Siemens Hosts First In a Series of Free Virtual Healthcare IT Conferences

MALVERN, Pa., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On February 23, Siemens Healthcare kicks off its first in a series of free Virtual Healthcare IT Conferences. The conference, accessed at www.siemens.com/virtual-ARRA, will provide insights on achieving Meaningful Use of electronic health records, tied to the HITECH provision of President Barack Obama's American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and how health IT technology can help propel organizations to exceptional achievements in the delivery of healthcare services.

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At the conference, visitors will hear leading industry experts and peers discuss a broad array of topics related to health IT meaningful use, including Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE), interoperability, system certification, privacy, security, and more. Attendees can also visit a virtual exhibit hall to hear more about how the Siemens health IT product portfolio can help providers achieve meaningful use, as well as stop by Siemens partners' booths to understand how these companies are helping the community address today's most pressing healthcare issues through the use of health IT.

"Given today's reduced travel budgets and our commitment to staying engaged with our customers every step of the way during their journey from meaningful use of electronic health records to exceptional use, we chose the convenience of an Internet-based conference to keep in lock-step with our customers on the key provisions of the legislation," said Janet Dillione, CEO, Health Services, Siemens Healthcare and co-keynote speaker for the ARRA virtual conference. "In this forum, participants will share insights on how policy, process design, and technology can be orchestrated to transform healthcare and create a more effective healthcare infrastructure."

The second keynote speaker, John Glaser, Ph.D., who serves a dual role as advisor to the Office of the National Coordinator and CIO of Partners Healthcare, will share his unique perspective on the impact ARRA-HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) will have on healthcare providers as well as his vision for healthcare and the role IT will play in making that vision a reality.

The digital environment will be available online for 90 days and continually updated with new and relevant ARRA-related information as it becomes available. Conference attendees are encouraged to stop back to the conference website often for additional information.

The conference is being co-sponsored by Intel©, as well as International Business Machines Corp (IBM)© and EMC2©.

The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 48,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2009 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 11.9 billion euros and profit of around 1.5 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.

SOURCE Siemens Healthcare