleman from University of Maryland Medical Center was our keynote speaker and his presentation on Patient Engagement was very well received.

Our education session in October was held for the first time at Medstar Harbor Hospital in Baltimore. This was an effort by the board to go out to the various institutions in the state and engage additional healthcare professionals at these organizations. The location was wonderful and the view of the harbor from the conference room was magnificent on that day. Again, we had a well-attended session with several outstanding speakers.

If you have not attended one of our new MDHIMSS socials, you are missing out. We continue to attract new members and hope that each and every one of you will take advantage of these complementary socials to network with your peers and colleagues in the industry.

Our next education stop is going to be at University of Maryland Medical System on January 29, 2015 followed by our Annual Advocacy Day in Annapolis on February 5, 2015. Mark your calendar and make sure to attend these exciting events. I look forward to seeing you at one of these events.

We welcome any suggestions or comments so don’t hesitate to contact me at president@md.himsschapter.org or any of our board members. Check us out at our new website www.md.himsschapter.org, Facebook, twitter, and LinkedIn for the upcoming events.

Special thanks to our entire communications committee for their hard work in moving us to the new website. They continue their efforts to keep the membership informed with all the updates on the website and various communication channels.

Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year in advance!

Ravi Singh

President, Maryland Chapter of HIMSS


Maryland HIMSS Advocacy Efforts in Maryland and on Capitol Hill

By Kathryn A. Whitmore, Maryland HIMSS Board Member and Advocacy Committee Co-Chair

State and Federal health IT days play a critical role in forging relationships between HIMSS Chapter members and state legislators. Maryland HIMSS members joined other states across the country to participate in the national HIT Day on Capitol Hill on September 18, 2014. National HIMSS conducts this Policy Summit each year during National Health IT Week which is a collaborative forum and virtual awareness week that assembles key healthcare constituents dedicated to working together to elevate the necessity of advancing health through the best use of information technology. Every year since 2002 HIMSS members and health IT community colleagues from all over the nation have connected in Washington with federal and congressional policymakers, and visited Capitol Hill to discuss that year's Congressional "Asks" with members of Congress and their staff. HIMSS members are the industry’s most effective voice with elected officials. The event was an outstanding success this year with 267 registered attendees who went on 340 legislative meetings. Maryland was one of 25 HIMSS chapters represented in Washington DC for this event. Please join us for Maryland’s upcoming HIT Day in Annapolis on February 5, 2015 which will mimic this event at a state level.

As evidence of the HIMSS voice being instrumental in shaping HIT policy, the Maryland Chapter of HIMSS was delighted to be again invited to participate in Governor Martin O’Malley’s bill signing after testifying on behalf of Delegate Susan Lee (far right) and her efforts to advance telehealth in Maryland. On behalf of the Maryland HIMSS Advocacy team, Kathryn Whitmore and Debra Roper testified in front of the Maryland General Assembly’s Health and Government Operations Committee on House Bill 802.

AdvocacyFall2014Newsletter

This measure requires the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to provide reimbursement for specific services delivered by telemedicine. It also repeals the limitations on the health care services delivered by telemedicine that are eligible for reimbursement. HB 802 was cross-filed with Senate Bill 198 which is done to help expedite progress through both chambers. Receiving full support from both the House and the Senate, these bills were signed into law by Governor Martin O’Malley in April 2014.

We look forward to working with you and our legislators in Annapolis as we continue advocacy efforts. We thank you for your interest and continued participation in HIT advocacy in Maryland. If you are interested in volunteering your time to join these efforts, please contact one of the Maryland HIMSS Advocacy Committee leaders: Kathryn Whitmore at

KathrynWhitmore@STSConsultingGroup.com, Chris Panagiotopoulos at CPanagio@lifebridgehealth.org, or Steve Fox at sjfox@postschell.com.


Maryland HIMSS Program Planning Committee

Dear Members, Colleagues, and Friends of the Maryland Chapter of HIMSS,

Time sure flies when you are having a lot of fun. We are approaching the end of another outstandingly successful fall season of events for the HIMSS MD Chapter (MD HIMSS). We just want to take the time to reflect on our fall HIMSS events. Our Fall Networking event in September was a huge success, with Dr. Mark Keleman from the University of Maryland Medical Center kicking off the year as our key note speaker. The local Maryland HIMSS members received his presentation on Patient Engagement very well.

Our October education session was held at MedStar Harbor Hospital in Baltimore, MD. This is the first time that one of our educational sessions was held at a MedStar facility. This was an intentional effort by the MD HIMSS board to increase the visibility of the MD HIMSS to Harbor Hospital professionals who are currently not members of the Maryland HIMSS Chapter. The location was by far the best location thus far; the beautiful view of the harbor from the conference room was breathtaking. This event was well-attended and there were several exceptional speakers.

Our August and November Social Events were also very well-attended. If you have not been to one of our social events, you are certainly missing out. We are continually attracting new members and it is our hope that each member will attend our social events and take advantage of the privilege of networking with our fellow colleagues in the industry.

January 29, 2015 will be our next education session which promises to be at the University of Maryland Medical System. Mark your calendar and be sure to attend this event as well as the Annual Advocacy Day in Annapolis on February 5th, 2015.

Please be sure to contact any one of our board members with any possible suggestions or comments. Please also visit our new website www.md.himsschapter.org and check us out on facebook, twitter, and linkedin for a list of our future events.

Happy Holiday season and a Happy and Prosperous New year in Advance!

Chancelyn Walker, Program Planning Committee Member-HIMSS Maryland Chapter