ALL EXHIBIT BOOTHS ARE SOLD OUT! HEADQUARTER HOTEL IS SOLD OUT!
Sponsorship & Promotion Opportunities Still Exist Alternative Lodging Is Available

PRESS RELEASE: eHealth Initiative and Connecting for Health Offer Practical Guidance and Tools for RHIO Creation and Health Information Exchange at Connecting Communities Learning Forum
  • The Connecting Communities Learning Forum is a "must attend" event for any state, region or community leader exploring health information exchange
  • Hundreds of leaders from communities nationwide will converge upon Washington to share best practices
  • Through workshops led by national experts, attendees will gain an in-depth knowledge of the soon-to-be published Connecting for Health Common Framework, www.connectingforhealth.org, as well as eHI's Connecting Communities Toolkit http://toolkit.ehealthinitiative.org developed by the Foundation for eHealth Initiative with financial support from a cooperative agreement with HRSA/OAT
  • Each registrant will receive a copy of the Connecting for Health Common Framework: Resources for Implementing Private and Secure Health Information Exchange
  • April 10-11, 2006, with a reception at 5:30 p.m. on April 9th
  • Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
  • Connecting Communities Learning Forum
Contact: Katie Sawyer
eHealth Initiative
Phone: (202) 624-3287
Email: Katie.Sawyer@ehealthinitiative.org
TUITION/TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS STILL AVAILABLE

Event sponsors are dedicated to assisting communities make health care more efficient and accessible. With that goal in mind, there is a limited number of travel scholarships available to cover travel, hotel, and related expenses associated with attending the Connecting for Health Common Framework sessions at the event.

Click here for more information about the scholarships.

The eHealth Initiative and Foundation Will Offer Travel Scholarship Recipients Complimentary Registration.

WASHINGTON DC USA -- HIT/HIPAA UPDATE NEWS SERVICE (TM) -- MARCH 22, 2006: Hundreds of public and private sector leaders from states, regions and communities across the country who are engaged in health information exchange will converge at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. April 10-11 for eHealth Initiative's Third Annual Connecting Communities Learning Forum and Exhibition.

Registrants will learn from national experts and pioneering state, regional and community collaborators, lessons learned, best practices and practical insights for navigating the organizational, cultural, clinical, financial, legal and technical aspects of health information exchange.

Through workshops, registrants will learn how to apply a number of recently released practical tools and guides designed to immediately support challenges states, regions and communities are experiencing today.

eHI'S CONNECTING COMMUNITIES TOOLKIT:

National experts and leaders will share and teach registrants how to apply a range of common principles, tools and resources designed to support the engagement of stakeholders, organization and governance, financing, and building and launching a public policy campaign in your state, including the following:

  • Market assessment tool designed to assess your community's readiness for health information exchange.
  • A detailed cost model designed to assess the costs related to various functionalities of your health information exchange, including clinical messaging, medication reconciliation, electronic prescribing and quality performance measurement and reporting.
  • Tips and guides for engaging employers and health plans in your initiative, including a how-to session for launching Bridges to Excellence, an incentives program that rewards both quality and the HIT infrastructure to get there.
  • Real-world insights and a step by step guide for engaging state legislators and agency officials in clearing barriers and providing funding for emerging health information exchange initiatives.

The Connecting Communities Toolkit was developed by the Foundation for eHealth Initiative with funding support from the Health Resources Services Administration, Office of the Advancement of Telehealth.

THE CONNECTING FOR HEALTH COMMON FRAMEWORK: RESOURCES FOR IMPLEMENTING PRIVATE AND SECURE HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE:

Workshop participants will be invited to presentations by and discussions with the technology, legal, and policy experts from the Connecting for Health collaborative, and from the three prototype communities in Boston, Indianapolis, and Mendocino County, CA in which the Common Framework has been developed and tested.

The Connecting for Health Workshops will cover:

  • The essentials of exchanging information with members of your own and other health information networks using a decentralized model based on the Connecting for Health Common Framework.
  • The "lessons learned" from each of the Connecting for Health prototype communities' experience adapting their existing infrastructure, identifying patients, and handling cross-community communications;
  • Policy approaches to building trust across the network, permitting patients and doctors to control information sharing, and protecting privacy
HOW TO REGISTER:

Registration information is available at www.ccbh.ehealthinitiative.org/ccbhconference. Please make your hotel reservations today and register now!

CONFERENCES FEES
eHI Members $695
Non-Members $795

OTHER REGISTRATIONS OPTIONS
Government (Includes federal and state regulatory and policy employees) $295
Individuals employed by communities, regional health information organizations, and government agencies directly involved in health information exchange $295
Aggregate price to 3 individuals from the same organization. Must be employed by communities, regional health information organizations, and government agencies directly involved in health information exchange (this registration option is only available via fax or mail registration - please download form here) $495

KEY CONFERENCE CO-SPONSORS
  • American Cancer Society
  • American Clinical Laboratory Association
  • American College of Emergency Physicians
  • American College of Physicians
  • American Health Information Management Association
  • American Health Quality Association
  • American Hospital Association
  • American Medical Association
  • American Osteopathic Association
  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
  • Bridges to Excellence
  • Computing Technology Industry Association
  • Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare
  • Federation of American Hospitals
  • Health Tech Strategies, LLC
  • Medical Education Collaborative
  • National Association of State Chief Information Officers
  • National Conference of State Legislators
  • National Governors Association Center for Best Practices
  • Pacific Business Group on Health
  • Public Health Data Standards Consortium
  • United Hospital Fund
  • URAC
  • Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange
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