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Forum pairs advances in IT with business of health care

Nov. 5, 2010

KALAMAZOO--Information technology and health care professionals will explore ways that information technology can facilitate better health care through collaboration next week at the ninth annual IT Forum at Western Michigan University.

Centering on the theme "Advancing Health Care with IT: Exploring the Landscape for 2011," the event will feature three high-profile speakers in the IT health care fields. The forum runs from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, in the Fetzer Center on WMU's main campus, and will open with a continental breakfast. The forum will also serve as the grand opening of the Center for Health Information Technology Advancement--CHITA--at WMU.

Advance registration is required by Monday, Nov. 8.

Register now
IT Forum

The event is being put on by the Department of Business Information Systems in the Haworth College of Business. Dr. Bernard Han, director of CHITA and professor of business information systems, and Dr. Sharie Falan, associate director of CHITA and assistant professor in the WMU Bronson School of Nursing, are event co-chairs.

"Health care is an urgent issue," Han says. "Under the current collaborative environment, health information technology can be used to enhance and improve business operations and the safety, reliability and quality of health care service delivery."

Falan adds, "This event brings together leaders from diverse aspects of the health care delivery arena to cultivate opportunities for WMU faculty and students to conduct joint research and hands-on projects. Together, they are working to solve health care issues with the community at large."

The forum's three keynote speakers are:

  • Michelle Troseth, executive vice president and chief practice officer of Elsevier's Clinical Practice Model Resource Center. Troseth will kick off the morning session at 8:30 a.m. and address "Achieving Healthcare Transformation by Advancing Practice and Technology."

  • Doug Dietzman, executive director, Michigan Health Connect, a nonprofit health information exchange organization, based in Grand Rapids, Mich. At 9:20 a.m., Dietzman will discuss "Health Information Exchange--The Need and Challenges."

  • Donna Roach, vice president, information technology and chief information officer for Bronson Healthcare Group. At 11:20 a.m., Roach will address "The Application of Health Information Technology into Clinical Practice--Issues and Opportunities."

The forum also will feature student e-Firm projects presented by the Auto-Owners project team and two Bronson Methodist Hospital project teams, with students sharing solutions that address real-world business challenges identified by the firms.

"This year's conference will be especially meaningful, because the Great Lakes IT Education Leaders' annual meeting will be embedded in the forum," says Dr. Mike Tarn, professor and chair of the Department of Business Information Systems. "We will welcome 25 IT education leaders, as well as their faculty, from 21 universities and colleges in the Great Lakes area."

The afternoon program will begin with the announcement of CHITA's establishment, followed by a plenary session at 1:40 p.m. addressing "Emerging Technologies for Health Care." At 2:40 p.m., two concurrent panel discussions will focus on "Emerging Issues in Health Information Technology" and "Internships and Job Outlook."

For more information, including bios on the three speakers, or to register, go to wmich.edu/business/itforum or contact Dr. Bernard Han, professor of business information systems, at wmu-chita@wmich.edu or (269) 387-5428.

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Media contact: Valorie Juergens, (269) 387-5964, valorie.juergens@wmich.edu

WMU News
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