NJHIMSS 2019 Spring Event:
NJHIMSS 2019 Spring Event: “Patient Comfort in the Cloud”
Our chapter’s annual spring event was a huge success! We held the event on June 5-6, at the Ocean Plaza Resort and Spa located in Long Branch, New Jersey.
We kicked off day one by welcoming key sponsors, vendors, providers, and members with a special networking reception that included exceptional food and an open bar. The second day of the spring event was filled with informative sessions, panel discussions, and networking. Former Chapter President, Jennifer D’Angelo, gave a farewell to outgoing Board members and helped welcome in the new Board members with incoming Chapter President, Nina DiQuollo.
NJHIN/NJII Update and Session: Running on FHIR
The kickoff session was presented by Van Zimmerman Executive Director at The New Jersey Health Information Network (NJHIN), John Novak, Senior Director of Government and Technology at the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII), and Van Ly Senior Director at NJII. The focus of the session was about Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR). John Novak discussed SMART on FHIR which is a set of open specifications that integrates apps with EHRs, portals, and other Health IT systems and Blue Button 2.0 which is an API that contains four years of Medicare Part A, B, and D data for over 53 million Medicare beneficiaries. Novak wrapped up the session by discussing what is next for FHIR.
RWJBarnabas Health Innovations in Patient Engagement
Next, RWJBarnabas’ own VP and CIO Jordan Ruch and IT&S Director Michele Quigley discussed the different types of patient engagement tools. The RWJBarnabas Health Connect App provides its patients with the ability to find and monitor their medical treatment right from their mobile device. They also discussed Apple’s ambitions in healthcare and the appeal to using the Apple Health API because of its testing and enrollment capabilities. After this session there was a quick break for some delicious food and networking.
HIT: The Changing APP Landscape
Right after the buffet lunch, everyone quickly got to their seats for a panel discussion moderated by Jaimie Fox, Senior Account Technology Strategist of Microsoft Health and Life Sciences. The panel featured: David Reis, EVP/CIO of Hackensack Meridian Health, Fatima Paruk, MD, MPH, National Director, US Provider Industry at Microsoft Health and Life Sciences and John Ulett, VP/CIO of CentraState Healthcare System.
The focus of this panel discussion was about patient engagement and how there is still a lot of work that needs to be done with consent and governance regarding patient data. One of the points that was raised during the discussion was that patients are looking for increased transparency about where their data is. Consumers need to be empowered and should have control of their own data. “Data governance is everyone’s responsibility and patients should be at the center in the future,” said Fatima Paruk.
Patient Engagement, Social Determinants & New Reimbursement Models
The final panel discussion of the day was moderated by Joe Carr, CIO of the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA). The panel featured: Vishnu Saxena, Vice President of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Brainscale Inc., Clifford Goldsmith, MD, National Director, US Provider Industry, Microsoft Health and Life Sciences, Tara Matthews, Deputy CIO of Einstein Health, and Sean Hopkins, Senior Vice President, Center for Health Analytics of Research and Transformation of NJHA.
Dr. Goldsmith started the discussion by stating, “It is hard to get those who are not ill engaged.” Those who are sickly are more inclined to be more engaged and take an active role in their health care than those who are not experiencing any health issues. Tara Kennedy believes engagement starts with “trust,” as engaged patients will drive a positive experience. Similar to the previous panel discussion, most panelists agreed that patients need to be involved in the redesign of healthcare.
More than 150 attendees also weighed in by asking questions and sharing their own experiences, making the event an excellent forum to network and exchange information amongst each other. We would like to thank everyone for joining us this year and making our spring event a special one.
We look forward to seeing you in Atlantic City for our Fall event titled, “Healthcare Rocks” in October!