Fall 2017 Newsletter

Welcome from the Board

Dear HIMSS Northern California Members,

We had a great FY17 and are looking forward to seeing all of you at our FY18 events! Our board and committees are working to bring you several great events in the coming months. We started the year with our annual Fall Social / Giants Game. It was a huge success and a great networking opportunity. We have the following events planned for the rest of the year.

  • November 16, 2017 - Annual CxO Event
  • February 1, 2018 - Innovation Conference & Showcase
  • Spring 2018 - ePatient Summit
  • May 2018 - CA State HIT Day

Other exciting Chapter news includes the Advocacy Committee, chaired by Shanti Wilson. Shanti was able to present Senator Ed Hernandez with the “HIMSS State Legislator of the Year Award” on behalf of the National HIMSS Board of Directors. In addition, Shanti has also been named, Vice Chair, for the Western Regional Chapter Advocacy!

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A Recap on HIMSS NorCal Summer and Fall Socials

By Jason Johnson, Programs Committee Chair and Lauren Mock, Innovation Committee Chair

Summer Social

It was another great year at Rosenblum Cellars in Jack London Square for our 11th Annual Summer Social to celebrate our fiscal year-end. It was the perfect time to celebrate everything we have accomplished as a chapter in the past year and an opportunity to look forward to the next.

We have been celebrating at Rosenblum for the past two years, and it is a favorite waterside locale in the East Bay. We enjoyed the company of 75 attendees, including new chapter members and non-members, underneath the warm summer sun in an intimate setting.

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HIMSS NorCal is now on LinkedIn!

By Maital S. Rasmussen, Marketing Committee Chair

Please follow HIMSS NorCal on LinkedIn to stay informed of the latest updates from the chapter. You can access our profile here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/norcalhimss

Don’t forget to join our HIMSS NorCal group, which is a discussion forum for our Chapter community members on healthcare topics such as Digital Health and Health IT. You can join the conversation here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1837211


Sacramento Meetup Updates - MACRA and Machine Learning

By Evelyn Milani, HIMSS NorCal Sacramento Meetup Leader

The HIMSS NorCal Sacramento Meetup team has had two highly successful meetups these past few months with a lively, highly participative audience.

The Impact of MACRA on Physician Practices and Health Systems

Our panel of distinguished experts in the field of MACRA, payment policy, and overall healthcare policy provided feedback on lessons learned, policy changes, and how physicians have adapted to the policy.

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Announcing the HIMSS NorCal Clinical Advisory Council

By Margit Chapman, RN, CAC Chair

To bolster its ability to address market needs and enhance HIMSS NorCal’s value to physicians and clinicians, we have established the HIMSS NorCal Clinical Advisory Council (CAC). The CAC will be comprised of 10-12 representative Physicians, Registered Nurses, Pharmacists, and experienced leaders in designing clinical solutions who will contribute industry insights, fresh perspectives, and learned counsel to HIMSS NorCal’s leadership team. We will benefit from the inputs and recommendations offered by the CAC as it relates to our educational events, subject matter expertise, and organizational positioning.'

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Introducing Shanti Wilson, HIMSS Advocacy Vice Chair for the Western Region

With over 50 HIMSS Chapters across the United States, one of HIMSS' many strengths is to connect HIMSS members with local, state, and national decision-makers on key Health IT issues. The HIMSS Chapter Advocacy program provides an opportunity to support this regionally and locally, and we are proud to announce that our Northern California Advocacy Chair, Shanti Wilson, was recently appointed to the position of the Advocacy Vice Chair for the Western Region. She will support sharing best practices and the advocacy efforts of our Western chapters. Congratulations Shanti! If you are interested in learning more about advocacy or participating in advocacy activities, please contact her at scw@freedassociates.com.


Advocacy Wins for AB 401 and 40

By Leslie Bruce, HIMSS Southern California Advocacy Committee

The 5,800 members of the HIMSS Northern and Southern California Chapters had cause for celebration when the Governor signed two bills important to the health of Californians recently, AB 401 and AB 40.

Signed on October 7, AB 401 enables registered pharmacy technicians in medically underserved areas to distribute drugs and devices under the supervision of a State Board of Pharmacy authorized pharmacist using a telepharmacy system. The 7.4 million Californians in medically underserved areas will benefit from increased access to their medication, enhanced medication adherence, and ultimately, improved health outcomes.

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Sponsorship Corner

Our 2017/2018 year is coming along greatly, and the Sponsorship Committee would like to share a new opportunity for our sponsors to promote their business and services to our membership.

Starting this year, we are offering the opportunity for our sponsors to leverage this HIMSS quarterly newsletter. There are several new promotions through which sponsors can purchase ad space at different levels. In addition, we will be promoting our sponsors each year on a full page ad. The following types of ads for purchase in our future newsletters are:

  • Front page ads
  • Full and half back page ads
  • Highlights in our sponsorship logo corner
  • Annual sponsorship article will highlight all our sponsors throughout the year

If you are interested in purchasing ad space in our newsletter, please contact our Sponsorship Committee Chair, Michelle Heimann at mheimannhimss@gmail.com.


Davies Award Winner

We are proud to announce that the first Davies Award winner is from our region! Dr. Danielle Oryn and the team at the Petaluma Health Center (an FQHC in Petaluma, CA) are on the cutting edge in visual management of data, especially in the community health center sector. PHC has used an innovative analytics interface to create a culture of providers pulling care delivery and outcomes data as part of their regular workflow to identify opportunities for improvement. Dr. Oryn and her team are a terrific resource for improving population health and chronic disease management through the use of information technology.

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Save the Date! Annual CXO Summit on November 16

Digital Transformation - Leading from the Edge

Unprecedented advances in digital technology are transforming how healthcare is delivered. The potential of these technologies to streamline care delivery workflows, enhance security and improved patient experiences, is an attractive proposition for healthcare enterprises, but one that demands an expansion of the traditional roles of HIT.

Come learn from leading CXOs, physicians and national experts as they share best strategies for identifying products and services, managing and storing data, partnering and acquiring talent, and building world class healthcare systems of the future. Hear how organizations are integrating the latest technologies into existing business models and IT architectures to improve services.

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Call to Action: Participate in Virtual March on Washington!

By Shanti Wilson, HIMSS NorCal Advocacy Committee Chair, HIMSS Advocacy Vice Chair for the Western Region

HIMSS National Advocacy is having a virtual march on Washington to advocate for Health IT legislation.

Please make your voice heard through our Virtual March on Washington! Contact your elected officials in Congress quickly and easily with our letter highlighting HIMSS 2017 Congressional Asks.

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