IHE USA Announces Incorporation

IHE USA Announces Incorporation

IHE USA represents the interoperability needs and requirements of the US healthcare system

CHICAGO (December 17, 2010) – After more than a decade of improving the way healthcare systems share information for optimal patient care, IHE USA announces its incorporation.

The mission of IHE USA is to drive adoption of standards-based interoperability to improve patient care through innovation, standards profiling, testing, education and collaboration.

IHE USA, founded and supported by HIMSS and the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), is a not-for-profit organization that operates as one of four deployment committees of IHE International®. Each deployment committee is a distinct organization with its own governance rules and business models that adhere to IHE Principles of Governance, but has the flexibility to meet the needs of its members and interoperability priorities of a specific country or region. Other deployment committees are:

IHE Europe: Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, the Netherlands and United Kingdom

IHE Asia-Oceania: Australia, China, Japan and Korea

IHE North America: Canada and USA

“IHE technical frameworks simplify data sharing by giving healthcare providers easy access to secure patient information with the development of more than 100 IHE Profiles since 1997,” said Joyce Sensmeier, MS, RN-BC, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, FAAN, who is HIMSS Vice President, Informatics. “IHE USA will continue to strengthen and support the ongoing efforts of the many volunteers and organizations that drive the development and use of standards-based interoperability in electronic health record systems in the United States.”

IHE USA sponsors activities in the three primary areas of testing and test tool development, education and training, and implementation support of IHE Profiles. Plans for 2010-11 include:

·     IHE North American Connectathon held on January 17-21, 2011 in Chicago

·     IHE North American Conference and Connectathon tour held on January 18, 2011 in Chicago

·     Annual IHE Educational Webinar Series – June through September each year

·     Presentations at conferences and workshops

·     IHE Demonstrations, such as the HIMSS Interoperability Showcase™, held at HIMSS11 Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida on February 21-24, 2011.

As background on the establishment of IHE, HIMSS and the RSNA founded IHE International® in 1997 as an initiative led by healthcare professionals and industry across the globe who work together to improve the way healthcare systems share information in support of optimal patient care. Now, more than a decade later, IHE International has become a global organization with more than 300 members that represent healthcare, education, government, professional societies, trade associations and industry throughout the world.

• For more information on IHE USA, visit http://www.iheusa.org/ or contact the IHE USA Secretariat at ihe@himss.org.
• Learn more about IHE Connectathons here.
• Register for the IHE N.A. Connectathon Conference 2011 here.
• Find out more about the IHE Free Educational Webinar Series here.

About IHE

IHE USA (www.iheusa.org) is a not for profit organization founded in 2010 that operates as a deployment committee of IHE International®. The mission of IHE USA is to drive adoption of standards-based interoperability to improve patient care through innovation, standards profiling, testing, education and collaboration. IHE USA improves the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery by supporting the deployment of standards-based electronic health record systems, facilitating the exchange of health information among care providers, both within the enterprise and across care settings, and enabling local, regional and nationwide health information networks in the United States, all in a manner consistent with participation in the activities of IHE International, Inc.

About HIMSS

HIMSS is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded 50 years ago, HIMSS and its related organizations have offices in Chicago, Washington, DC, Brussels, Singapore, Leipzig, and other locations across the United States. HIMSS represents more than 30,000 individual members, of which 68% work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations. HIMSS also includes over 470 corporate members and more than 85 not-for-profit organizations that share our mission of transforming healthcare through the effective use of information technology and management systems. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare practices and public policy through its content expertise, professional development, and research initiatives designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to improving the quality, safety, access, and cost-effectiveness of patient care. To learn more about HIMSS and to find out how to join us and our members in advancing our cause, please visit our website at http://www.himss.org/.

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For more information, contact:

Joyce Lofstrom/HIMSS

312-915-9237 jlofstrom@himss.org