IT folks are used to planning a project, but sometimes when we are out of our normal day to day environment we forget the basics that have helped make us successful.

I use the five most common questions to help plan my four day adventure: who, what, why, how and when.

1^st – Why Attend?

What are your goals for attending? First time attendees don’t need onerous goals but make them realistic. Examples might be: learn about 1 new vendor or product a day that will help my organization or make 2 contacts each day that I can follow-up with over the next year

2^nd – What Information will help move our Hospital forward in 2011 or 2013?

Know in advance what you think will help your organization. You will always have a pleasant surprise, but that is a bonus.

3^rd – Who will you learn from? Make sure you look through the full agenda before you go to identify who you think will have information or insights that will help both you and your organization. It could be a speaker or a vendor or a person you meet. Identify 2 or 3 speakers and 2 or 3 vendors. You may not ever purchase anything from the vendors you meet, but you will come away with ideas.

4^th – How?  – agree that when you go back to your office you will share your learnings with your peers.  To do this I suggest you

a)      Document each session or  booth on the exhibit floor you go to… take notes the old fashion way, dictate as you leave the session or take pictures on you smart phone

b)      Summarize your notes each night… the amount of information is overwhelming at times so be sure to finalize your thoughts daily. Whether it is daily notes or a PowerPoint presentation, get the information ready to share with your peers… it only takes a few minutes

c)      Make a list of ideas or people to follow-up with.

5th When? use your time efficiently and effectively. Commit to following a plan of attack for 2/3 of the day and leave 1/3 flexible each day. Plan out which major vendors you want to talk with and make an appointment to visit their booth. Plan when you want to visit them, before or after a given educational session.

For example Day 1

a)      Attend the Key note address

b)      Go to the 1^st session in the  social media series

c)      Go to 1st session in the mobility series

d)     Visit vendor X’s booth to learn about a,b and/or c

It is a great learning environment. Enjoy it!

Check out the full agenda.

The Meet the Bloggers session on Wednesday, Feb. 23, brings a panel of leading health IT industry bloggers together to give attendees a look at the dedication, responsibilities and skills required to develop and maintain a successful blog. This year’s panelists include:

• Brian Ahier, Healthcare, Technology & Government 2.0 Blog;
• Bill Crounse, MD, MSDN HealthBlog;
• Deborah Leyva, RN, BSN, Healthcare & Technology Blog;
• John Sharp, MA, eHealth Blog; and
• Christina Beach Thielst, FACHE, Christina’s Considerations Blog.

The rush is on!

Expected increased spending in the US on  Health IT from 2011 to 2015 is $36 Billion, with at least $20B of that coming from the Gov’t incentive program.  The USA has put in place a carrot and a stick approach. This is different than the approach used by Canada Health Infoway, in which organizations are only reimbursed once they can demonstrate they have effectively implemented. The USA health care organizations will receive incentives through 2015 to implement interoperable EHRs and show “meaningful” use. Following the incentives comes the stick or penalty for non-compliance. Over 66% of the CIOs surveyed in US Healthcare see a need to increase their staffing levels, primarily to ensure that Gov’t incentives available through 2015 are secured and used effectively, before penalties for non- compliance kick in.

What will this mean to Canada, a small market (less population than the state of California)

a)      less vendor attention and more limited access to US resources, as the large US based software companies focus on the lucrative situation at home.

b)      our staff maybe attracted to the US for higher wages and more challenging assignments. There are obviously differing views as to whether Canadians would go south, but with significantly lower projected spending in the next few years especially in Ontario due to high Gov’t deficits, and  onerous procurement rules skilled professionals may well leave, just as doctors and nurses did in the 1990’s.

PWC mixes into the discussion  Health Care IT trends were 2 very interesting Healtrh Care Trends:

Limited Consumer Demand

Similar to Canada, consumers are not demanding that they have Electronic records and/or have access to their own personal health record. PWC doesn’t feel that Health Care reform and thus lower costs will occur until consumers are engaged and willing to be accountable for managing and improving their own health. Canada is not different in this respect. But ‘Meaningful Use” requires hospitals and physicians to provide patients with an electronic copy of their health record on request. The theory of build and they will come may work, but significant consumer education is required to take advantage of this huge investment.

Generic Drugs

One may wonder why the introduction of more generic drugs is seen as a huge plus when taking about Health Care IT. Between 2010 and 2014, 50% of the drugs in the USA currently protected by patents will become available in their generic format. The US Health care sees this as a huge savings. In 2011 alone $26Billion of annual drugs costs goes off patent.  If savings are 50%, the costs reduction is $13 Billion. So do we care? Yes, I think we do. Funding of Health Care is an issue for most provinces as they struggle with large deficits. Have the Ministries of Health factored in these expected decreased costs, or can this be a potential source of funds to help implement electronic records in Canada.

Bottom line:

We have a solid foundation with investment from Canada Health Infoway, the Provinces and the providers. We must find ways to continue investing in the Electronic Health Record.

Resources:
Find the PWC report online HERE!

Here’s their list:

1. Health reform providers will explore new care and reimbursement models.
2. EMRs will shift from purchase to adoption phase for hospitals in 2011.
3. EMR-as-a-service options will take off among ambulatory providers.
4. CPOE will get real-world experience.
5. Clinical decision support will be integrated into care.
6. Meaningful use and healthcare reform technology purchasing will continue.
7. Clinical mobility will drive meaningful use.
8. Business and clinical intelligence will become actionable.
9. Client virtualization will become the rule for point-of-care applications.
10. Healthcare storage will transform to support electronic records and images.

Not surprisingly, technology takes a number of the key spots with Electronic Health Records, CPOE, Mobility and Virtualization making the list however the inclusion of Cloud and SaaS  may surprise some. While most other industries have been quick to adopt Cloud and SaaS Healthcare has been hesitant to make this leap. IDC is predicting that 2011 will see EMR and overall storage move in this direction and I quite agree.

Companies like Cerner have been providing a substantial number of EMR hosted services for a number of years now and the model has not only proven to be cost effective, but also extremely efficient for adoption and deployment of enhanced clinical systems.  Moving administrative applications, data and communications to the cloud should be a natural fit for the healthcare industry which is in need of not only cost savings but also greater efficiencies and access to innovative technologies.

Offloading the management of technology through traditional outsourcing allows organizations to focus more resources and dollars on innovation and improved quality of care often providing better and more auditable security as well.  Cloud and SaaS take the model to the next level with clinical and non clinical applications deployed and managed as a utility service. I expect we’ll begin to see more and more offerings move into this space or be created to meet demands in this space over 2011 and it’s nice to see that IDC agrees.

Resources:
Find the complete IDC article online HERE!

CLASP will target health problems such as childhood obesity, screening for chronic diseases by family doctors and address the unique needs of First Nations; all initiatives that have the potential to positively impact the overall healthcare system for generations to come.

The approach will include leveraging both scientific and policy expertise as well as evidence from existing programs and studies targeting chronic disease prevention already underway at Universities across the country.

While full details of the specific programs CLASP will be pursuing are not yet available, the potential for leveraging new technologies such as mobile apps, Health 2.0 services as well as private sector partnerships seem likely and make this announcement worth noting and it’s progress worth watching.

Resources:
Read the post or full press release on the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer website.

Lynn Nagle to Strategic Advisor, eHealth at PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada
Kurtis Bishop to Director, eHealth at PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada
Saäd Rafi to Deputy Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario
Caroline DeKeyster to Chief Nursing Officer, Misericordia Health Centre, MB
Patti Smith to Executive Director of the Misericordia Health Centre Foundation, MB
Linda Lindsay to Director of Development, CancerCare Manitoba
Dr. Axel Herberg is stepping down as CEO of the Management Board of Gerresheimer

Review all recently reported Transitions.

The subtitle “Squeezing the juice out of Healthcare” and the less than subtle Orange cover add a playful element to a rather serious document that make it much more accessible and decipherable for those who are not in the industry.

Not surprisingly more government regulations, cost cutting and the lingering effects of the economic crisis dominate the industry and receive a great deal of attention. The overall approach is however clearly forward looking with cautious optimism and a focus on sustainably rather than great leaps forward which is both sobering and realistic.

Preparing for convergence and integration of information, organizations and technologies as well as a greater shift to a consumer focus is clearly where the opportunities lie for healthcare in the coming year. A great deal of the foundations have been laid in all of these areas, however 2010 looks to be the year where we will collectively begin to see tangible results.

Finally innovation, engagement, networking and partnering are flushed out as major themes with social media and other global trends toward collaboration leaving a clear impression on the strategies and approaches considered by the analysts.

At a Glance

• The push for health reform is stirring up the industry, organizations are crawling out of the recession and the government is becoming more active.
• Success will hinge on squeezing the most value out of new and current relationships, impending regulatory changes and consumer demands.
• Each organization will have to understand new interdependencies and redefine its role as the health industry converges.

Resources:
Download Top ten health industry issues in 2010

This is a great opportunity to check out some of the content presented if you were not able to attend and get a feel for the conference and it’s value if you were on the fence about attending.

Having watched a few of the videos, it’s clear that MaRS continues to be a catalyst for great conferences and networking opportunities and for putting Toronto and Canada on the Health and Life Sciences Innovation world map. In addition to this conference, the Medicine 2.0 conference is another great example of a conference hosted by MaRS that has really begun to evolve into a must attend event as well.

Resources:

Read about the annoucement on the MaRS Blog
Check out the videos on the MaRS Future of Medicine Channel
Find out more about the MaRS Future of Medicine Conference
Have a look at conference pictures on Flickr
Check out the details on the Medicine 2.0 Conference as well

Dr. Brian Postl retiring as President and CEO of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, effective June 2010
Dr. Carrol Pitters to Chief of Staff, The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)
Dr. Robert Peterson to CIHR’s Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network as Executive Director
Dr. Tomas Paus to Joint Baycrest and University of Toronto Anne and Max Tanenbaum Chair, and co-director of Toronto Trans-generational Brain and Body Centre (TTBBC).
Georgene Miller to Provincial Health Services Authority as Chief Quality, Safety and Medical Affairs Administrative Officer (BC)
Greg Dennis to Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Ontario as Director of Communications
Gregory Brown to member of the Ontario Mental Health Foundation
James Alberding to Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Ontario as Senior Advisor
Kirk McIntyre to Vice President Group Business, Ontario Medavie Blue Cross
Lynn Trott to General Manager of SteriPro Canada
Marcel Mérette to Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, the University of Ottawa
Merilyn Allison to member of the board of the Erie St.Clair Local Health Integration Network, ON
Norma Beauchamp to Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada as Vice President, Policy and Reimbursement
Roberto Bellini to Bellus Health as President and Chief Executive Officer
Ron Currie to Saint Elizabeth Health Care as Vice President, Communications and Marketing
Shona Elliott to President and Chief Executive Officer, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance
Steve West to MDS Inc. as Chief Executive Officer
Winston Isaac to member of the Board of the Central West Local Health Integration Network, ON
Christine Chadwick to HOK Health Care as Vice President and Market Sector Leader

Review all recently reported Transitions.

Don Schurman to Sumeraconsulting
George Pink to Humana Distinguished Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health
Dr. Lisa Rojkjaer (nee Payne) to Vice President, Clinical Development, MorphoSys.
Gary Phillips to the Board of Directors, North West LHIN
Dianne Miller to the Board of Directors, North West LHIN

Review all recently reported Transitions.