The AEGIS team is packing our bags for Chicago and getting set to attend HIMSS15 next week. Our goal this year is simple: foster dialog around “getting it done” when it comes to health information exchange interoperability. There is plenty of discussion in our industry around why interoperability is hard – some even claim it’s not possible. For our part, AEGIS is in the camp that’s asking, “Why is it taking so long?” We’ll be at HIMSS15 not only to show that it’s completely possible, but also to share exactly how we’re helping healthcare organizations, information exchanges, and standards bodies make it happen – today.
To that end, we have simplified our “booth” this time to encourage small group and one-on-one discussions with our technical experts and thought leaders including Mario Hyland (@interopguy), Richard Ettema (@techknowman), and Joe Lamy (@specsherpa) among others.
Last year in Orlando we were one of a very few firms demonstrating a working implementation of the HL7 FHIR standard. We will advance that discussion this year with a more in-depth presentation based on our experience working with FHIR over the course of the past year.
We will be hosting panel discussions with one of our clients – the HHS Office of Population Affairs – whom we helped implement and test a custom health information exchange profile. We’ll talk about what we did to get that profile through the IHE Connectathon with the aid of several organizations who worked to implement the profile, and how we brought one of those organizations in to the HIMSS15 Interoperability Showcase to demonstrate the entire workflow with OPA.
We know there is a need across the industry for these kinds of profiles and we want to explain that it’s doable, even within a short window of time, given a team of experts like AEGIS has to offer.
We’re also planning for appearances by some of our collaborators from the Healtheway eHealth Exchange and from HL7. If we’re lucky, Barry Runyon from Gartner who wrote about us last fall will visit as well. And of course, President George W. Bush will be in the house on Wednesday. Mr. President, if you’re reading this (!) we’d love to get your thoughts on health IT interoperability – feel free to stop by! In fact, we can fill you in on our current work in Texas for the Central Health Community Care Collaborative….
The HIMSS exhibit hall is a big place with lots of bright and shiny objects to hold your attention. In fact, it always strikes me when I enter the hall each year that my eyes are showin
g me proof that healthcare involves an awful lot of money changing hands – that’s either tremendous opportunity or tremendous waste, or maybe a little of both. Regardless, once you’ve had your fill of free popcorn, more pens and pencils than you can carry, and business cards from more people than you can possibly remember – that is, when you are ready to learn something to take away from HIMSS15 that you can actually put to use when you get back to work – come find AEGIS under the Interoperability Gateway at Booth 3486 near the Interoperability Showcase, have a seat, and ask us about why it is that continuous interoperability is what truly matters. And if you come by on Monday, be sure to ask about how to join us for our special Odyssey event Monday evening.
Safe travels – see you in Chicago!