Fall 2019 Newsletter
Message from the President
Mentoring Matters
In June of 2019 while I was at one of our HIMSS Southern California events, I was speaking with an executive and he asked, “How did you get here?” (in reference to starting my presidency in July). While I am not sure if he would have asked other incoming presidents the same question, I simply stated that I just showed up and smiled. But the truth of the matter is I got ‘here’ not only by showing up but volunteering and doing all I could to help various committee chairs and board members. No task was too big or too small. The most important aspect, however, was having individuals that mentored and believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.
Advocacy Update
By Ian Slade, Vice President, Advocacy
Last September 23-27, 2019, we celebrated the U.S. National Health IT Week 2019 focused on Supporting Healthy Communities and driving transformation of our health and wellness ecosystem to promote better health outcomes and health equity.
540 Partners from across the healthcare community representing government, healthcare delivery organizations, universities, non-profits and market suppliers to celebrate our collective commitment to ensure IT supports healthcare transformation in the U.S.
HIMSS Southern California Chapter has been an avid supporter of this initiative. For years, we've advocated and campaigned to our members to be aware, engaged and involved.
Read More including letter from Senator Dianne Feinstein
Mentorship
By Regina Atim, Pharm.D., MBA, BCMAS, Chair, Academic Alliance
Being a mentor comes naturally perhaps because I have spent the better part of my formative career being mentored, by someone whom I admired. To me, it is an act of love when someone, who isn’t otherwise obligated, chooses to spend their time with you, giving valuable insight into career paths or even life choices. I have come to understand that choosing to be a mentor is an endeavor where the mentor gains as much value from the interaction as the mentee.
When I choosing a mentee, I typically look for someone who is driven, perhaps reminds me of my younger self, and is motivated and actively seeking direction. As a mentor, I look to share my experiences as a professional with the hope of informing my mentee’s next steps whether it be professionally or even personally.
6th Annual Charity Golf Tournament
By Krystal Di Stefano, Vice President, Programs
Thank you to everyone who supported, attended, organized and volunteered at the 6th Annual HIMSS SoCal Charity Golf Tournament on September 30, 2019, at Aliso Viejo Country Club. It was a beautiful day and a huge success! Our planning committee worked hard to ensure everyone had a great day on the course socializing with colleagues outside of the office while supporting a good cause.
HIMSS SoCal is proud to support the Ronald McDonald House of Orange County (RMHOC) in a longterm partnership. Because of our sponsors, golfers and all SoCal HIMSS members, this is the third year we will be able to gift a donation to support their vision to create a community where children and their families embrace life and healing with a sense of hope, enthusiasm, courage and joy.
Read More plus lots of photos!
HIMSS SoCal Joins ‘Dusk at the Island’ Fundraiser
By Krystal Di Stefano, Vice President, Programs
On October 10, 2019, members of HIMSS SoCal attended the Ronald McDonald House of Orange County’s “Dusk at the Island” event held at the Fashion Island Hotel in Newport Beach. This premier annual fundraising event celebrated a momentous 30th Anniversary. A special thanks to co-founder Fred Hill and his family for opening the doors of the Orange County House in November of 1989.
“Dusk at the Island” not only helps raise funds for RMHOC’s annual operating costs but it supports their mission to KEEP FAMILIES CLOSE. This year was extra special as the local community came together to go above and beyond and help the RMHOC hit their $12M expansion goal. Attendees bid on specialty items and experiences through silent and live auctions. Families who have used the house in the past shared their stories and gratitude. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
Our Latest Podcasts
The Future is Not What it Used to be
In this podcast, Ogechika Alozie shares his perspective as a practicing infectious disease physician and CHIO in delivering solutions to a community that faces challenges in access to care, health literacy, and cultural diversity. In the journey to deliver strategies around clinical and population improvements with technologies such as telemedicine, he discusses how his organization has been innovative in leveraging Medicaid programs, EMR optimization efforts, and securing budgetary funding within an academic medical setting.
Interoperability 2020
In this podcast, Pavel Smirnov discusses what organizations can do to deliver the use of FHIR and APIs in their healthcare system. Understanding the framework and standards is key to developing a technology community to support the continued growth and development of these solutions. With the importance of interoperability in our ecosystem today, these standards will become table stakes in strategic differentiation.
Lessons the U.S. Can Learn from Other Countries in Delivering High Quality and Cost Effective Healthcare
In this podcast, Dr. Alan Young discusses how lessons learned from his experiences receiving and delivering care in other countries have shaped his perspective on how to drive improvement in the U.S.
We now have a universal apple/google link that automatically updates with every episode: http://bit.ly/himsscast
GovTech Conference Digital Summit
By Barrington (Barry) Hunt, MPA, HIMSS Academic Alliance Representative, Cal State LA
Three hundred state, county and city managers attended the GovTech Conference Digital Summit of government information technology agencies, industry executives and academics in Downtown LA on August 27-28, 2019. It was a real eye-opener. Many of our current and former L.A. County and City DHS/DPH/DMH IT leaders were there presenting, networking and bestowing awards on scores of managers of worthy projects (local, national and international). The event focuses on applying the latest tools in IT to solve problems of government, industry, education, healthcare, city planning, transportation, finance and accounting. Many received productivity awards.
Call to Action: Promoting Interoperability 2019 & Beyond
By Steven Schulman, MHA, CPHQ Director, Promoting Interoperability, Keck Medicine of USC
With the end of CY2019 fast approaching, many eligible hospitals (EH) and eligible providers (EP) are putting forth last minute improvements to increase Promoting Interoperability scores. Promoting Interoperability, for those who aren’t familiar, is the new version of CMS’s Meaningful Use program where CMS regulates the effective use of EHRs, and poor performance can result in negative adjustments being applied to Medicare payments.
Promoting Interoperability is composed of four objectives and six measures, and there are versions for both the inpatient and outpatient settings. The objectives are E-Prescribing, Health Information Exchange, Provider to Patient Exchange, and Public Health & Clinical Data Exchange. The overall goal is to reach or exceed a 50-point minimum, out of a total of 100 points, over a self-selected 90-day reporting window. The focus of this article is the Health Information Exchange (HIE) objective, specifically the Support Electronic Referral Loops by Sending Health Information measure, otherwise known as Send Summary of Care (SOC), a measure underneath the HIE objective and worth 20 points.
Upcoming Events
2019 CXO Symposium - December 2, 2019
2020 Cybersecurity Forum - January 24, 2020
2020 Patient Experience Forum - April 24, 2020
2020 Healthcare IT Conference - June 1, 2020
