The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) (@CIOCHIME) will host an educational conference dedicated to healthcare IT policy issues on Oct. 3-5 in Washington, D.C. The CHIME Advocacy Summit will feature thought leaders from Capitol Hill, federal agencies and CHIME who are on the forefront of public policy initiatives with a focus on cybersecurity, interoperability, telehealth and the opioid epidemic.
“Information technology is now woven into every aspect of patient care,” said Liz Johnson, chair of the CHIME Public Policy Steering Committee and CIO of Acute Care Hospitals & Applied Clinical Informatics at Tenet Healthcare Corporation. “CHIME and our members have been working closely with federal policymakers to help them understand the potential impact of their decisions on our health organizations and the delivery of care. We now want to share the great connections we’ve made in Washington and the lessons learned with the wider community.”
The CHIME Advocacy Summit marks several milestones for CHIME. This will be CHIME’s inaugural public policy summit and will be one of the rare times that CHIME has opened an educational event to the public. The summit coincides with the start of the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month and paves the way for National Health IT Week, which is Oct. 8-12.
The program will provide an overview of the challenges facing healthcare IT leaders today as they wrestle with sometimes conflicting policy directives. Sessions will include:
- Cybersecurity experts discussing the increasing threat of cyberattacks on healthcare organizations and their patients;
- Updates on interoperability, telehealth and opioid programs and legislation from key congressional staffers;
- Presentations featuring the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Health Resources and Services Administration and more;
- A press panel with nationally known healthcare IT journalists; and
- A review of medical device cybersecurity.
“The policy changes being proposed in Washington right now are seismic, and health IT will play a huge role in their effectiveness,” said Russell Branzell, CHIME president and CEO. “Our members know how important it is to be proactive and to be part of the dialogue, both on the Hill and in their board rooms. The summit will give anyone who attends the knowledge, skills and tools to lead and ensure that these changes benefit patients.”
In addition to the educational sessions, CHIME will announce the winner of the annual Federal Public Policy Award for CIO Leadership and results from a CHIME-KLAS survey on medical device security during the summit.
The CHIME Advocacy Summit will be held in the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill at 400 New Jersey Ave. SW in Washington, D.C. CHIME has reserved a block of hotel rooms at a special rate on a space-available basis. Learn more about the summit or register.
About CHIME
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs) and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 2,700 members in 51 countries and over 150 healthcare IT business partners and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and healthcare in the communities they serve.