AMIA - Clinical Information Systems Working Group (CIS-WG)

AMIA 2002 -
Bio*Medical Informatics: One Discipline

Tutorial 20 Introduction to Clinical Information Systems Instructors: Jonathan M. Teich, MD, PhD, Harvard University and HEALTHvision, John D. Halamka, MD, MS, CareGroup, Boston, MA, Ted Cooper, MD, Kaiser-Permanente, Oakland, CA, William R. Hersh, MD, Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR, Thomas E. Bozeman, North Mississippi Health Services, Tupelo, MS, and Reed M. Gardner, PhD, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.

Through a series of lectures and discussions, attendees will learn about the components of clinical computing systems, the major applications found in these systems, and the fundamental ways in which information systems can make an impact on the practice of medical care. The instructors will provide overviews of major informatics concepts such as standards, confidentiality, expert systems, and knowledge resources. Attendees will learn key features of information systems in a variety of health care environments, and issues in the implementation of such systems.
By the end of the day, attendees should be conversant in many of the practical and academic aspects of medical informatics. They will be better able to critically evaluate the advanced informatics concepts presented during the Scientific Program, and to understand the potential of current informatics research to their own environment. They will also be better prepared to make informed decisions concerning specification and use of computing systems in their own organization. The purpose of this tutorial is to educate newcomers, particularly clinicians, in the basics of informatics and medical information systems.

Topics include:

Components of a clinical information system
Major applications found in clinical information systems in various health care environments
Security and confidentiality
Medical knowledge resources
Implementing and managing a system: general principles
Academic informatics: evaluation, vocabularies, models, and other research areas

Who should attend: Clinicians, administrators, students, and others who are relatively new to the field of medical informatics, who wish to get an overview of the field.

AMIA 2001 -
A Medical Informatics Odyssey: Visions of the Future and Lessons from the Past

Tutorial 26
Introduction to Clinical Information Systems
Instructors: J.M. Teich, MD, PhD, Harvard University and HEALTHvision, Inc. J.D. Halamka, MD, MS, CareGroup, Boston, MA, T.C.Rindfleisch, Skolar, Stanford CA, W.R. Hersh, MD, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, T.E. Bozzeman, North Mississippi Health Services, Tupelo, MS, and R.M. Gardner, PhD, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
The purpose of this day-long tutorial is to provide an overview of the basics of informatics and medical information systems. Through a series of lectures and discussions, participants will learn about the components of clinical computing systems, the major applications found in these systems, and the fundamental ways in which information systems can make an impact on the practice of medical care. Lecturers will provide overviews of major informatics concepts such as standards, confidentiality, expert systems, and knowledge resources. Participants will learn key features of information systems in a variety of healthcare environments, and issues in the implementation of such systems. By the end of the day, participants should be conversant in many of the practical and academic aspects of medical informatics. They will be better able to critically evaluate the advanced informatics concepts presented during the Scientific Program, and to understand the potential of current informatics research to their own environment. They will also be better prepared to make informed decisions concerning specification and use of computing systems in their own organization. Who should attend: Clinicians, administrators, students, and others who are relatively new to the field of medical informatics, who wish to get an overview of the field.

Tutorial 35
Evaluating the Impact of Health Care Information Systems
Instructors: J.G. Anderson, PhD, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN and B. Kaplan, PhD, Boston University Medical Information System Unit and Kaplan Associates, Hamden, CT
Dr. Anderson is a co-editor of Evaluating Health Care Information Systems: Methods and Applications, Sage Publications, 1994. and Use and Impact of Computers in Clinical Medicine, Springer-Verlag, 1987 and co-author of CyberHealthcare: Case Studies in Social and Ethical Issues, Springer-Verlag, in press. Information systems are being marketed to health care organizations to provide management information, control costs, and to facilitate TQM and CQI programs. There is mounting evidence, however that information systems affect the structure and functioning of organizations, the quality of work life of employees within them, and ultimately the cost and quality of the services they provide. Professionals who develop, implement, and evaluate clinical computer systems, however, frequently address only the technical aspects of these systems, while the success of implementation and utilization depends upon integration of the computer system into a complex organizational setting. Without an evaluation strategy that goes beyond the technical aspects of the system, an institution has no means of knowing how well it is actually functioning within the organization and no firm basis for developing specific interventions to enhance system success. Although implementation success depends heavily upon the integration of the computer system into a complex organizational setting, professionals who develop, implement, and evaluate health care computer systems have few guidelines for designing effective evaluation strategies and selecting appropriate methods to examine the outcomes of systems use in health care organizations. Evaluating the impact of computer-based medical information systems requires not only an understanding of computer technology, but also an understanding of the social and behavioral processes that affect and are affected by the introduction of the technology into the practice setting. This tutorial will outline ten questions that can be used as a framework for addressing information system impacts. Each question will be linked to models of change and appropriate evaluation methods. Case studies will be discussed that illustrate a number of these issues and evaluation methods.

AMIA 2000 -
Converging Information, Technology, and Health Care

Tutorial 11
Clinical Informatics Positions in Health Care Organizations: Creating the Opportunity, Meeting the Challenge
Instructors: C. Samuels, MD, CSMed, Inc., Bethesda, MD, R. Gibson, MD, PhD, Providence Health System, Portland, OR, and B. Hersher, Hersher Associated, Ltd., Northbrook, IL.
As Medicine in the US makes its transition into the Information Age, some enlightened health care organizations are including new Clinical Informatics positions in their strategic plans. Other organizations have not yet done so for a variety of reasons. In these organizations, it is often up to the informatics-aware clinicians to make it happen. This can be an uphill battle in these days of reduced reimbursement and shrinking federal support for clinical care and medical training. In addition, making the "business case" for the executives who create and approve the budgets is not a skill taught in medical or nursing school. The clinician who seeks to develop an informatics presence in his or her organization needs to be able to speak the language of the "bean-counters." The clinician advocate needs to be able to both make the case for informatics and at the same time set realistic expectations for outcomes. Once these positions are established it is crucial to fill them with clinicians with the appropriate skill sets and aptitudes. Although there are training programs in Informatics now in both medicine and nursing, many of the business-related skills needed for these positions are not taught in the programs. In addition, some important factors are related to personal style and temperament. After the position is created and filled the challenge is to be effective, to deliver on the expectations set and to continue to be regarded as "mission critical."

AMIA 1999 -
Cornerstones for a New Information Management Paradigm

Tutorial 23
Introduction to Clinical Information Systems, Part 1
Instructors: J.M. Teich, MD, PhD, G.J. Kuperman, MD, PhD, Partners HealthCare System, Boston, MA, J.D. Halamka, MD, MS, CareGroup, Boston, MA, T.C.Rindfleisch, MD, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, W.R. Hersh, MD, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, T.E. Bozeman, MS, North Mississippi Health Services, Tupelo, MS, and R.M. Gardner, PhD, LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City UT.
This tutorial provides an overview of the basics of medical informatics and medical information systems, enabling attendees to learn about some of the key issues in medical computing today, and to become better prepared to make informed decisions concerning medical computing and systems in their own organization. In addition, past registrants in this perennially popular program have found it an excellent primer for understanding the issues and developments discussed in many of the panels and papers on subsequent days of the AMIA Annual Symposium. Concentrating on key elements of a medical information system, this tutorial is organized around the following topics:

Major applications in clinical information systems in various health care environments
Medical information systems and quality of care
Components of a clinical information system
Security and confidentiality in clinical systems
Implementing and managing a system

Tutorial 34
Introduction to Clinical Information Systems, Part 2
Instructors: see above
A continuation of T23 from the morning, this tutorial provides an overview of the basics of medical informatics and medical information systems, enabling attendees to learn about some of the key issues in medical computing today, and to become better prepared to make informed decisions concerning medical computing and systems in their own organization. In addition, past registrants in this perennially popular program have found it an excellent primer for understanding the issues and developments discussed in many of the panels and papers on subsequent days of the Annual Symposium. Concentrating on key elements of a medical information system, this tutorial is organized around the following topics:

Major applications in clinical information systems in various health care environments
Medical information systems and quality of care
Components of a clinical information system
Security and confidentiality in clinical systems
Implementing and managing a system