Debut AHIMA and AHIMA Foundation Innovation Conference draws on ideas from all industries to shape future of health information

Leaders from industry, academia, government to discuss transforming health

CHICAGO, Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Innovators and thought leaders shaping the future of health information will take part in the inaugural Health Information Innovation Leadership Conference in Chicago, sponsored by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the AHIMA Foundation.

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The conference, Oct. 2-3, aims to transform the delivery of health information by revitalizing HIM education, the workforce and the marketplace with innovative actions and ideas. 

"We're bringing together the most dynamic and creative individuals from the HIM field and beyond to inspire participants to reflect on ways they can innovate at their own job and work setting," said AHIMA CEO Lynne Thomas Gordon, MBA, RHIA, CAE, FACHE. "Whether you are in the C-suite, a venture capitalist, an entrepreneur or a healthcare professional, you can apply these innovations, or maybe they will spark a new idea."

Speakers include:

• Dr. John W. Kenagy, MPA, ScD, FACS, award-winning author and speaker, called "the man who would save healthcare" by Forbes magazine
• Wil Yu, senior advisor, Innovation, City and County of San Francisco
• Dr. David S. Hanekom, F.A.C.P, C.M.P.E, Chief Medical Officer, MDdatacor
• Richard F. Averill, senior vice president of clinical and economic research, 3M Health Information Systems, Inc.
• Nina Nashif, managing director at Sandbox Industries and founder of Healthbox
• Joseph W. York, Ph.D., MBA, national college dean, college of health sciences, DeVry University
• Conference moderators are Dr. Warren Jones, FAAFP, executive director of the Institute for Improvement of Minority Health and Health Disparities in the Delta Region, and Richard Kneipper, interim CEO, chief strategy and innovation officer, Anthelio Healthcare Solutions, Inc.

In addition to the speeches, during the two, half-day sessions, the audience will have opportunities to ask questions of each speaker and special "reactor panels" will provide provocative feedback on the speeches and presentations. Select innovators, chosen from a field of more than 30 submitted abstracts, also will present and vie to win the first AHIMA and AHIMA Foundation Innovation Award.

"These two days will showcase some of the 'big ideas' and trends that will shape the future of healthcare," said Bill Rudman, Ph.D., RHIA, executive director of the AHIMA Foundation and vice president of education visioning for AHIMA. "It goes beyond health information, and opens doors to looking at how innovation in other industries can shape our own."

Some of the innovators and their abstracts include:

• Jonathan D. Katz, CEO, MedAdherence, Inc.; Using the Mobile Phone to Help Improve Patient Engagement and Outreach in Underserved Populations
• James Maisel, MD, chairman and CEO, MediSapien; Natural Language Processing: An Innovative, disruptive technology for ICD-10 Coding, Secondary Data Use, and EHR Data Capture
• Naveen Sarabu, MBA, director of product management and strategy, Liason Healthcare Technologies; Speeding Healthcare Interoperability Through Cloud-Based Integration and Data Harmonization
• Susan P. Trewhella, RHIT, CPC, associate vice president, Revenue Management, Geisinger Health System and Dee Lang, RHIT, vice president, Product Management & Strategy, Precyse; Geisinger Health System's Best Practices in Computer Assisted Coding: CAC Deployment to Support Improved Coding Efficiency and ICD-10 Preparations
• John S. Eberhardt III, executive vice president, DecisionQ Corporation; Developing Quality Insights Using Registry Modeling

During the conference, Regina Holliday, a patient rights advocate and artist, will create a painting that is a visual representation of the patient's view of concepts discussed during the conference. The Health Information Innovation Leadership Conference is taking place in conjunction with the 84^th AHIMA Annual Convention and Exhibit at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Registration information is available on the Innovation Conference page of ahima.org.

About the AHIMA Foundation
Created in 1962, the AHIMA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) affiliate of AHIMA. The Foundation provides an infrastructure of knowledge, research and education in the field of HIM. Its role is to envision the future direction and needs of the field—and to respond with research, policy, strategies, and information that keeps HIM on the forefront. In celebrating its 50th year, the Foundation will continue to focus its overall vision of "Better Health Information for All." www.ahimafoundation.org

About AHIMA
Representing more than 64,000 specially educated Health Information Management professionals in the United States and around the world, the American Health Information Management Association is committed to promoting and advocating for high quality research, best practices and effective standards in health information and to actively contributing to the development and advancement of health information professionals worldwide. AHIMA's enduring goal is quality healthcare through quality information. www.ahima.org

SOURCE American Health Information Management Association