Track Description  

As the healthcare industry continues to strive for better patient care, secure patient data and regulatory compliance, leading industry executives understand the importance of working toward an eHealth system. In the Healthcare and IT track, national and state officials from leading health systems, HIEs and government organizations will discuss the implications of federal funding and public policy on new healthcare technologies and initiatives. They’ll also discuss the influential role Nebraska plays in this transition. Thank you to our track sponsor, Windstream Communications.

Track Sessions

Using Health Information Exchange and Electronic Health Records to Improve Quality, Reduce Costs and Improve Transitions of Care

Bill Beighe, CIO, Santa Cruz Health Information Exchange and Physicians Medical Group, Santa Cruz, Calif.

The federal government is pumping more than $40 billion into the economy intended to modernize the health care system through investments in Electronic Health Records and Health Information Exchange. State government and private organizations are expected to invest many more billions. How and when will these investments pay off in improved quality, patient safety and efficiency?

Healthcare IT Trends & Glimmers

Dave Garets, President and CEO, HIMSS Analytics, Executive Vice President, HIMSS, Chicago

HIMSS Analytics surveys every non-federal hospital and health system in the U.S. every year in a comprehensive, granular study of healthcare IT presence and use. Dave Garets will discuss the reality of what's planned and what's been done in healthcare IT, based on interviews with over 5,200 hospital and health system CIOs and other IT and business executives. He’ll also discuss where the data says healthcare IT is going in 2010 and beyond. Learning Objectives include: Understanding where the industry is headed in technologies and applications; discovering how far American hospitals have come in implementing electronic medical records; finding out how prevalent CPOE and closed loop medication administration implementations really are; and hearing the truth about spending on IT by HCOs.

HIT in Nebraska

Moderator: Kevin Conway, Vice President of Health Information, Nebraska Hospital Association
Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy, State of Nebraska
Deb Bass, Director, Nebraska Health Information Initiative (NEHII) and President and CEO, Bass & Associates
Greg Schieke, Senior Vice President, Wide River Technology Extension Center and  CIMRO of Nebraska

Attendees in the session will be provided a broad overview of Health Information Technology (HIT) activities in Nebraska related to the state eHealth plan.

Leading will be Lt Governor Ricky Sheehy. Lt Gov Sheehy will provide a review of the eHealth Council and the Nebraska Information Technology Commission (NITC), which he chairs. The eHealth Council was created to facilitate discussions among eHealth initiatives in the state and to make recommendations regarding the adoption and interoperability of eHealth technologies. eHealth technologies include telehealth, electronic health records, electronic prescribing, clinical decision support, computerized provider order entry, and health information exchange. The widespread adoption of eHealth technologies is expected to reduce health care costs, reduce medical errors, and improve the quality of care.

The Nebraska Health Information Initiative (NeHII) is named as the State Designated Entity. In this role, NeHII is charged with implementing the state’s health information technology strategic plan as called by in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Deb Bass will provide the attendees with updates on implementation steps of the strategic plan.

Also included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was funding for Regional Extension Centers. CIMRO of Nebraska has applied for grant funding to be the Regional Extension Center for Nebraska and will offer training and technical assistance to assist physicians and other providers to implement Electronic Health Record technology and integrate with NeHII.  How CIMRO will support the Regional Extension Center and what services will be provided will be reviewed.

Data Breach Notification

Gray Derrick, Baird Holm
Sara Juster, Vice President of Compliance, Nebraska Methodist Health System

The recent HITECH Act creates strict reporting requirements in the event that unsecured PHI is breached. This session will address data breach notification requirements, how to secure PHI so notification is not required and the interplay of these requirements with state data breach notification laws. In addition, this session will provide practical insights from those who have implemented processes to comply with these requirements.

Technology in Rural Healthcare

Stephen Marvin, Strategic Specialist - Data Product Engineering, Windstream Communications, Rogers, Ark.

With all the technological and regulatory changes occurring in healthcare today, what is the impact on the delivery of care in rural America? Due to a variety of factors, rural healthcare providers have traditionally lagged behind their metro counterparts in technology adoption. Continuing advancements in telehealth technologies bring the promise of improved quality, lower delivery costs, and expanded access to diagnostic and treatment services to rural patients and communities. What is available today for rural healthcare providers to leverage some of the newest technologies to deliver better patient care, improve care giver collaboration, protect patient privacy, and foster better treatment outcomes? What partnering strategies and options are available to rural healthcare providers and how can these be leveraged for the complete care of patients? Moreover, how could a rural healthcare provider go about paying for better or new service? Windstream Communications is a leading provider of advanced data services and network infrastructure to rural healthcare providers in America. Hear about some of the exciting new telehealth initiatives currently underway at Windstream.

Business Associate Agreements - Successfully Navigating the Circle of Trust

Bob Binford, Vice President of Business Strategies, McCallie Associates

Using scenarios, participants will experience the viewpoints of clients, providers, technologists and managers as process owners in their HIPAA and HiTECH Act of 2009 compliance roles. The presentation will address the obligations, relationships, vulnerabilities, policies and processes that develop trust and manage risk.

Who Controls the Data? Consumer Issues in Heathcare

Nancy Shank, Associate Director, University of Nebraska Public Policy Center
Sharon Welna, Associate Director of Information Systems Compliance and Project Manager, UNMC, The Nebraska Medical Center, Bellevue Hospital
Sheila Wrobel, Compliance Officer and Research Integrity Officer, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Attend this breakout for an engaging dialogue from a panel of officials representing public policy, privacy and information security. They will discuss the issue of who controls the data within the competing requirements the healthcare industry is facing.

Navigate the Resiliency Framework Maze

Jeff Schreiner, Software Engineering Services

Adopting a Resiliency Framework is a foundational process improvement approach to operational resiliency management. Without one it becomes difficult to define the essential organizational processes, compliance requirements (HIPAA, HITECH, GLBA, FFIEC etc), and specific practices that are necessary to manage operational resiliency. There is an abundance of industry guidance to choose from. How should your organization manage this challenge? An organization can establish its current level of capability in managing resiliency, set forward-looking resiliency goals and targets, and develop plans to close identified gaps.

Bottom line: by taking a process view, a resiliency management model can help an organization to develop more maturity and predictability about how it will perform under times of stress rather than hoping it will survive disruptions.

CIO Prioritization

Moderator: Jim O'Connor, Partner, Baird Holm, Legal Counsel, Nebraska Health Information Initiative (NEHII)
Lianne Stevens, Vice President of Information Technology/CIO, Nebraska Medical Center
Susan Courtney, Vice President and CIO, BlueCross BlueShield of Nebraska

A panel of CIOs will discuss their strategies for establishing realistic goals and priorities that support their organization during a time when everyone is expected to "do more with less." Today's CIOs must attract and maintain a talented workforce,  deploy complex IT systems, comply with growing regulations, meet meaningful use requirements, improve security protocols and support their organization's business goals – and do it all with limited time and resources. This panel will take you inside the mind of leading CIOs as they grapple with these critical issues.

Program is subject to change.

Track Leader

Jim O'Connor - Partner, Baird Holm