The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) said the HIMSS AsiaPac09 Conference will offer almost 25 education sessions, with speakers from more than 12 countries.
HIMSS Asia Pacific vice president and executive director Steven Yeo said that notable speakers included Enrico Coiera, director, centre for health informatics, University of New South Wales and John J. Nance JD, John Nance and Associates, and Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, chairman of the Narayana Hrudayalaya Health City Hospital and Asia Heart Foundation, India.
Yeo said previous editions of the HIMSS AsiaPac conference and exhibition were successfully held in Hong Kong and Singapore in 2008 and 2007 respectively where healthcare and healthcare IT leaders across the region were able to share best practices, gain insights and discover the latest innovations to advance quality healthcare through IT.
HIMSS is the healthcare industry's membership organisation exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the use of healthcare IT and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded in 1961 with offices across the globe, HIMSS represents more than 20,000 individual members and more than 350 corporate members. It frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives.
Integrating healthcare enterprise (IHE) showcase
Yeo said a main feature of HIMSS AsiaPac09 was the showcase on Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE), which improves patient care with healthcare information exchange. IHE provides a common standards-based framework for seamlessly passing health information among care providers, enabling local, regional and national health information networks.
"Optimal patient care requires efficient access to comprehensive electronic health records (EHRs) among the different enterprises," said Yeo. "The IHE framework upon which more than 300 vendors have implemented and tested their products, accelerates the adoption of the information standards needed to support EHRs.
"IHE enhances the quality of patient care, resulting in benefits such as safety through the reduction of medical errors; efficiency through lower implementation costs and more efficient workflow; and quality through better-informed medical decisions and faster results for both patient and healthcare professionals."
Malaysia's LHR approach
The welcome keynote was delivered by Health Malaysia (check), research and technical support, deputy director-general, Dato' Dr Maimunah A. Hamid, who said Malaysia's national agenda was to ensure the enhancement of the country's health service, especially through IT as an enabler. "We have identified eight service goals that include focus on wellness, person and care provided at home or close to home. Four per cent of GDP [gross domestic product] is spent on health, with more than 136 ministry of health hospitals and 229 private healthcare institutions. It is a highly-subsidised health service.
"The MSC (Multimedia Supercorridor) Malaysia initiative, launched in 1996, demonstrates strong political commitment to health informatics in Malaysia," Dr Hamid said. "Our Telehealth initiative includes our lifetime health records (LHR) approach, the MyHealth portal, continuing professional development, as well as teleconsultation."
"Health Informatics in Malaysia consists of both the challenge and vision of interoperability," she said. "LHR is the focal point of data from various sources. Malaysia is a member of IHE and is committed to harmonising healthcare exchange and a common standards-based framework for seamlessly passing health information to care workers, enabling local, regional as well as national health information networks."