HIMSS Oregon Announces March 14th Event at the Nines

March 4, 2013 - PRLog -- The Oregon Chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HiMSS) today announced their latest event entitled “Countdown to Meltdown? Preparing Your Organization for Health Reform & the Brave New Healthcare World,” which will take place on Thursday, March 14th, from 5:00pm-8:30pm in the Culture Ballroom at the Nines Hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon.

Attendees will hear from J.D. Kleinke, a pioneering health care information entrepreneur, medical economist, author, policy expert, and business strategist, as he tackles what the actual health reform plan will look like, what happens when 30 million new people enter the “system” as we know it, and what will it all mean for your organization? “Obamacare” has survived the Supreme Court, but the health reform law itself may be overshadowed by larger shifts in market power - and continuing government budget crises, as lawmakers target Medicare and Medicaid as sources of major savings.  

“In order for health reform to be successful it will require an IT infrastructure to enable the capture, flow and analysis of data,” stated Brian Ahier, Health IT Evangelist at Mid-Columbia Medical Center.  “This presentation will help Health IT professionals understand how this new healthcare marketplace is so inextricably linked with their day to day work” he added. “I expect this event will spark some great conversation around the strategies and IT requirements that will allow healthcare organizations to thrive in our transforming healthcare system.”

This session will provide a critical overview of where health care stands today; the latest on spending trends and market dynamics; and how the health reform plan will play out for all major stakeholders, including providers, payers, employers, patients and consumers.  It will examine the concurrent effects of the reform plan, health insurance market upheavals, increasing patient economic empowerment, and emerging information technologies on today’s health care organization, and lays out a practical framework and set of critical success factors for your organization going forward, as health care faces the greatest challenges and changes in our lifetimes.

J.D.Kleinke has been instrumental in the creation of four health care information organizations, most notably HealthGrades.  He has helped hospital systems, insurers and physician groups prepare for medical computerization and health reform; provided business, product and technology strategy services to new and established health care companies; and sat on the Boards of several public and privately held health information companies.  In 2012, he was a Resident Fellow of the American Enterprise Institute.  Mr. Kleinke has authored three books on the U.S. health care system, Bleeding Edge: The Business of Health Care in the New Century and Oxymorons: The Myth of a U.S. Health Care System, and Catching Babies (2011). His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Barron’s, Health Affairs, JAMA, the British Medical Journal, Modern Healthcare, Managed Healthcare, Forbes, and numerous other publications.  Since his earliest writings on health policy and market dynamics in The Wall Street Journal in the early 1990s, Mr. Kleinke has long been known as a forceful, non-partisan advocate for an evidence-driven, computerized, patient-centric health care system.

“This conference is not only important for IT professionals but also clinicians, as well as administrative professionals” added Ahier.  “Information management and financial services attendees will find the content incredibly valuable as well.”

WHEN: Thursday, March 14th, 2013 from 5:00pm-8:30pm

5:00-6:00 – Registration and Networking
6:00-7:30 – Presentation**
7:30-8:30 – Networking Reception

WHERE: The Nines Hotel, The Culture Ballroom, 525 SW Morrison, Portland, Oregon 97204

**This program has been submitted for review and approval of continuing education (CE) hours for use in fulfilling the continuing education requirements of the Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHMS)

Registration is now open for the conference.   www.bit.ly/12pd4mp

Cost: HIMSS Member: 30.00; HIMSS Student Member: 20.00; Non-Member: 50.00

Limited Sponsorship Opportunities are still available. Please contact HiMSS Oregon Sponsorship Chair, Tyler Brown, tbrown@kforce.com  

CONTACT: Raina McSherry, 503-970-9105, raina.mcsherry@himss-oregon.org

ABOUT HIMSS
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the healthcare industry's membership organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., Brussels, and other locations across the United States and Europe, HIMSS represents more than 20,000 individual members and over 300 corporate members that collectively represent organizations employing millions of people. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to ensuring quality patient care. Visit  www.himss.org  for more information.