Austin HIMSS President's message

Hello chapter members

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season.  Both of our events in December were well attended and a lot of fun.  The CIO panel had 120 people in attendance, 20 of whom were guests or new members.  Additionally and despite the cold weather, the holiday social was a great way for members to connect and check out the Seaholm Power Plant occupied by Athenahealth.  A sincere thank you to Athenahealth for co-hosting the social this year.

Two of our members have earned the designation of Fellow Member status within the Society .  This honor is bestowed in recognition of service, professional participation, job experience, publications, and presentations.

  • Don Ellis; Co-founder and Sr. Partner at Ellis & Adams
  • Jeff Nordyke; Senior Health Services Consultant at TMF Health Quality Institute

The Annual HIMSS conference will be February 19th-23rd in Orlando, FL.  Information and registration can be found here:  http://www.himssconference.org .  If you plan on attending, please join all of the Texas HIMSS members for a reception at Howl At The Moon on Tuesday, February 21st from 6:30p - 8:30p.  You must register ahead of time in order to attend as we are limited to just 200 members.  RSVP here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/himss17-texas-chapters-networking-reception-registration-30310331016

Our next event will be Tuesday, January 10th  from 11:30 – 1:00pm at the Thompson Conference Center on the UT campus.  The speaker will be Robert Teague, MD.  Dr.  Teague’s topic is entitled “MACRA – MIPS: The Table is Set; What will Be Served?”.  As promised during my remarks at the CIO panel, this topic is important to the healthcare industry as it is changes the way physicians are paid by Medicare starting January 1 2017.  IT plays a critical role in each of these laws.  If you haven’t heard of this topic before, it will likely dominate many discussions this year and beyond similar to how the acronym “MU” has been in the last eight years.  Also worth noting is that these laws are not part of Obamacare and are not at risk of being repealed in the foreseeable future. RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/macra-mips-the-table-is-set-what-will-be-served-tickets-30725891970 .  Don’t forget there is free parking on the corner lot of Dean Keaton and Red River St. closest to Thompson Conference Center.

Have a great 2017!

All the best,

Doug Burkott, FHIMSS
President, Austin HIMSS Chapter