President's Message

Dear Maryland Chapter of HIMSS Members, Colleagues and Friends,

It has been an interesting winter, after spending December in 60s and above, we have paid the price with the largest snowfall in Maryland history and several weeks of brutal cold. But we have turned the corner now, and our thoughts are focused on the warmer months of spring, which is not too far away.

For those that have joined us, you had the opportunity to participate in our Winter Educational event, and our Annual Advocacy event in Annapolis. We had great turnout for both.

For those looking toward the National HIMSS conference in Las Vegas, please plan on joining us there at the Mid-Atlantic Chapters of HIMSS Networking Reception on March 2^nd - but sign up now via our chapter website, since it typically sells out. For those that want to network and meet other members of our Chapter, we have an upcoming Social event planned for March 24^th in Columbia, our Spring Educational event planned for April 22^nd, and our Golf Tournament planned for May 16^th. You can find more information about each in our newsletter below as well as on our Chapter website.

I hope to see you out at one of our upcoming events.

Bob Hooper
President, Maryland Chapter of HIMSS

Advocacy Committee

See you in the Spring!

Chris Panagiotopoulos
Advocacy Committee Chair

Communications Committee

The Communications Committee has had a busy Winter supporting the other committees that bring you great programs and activities. We appreciate the feedback we receive from MDHIMSS members via surveys and other avenues. Please continue to drop us a line at md.info@himsschapter.org to let us know what we are doing well and how we can better serve you.

Ground Hog Day? Do you ever feel like your contact information (Company, Title, etc) keeps going back in time? Surprised by what is printed on your name badge at Maryland HIMSS Chapter event? If so, it may be that you need to update your contact information in the (National) HIMSS database at http://marketplace.himss.org/My-Account/ .   Reason for this? We (the Maryland Chapter of HIMSS) maintain our own Constant Contact database that is used for sending emails and handing registrations Maryland Chapter events. However, we receive a monthly membership updates from (National) HIMSS and some of that information may overlay what is in the Maryland Chapter database. So, if you registered for an event and specified one organization name but your badge displayed a different organization name then it may be because you have not updated your HIMSS profile and there was monthly update that occurred between the time you registered and the event. Questions? Please drop us a note at md.info@himsschapter.org .

Thank you to those of you that signed up in November to work on the Communications team! We look forward to cross-training and doing more with social media. There are still some opportunities available - we would like to hear from you if you have an interest in contributing in the areas of web site authoring, graphic design, Constant Contact, photography, videography, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube.

Looking forward to a great Spring!

Mark Doore
Communications Committee Chair

Community Outreach Committee

The recent bitter cold temperatures and near zero degree wind chill factor makes the thought of green fairways seem somewhere in the distant future, but the truth is our 6^th Annual Golf Tournament is just about 90 days away!  Despite the snow and ice outside, our committee has been busy preparing for the May 16^th event at Hayfields Country Club.

Registration is now open and filling up fast.  For those HIT End Users working in hospital or clinical setting the cost is only $50 for a day of golf, great food, cocktails and raffle prizes. 

For companies who provide either a product or service to the healthcare industry this is a great way to network or entertain existing or prospective clients.  Sponsorships are still available.

Walter Bergman
Community Outreach and Golf Tournament Chair

CXO Outreach Committee

See you in the Spring!

Ravi Singh
CXO Outreach Committee Chair

Membership Committee

Our January Education Session Event added 9 new members to the Maryland Chapter.   On behalf of the board, I want to welcome them, and we are looking forward to seeing and meeting everyone at our future events.   Some of those companies include Johns Hopkins, Experis, Tedco, Ricoh, Bytegrid, BSE Online, and Sero Solutions.

Non-Members can join the Maryland chapter by attending an event as a non-member and by completing and retuning the application within 5 days after an event. All non-member registration fees include a one-year chapter membership if the completed application is return in this time period.

For our Corporate Members / Organization Affiliates keep an eye out for our team when we come to your office for a Meet and Greet in the upcoming months.  

To all National Members help spread the word of HiMSS and grow our chapter at the same time with the HiMSS + 1 Membership Program. This national program allows you to provide a free National (and included State Chapter) Membership to a friend who has never been a HiMSS member.

Go to the chapter website for details and instructions at http://md.himsschapter.org

If you are interested in joining this committee, please contact the Brian Zernhelt Membership Committee Chair at bzernhelt@softwareconsortium.com or 410-740-1910 x104

Brian Zernhelt
Membership Committee Chair

Program Planning Committee

Cyber Security: Rapid Evolution of Cybersecurity in Health Care

By David B. Smith, Maryland HIMSS Board Member and Program Planning Vice Chair

One does not have to look far to see how quickly this evolution is taking place with health care now being a target for cyber-attacks. A Google search for “cyber attack health care” returns over 10 million results. At the writing of this, the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center is being held hostage by hackers that have implanted ransomware on their systems making them inaccessible. The hackers are demanding approximately $3.6 million in bitcoins.

Join us on April 22, 2016 starting at 7:30am at the Ten Oaks Ballroom for a major cyber security educational event that will feature the following speakers and panelists:

Registration is now open and the available seats will go quickly so register early. Details of event and registration can be found at the Maryland HIMSS Event Page.

Speaker presentations for Past Events are posted under Education & Events on our website http://md.himsschapter.org .

We thank you for your continued interest in Health IT and the Maryland Chapter of HIMSS. If you would like to volunteer your time to help our Program Planning team, please contact us:

Kathryn Whitmore (KathrynWhitmore@STSConsultingGroup.com) at 443-742-4643 or

David Smith (David.Smith@capitaldigestivecare.com) at 301-332-2137.

Kathryn Whitmore
Program Planning Committee Chair

Professional Development Committee

See you in the Spring!

Karen Marie Wilding
Professional Development Committee Chair