Doris Barta, Development Coordinator, St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation

Doris Barta received her bachelor's degree and her Master's in Health Administration from Montana State University-Billings. She is the president of the Montana Healthcare Telecommunications Alliance, a statewide coalition of telehealth providers. She has been instrumental in developing telehealth networks in Montana for the past 14 years, securing over $5 million in competitive grants for that purpose. Barta is also the grants administrator for St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation, the recipient of a HRSA-funded bioterrorism grant.

Abstract:
Submitted by Doris Barta and David Balch In cooperation with the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), DCB Consulting and St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation (SVH) conducted a statewide bioterrorism exercise to test and demonstrate the abilities of advanced communication technologies in disaster response. The drill was designed to educate providers around the state in the strategies and methods needed to respond to a bioterrorism attack. The exercise highlighted methods for moving critical information in a disaster across multiple mediums (web portal, streaming video, video conferencing). An open communication platform web portal, www.lastchancedrill.org, was developed specifically for the event. This portal provided not only a leave-behind for state emergency planners, but an archive of the exercise results. The Bioterrorism Exercise culminated in a statewide biological exercise in conjunction with Montana Department of Public Health on June 22, 2005. The concept of the exercise was to establish redundant, robust communications to share information related to situational awareness and coordination of response efforts between hospitals in state. The exercise highlighted the importance of communication technologies in disaster preparedness and response, specifically enhancing the ability to identify, triage, treat, and stabilize 500 patients in a one million population area. The exercise culminated a two year effort between individual community exercises and Hospital Emergency Incident Command Structure (HEICS) training in Montana . The focus of the exercise was on surge capacity—the ability of hospitals and medical responders to handle a large surge in the influx of patients. Surge capacity issues are one of the largest challenges we face in preparing for the threat of Biological and Chemical attacks that have been articulated by terrorist factions against the United States or by force of nature (i.e. earthquakes, avian influenza). When you add potential complicating factors such as bad weather, hospitals with full census, limited ambulances, nursing and physician shortages, and the possibility that bad bugs will not respect borders but rather may impact broad reaches of our country, these challenges become even more daunting. This exercise brought together many experts and communication technologies to help address these issues. Some of the technologies tested and demonstrated in the exercise included predictive resource modeling, syndromic surveillance, OTC drug sales, ESRI geospatially mapping, and a telepresence robot. DCB Consulting, LLC: provides professional consulting services in Digital Media Technologies, Telemedicine, and Intelligence Networking. St. Vincent Healthcare is a Level II Trauma Center located in Billings , Montana and is renowned for a Mission of compassionate care and service to the poor. This presentation will share results from the exercise and next steps.

Diana Birkett, Health Policy Advisor, Democratic Staff , U.S. Senate Finance Committee

Diana Birkett is Health Policy Advisor with the Democratic Staff of the United States Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Medicare and Medicaid programs. She works on a variety of health policy issues including health care quality, pay-for-performance, health information technology, care coordination, and Indian health. Ms. Birkett was a 2003-2004 David Winston Health Policy Fellow, working with the Finance Committee during her fellowship. She is a graduate of the University of Washington , where she received a Masters in Public Health and a Masters in Public Administration. While in Seattle , she worked with the Washington State WIC Program on nutrition and health behavior education, and held an internship with the U.S. General Accounting Office. Ms. Birkett received her BA in Chemistry from Harvard University .

Abstract:
Just three weeks ago, over one million Americans were displaced as Hurricane Katrina brought billions of dollars of damage to the Gulf coast. Two weeks later, a study from the RAND Corporation showed that interoperable health information technology has the potential to save up to $162 billion each year. In the face of heightened awareness about failures in the health care system, anxiety over national spending, and promising conclusions about the benefits of health IT, the federal legislative forecast remains mixed. However, there is still hope for legislation to pass Congress this year to accelerate the adoption of health information technology and improve the quality of health care.  

Marcia Brand, Ph.D , Director, Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Marcia Brand, Ph.D., was named director of the federal Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on January 4, 2001. HRSA works to fill in the health care gaps for people who live outside the economic and medical mainstream. The agency uses its $7 billion annual budget (FY 2003) to expand access to quality health care for all Americans through an array of grants to state and local governments, health care providers and health professions training programs. As director of ORHP, Brand is responsible for health policy, research, and grant activities that promote better health care services in rural America . These programs include the Rural Outreach Grant Program, which requires partnering among grantees to improve health service delivery, and the Rural Network Development Program, designed to further collaboration among rural health care organizations. Working with a staff of 23 in an office established by Congress in August 1987, Brand oversees a $157 million FY 2003 budget. The office advises HHS on matters affecting rural hospitals and health care, coordinates related HHS activities, and maintains a national Rural Assistance Center as the department's “single point of entry” for rural health inquiries. Brand also coordinates an HHS Task Force on Rural Communities, created by Secretary Thompson in July 2001, that is charged with determining how HHS can best work to strengthen department programs serving rural communities. Brand led efforts in planning and implementing the State Planning Grant Program in 1999-2000 to help states explore options in providing health care coverage for their uninsured residents. She coordinated HRSA's State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) from 1997-2000 and during the same period worked on the Secretary's Initiative on Children's Health and the President's Interagency Task Force on Children's Health Insurance Outreach, aimed to increase enrollment in SCHIP and Medicaid. In 1997, Brand served as senior advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, during which time she worked on the Secretary's Initiative on the Future on Academic Health Centers and prepared a report to the Secretary on the challenges facing academic health centers. From 1995 to 1997 she served as deputy director of the Office of Research and Planning for the Bureau of Health Professions. Brand earned a doctoral degree in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania and masters and bachelor of science degrees in dental hygiene from Old Dominion University .

Abstract: This presentation will describe earlier health information technology activities, national level efforts to implement these technologies, and opportunities and challenges they present for rural communities. The presenter will describe activities and partnerships that the Office of Rural Health Policy will undertake to assist rural communities as they consider when and how to adopt HIT.  

Dr. Earl W. Ferguson, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.P.M., CEO, Southern Sierra Medical Clinic

Dr. Ferguson is a cardiologist, critical care and preventive medicine specialist. In addition to clinical cardiology practice, he is CEO of Sun BioMedical Technologies and an independent consultant in telemedicine and telecommunications and computer applications to healthcare. He has been involved with CTEC since 1997 and was Chair of the Board of Directors 2002-4. He directed NASA's telemedicine and telecommunications applications to healthcare programs from 1993 to 1996, before leaving federal service to develop rural telemedicine applications. He is the chief architect of the Southern Sierra Healthnet, established to provide telemedicine and telehealth services to the rural high desert of California (12% of California ; 134,000 inhabitants).

Dr. Ferguson completed an M.D. and a Ph.D. in physiology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 1970, and a medicine residency, cardiology fellowship, and post-doctoral training in biochemistry at Duke University Medical Center in 1975. He has authored numerous articles and book chapters and lectured extensively. He is an Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Texas Medical Branch . His is listed in Consumers Research Council of America Guide to America 's Top Physicians, Who's Who in America , Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who's Who in Science and Technology, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, and other publications. He has served in numerous academic and leadership positions, including Chief of Cardiology and Cardiology Training Program Director at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas; Director of Aerospace Medicine and Occupational Health, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (1993-96); Commander, USAF Medical Center Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden, Germany (1990-93); Professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD (1976-96).

Dr. Ferguson is Chief of the Medical Staff, Ridgecrest Regional Hospital , and serves on its Corporate Board (Board of Directors 1998-2004). He is a retired Air Force Colonel and was a member of the Federal Senior Executive Service with NASA before moving to Ridgecrest in 1996. He is a commercial pilot with instrument and glider ratings and flies his Mooney M20K “Rocket” regularly. He and his wife, Sun Hye Paik, Ph.D., D. Pharm, a cell and molecular biologist who is President and COO of Sun BioMedical Technologies, are directing research on early genetic responses to infectious diseases and environmental hazards, as well as development of peptide antibiotics for use as a Bacillus spore decontaminating agents, as detectors for Bacillus spores, and for potential treatment of anthrax spore inhalation and infection.

Abstract: Rural Challenges in Implementing Telecommunications for Healthcare
To understand the challenges in implementing telecommunications for healthcare in rural communities, we must first understand that technologies are rapidly changing and telemedicine is evolving and merging with medical (or healthcare) informatics. That evolution brings interesting new challenges, but the basic challenges remain the same: Assessing community needs, “Selling” information technology solutions, Selecting the appropriate technology, Funding, Implementing the system, Getting local provider “buy-in”, Finding consultants, and Sustainability. 

Thomas M. Fritz, Chief Executive Officer, Inland Northwest Health Services 

Thomas M. Fritz , Chief Executive Officer of Inland Northwest Health Services, a unique joint venture of competitive hospitals. Tom is certified in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Tom currently serves on the American Hospital Association Governing Council Section for Rehabilitation, Long-Term Care & Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals and is the incoming chairperson. Tom has served on a number of community Boards and he is currently the incoming chairperson for the Spokane Economic Development Council and the Spokane Workforce Development Council. Tom has extensive experience taking over problematic hospitals and hospital-based programs and correcting and rebuilding the system to regulatory compliance and financial solvency. Tom represented a National Association for State Government on the Joint Commission for Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and was responsible for leading the development of one of the first data collection systems approved through JCAHO. He also created another approved system at Inland Northwest Health Services. Mr. Fritz holds a BA and MA degrees from California State University and a MPA from Lewis & Clark University , Portland , Oregon .

Abstract: Creating a Regional Health Information Organization
INHS is a regional hospital-based organization which developed an integrated information system that connects hospitals, clinics and physician offices, providing a community Electronic Medical Record. The INHS system serves as the backbone to the Northwest RHIO . By defining a comprehensive governance structure, the system has been able to make decisions on communitywide health information, standards and processes. By adopting a sustainable business strategy, the organization is continually able to leverage assets and provide an efficient cost plus model. By focusing on the clinical and financial drivers of the Northwest RHIO , Inland Northwest Health Services is able to:

• Leverage collaborative assets to control costs and provide high levels of expertise using shared resources
• Improve clinical outcomes through information access and integrated clinical systems
• Establish a regional Master Patient Index standard
• Enhanced longitudinal patient record
• Improve care in rural areas by instituting an extensive regional telemedicine network
• Increase patient safety by utilizing advanced systems
• Continually customer base and data sharing partners

Dr. Paul Gorman, Associate Professor, Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health Sciences University

Paul Gorman, M.D . is Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology and Department of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University . Dr. Gorman earned his bachelor's degree in Biology at the University of Illinois in Chicago , his M.D. from Rush Medical College , and completed a residency in internal medicine at Rush Medical Center in Chicago , Illinois . He was in primary care practice on the Oregon coast and in Portland before returning to academia to complete a fellowship in General Internal Medicine and join the faculty in the Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology at Oregon Health Sciences University . He teaches internal medicine residents, medical students, and graduate students, and he conducts research on the use of information by clinicians and the impact of technology on clinical practice and patient care.

Kim Yongmin, Ph.D. , IEEE EMBS President, 2005-2006, mpson Endowed Chair, Department of Engineering, Professor and Chair, University of Washington

Dr. Yongmin Kim received the B.S. degree in electronics engineering from Seoul National University , Seoul , Korea and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin ( Madison ). Currently, he is the W. Hunter and Dorothy L. Simpson Endowed Chair, Professor and Chair of Bioengineering, Professor of Electrical Engineering, and Adjunct Professor of Radiology and Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington . His research interests include medical imaging and computing, ultrasound systems, electronic medicine, distributed diagnosis and home healthcare, and molecular imaging. He has over 400 publications, and he and his group have made 85 inventions that have led to 70 patents, transferred the invented technologies to industry with 23 licenses, and helped commercialization of these technologies. He was the Program Chair of the 1989 IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) Annual Conference and Conference and Symposium Chair of the SPIE Medical Imaging from 1990 to 2001. He will chair the first Conference on Distributed Diagnosis and Home Healthcare on April 3~4, 2006 in Washington , D.C. , which is sponsored by IEEE, ASME, AMA, RSNA, HIMSS and other organizations. He is a member of the Editorial Board of Proceedings of the IEEE, the IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, and the IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine. Since 1992, he has been an ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) program evaluator for bioengineering and computer engineering. He was a member of the IEEE Fellow Committee from 1998 to 2001. He is the President of the IEEE EMBS in 2005 and 2006. Dr. Kim was awarded the 1988 Early Career Achievement Award of the IEEE EMBS and the 2003 Ho-Am Prize in Engineering. He is Fellow of the IEEE and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

Abstract: DISTRIBUTED DIAGNOSIS AND HOME HEALTHCARE (D2H2)
The traditional healthcare system is characterized by hospital and clinic-based visits with face-toface contact between the patient and care providers, visits that frequently occur at times and locations that are inconvenient or difficult for the patient. Whenever patients visit a new provider, they are asked the essentially same questions verbally or in forms, e.g., ‘what are you allergic to?', ‘who among your family members and relatives have heart disease or cancer?' or ‘what surgeries have you had in the last 10 years?' Often, patients have to fill out a form(s) when they visit their regular providers and even dentists. In the last 20 years, we have experienced the high impact of explosive growth of information technology (IT) in our daily lives. Various IT-based products with constantly expanding capabilities and/or decreasing costs (e.g., personal computers, personal digital assistants, digital cameras and cellular phones) have been introduced and widely used. The healthcare industry has certainly benefited from this IT proliferation, but given the current state of healthcare information systems and that communications and information management consume approximately 25% of hospital operating costs, there is ample room for further improvement. The healthcare systems in most developed countries are facing serious challenges from multiple fronts, and are in need of significant transformations. Decentralization of healthcare via Distributed Diagnosis and Home Healthcare (D2H2) is designed to tackle the current problems in healthcare and to accommodate future changes and trends by transforming the delivery of healthcare from a central, hospital-based system to one that is more patient-centered, distributed and home-based. D2H2 will benefit patients by improving the quality and convenience of care, controlling healthcare cost, and preventing medical errors, thus leading to increased access to affordable and effective healthcare.

H. Steve Lieber, CAE, President and CEO, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)

Steve Lieber joined HIMSS as President and CEO in 2000, bringing nearly 25 years of healthcare experience including 20 years in association management. HIMSS is the largest U.S. healthcare association focused on information technology (IT) with approximately 17,000 individual members and more than 270 corporate members. In his strategic leadership role, Lieber has established the Society as a preeminent leader on crucial healthcare issues including the electronic health record, interoperability, technology standards, IT adoption and certification. With his leadership, the Society has more than doubled in size and expanded its scope to encompass ambulatory IT issues. Lieber previously served as CEO of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) and Vice President, Division of Personal Membership Groups, with the American Hospital Association. He has also held leadership positions with other healthcare and social service organizations in Illinois and Arkansas . A nationally recognized expert on health policy and healthcare IT trends/issues, Lieber is a regular contributor to corporate strategic planning and public policy initiatives. He holds a Master of Arts in Social Service Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. In 2004, Modern Healthcare magazine recognized Lieber as one of the Top 100 most influential people in US healthcare.

Janet M. Marchibroda, CEO and founder of the eHealth Initiative

For the past four years, Ms. Marchibroda has served as Founding Chief Executive Officer, eHealth Initiative (eHI) and Executive Director, eHealth Initiative Foundation, both Washington, DC-based national non-profit organizations. The mission of both organizations is the same: driving improvement in healthcare quality, safety and efficiency through information and health information technology (HIT). Since founding the organization in 2001, Ms. Marchibroda has made eHI one of the nation's premier healthcare advocacy organizations with over 200 members as diverse as healthcare itself. Prior to eHI, Ms. Marchibroda founded and served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for BenefitNation, Inc. (formerly Nation's Health), a $30 million subsidiary of Bertelsmann AG providing electronic publishing, data, and consulting services to the healthcare and financial service industries. In addition to partnering with the other co-founders to research, plan and implement fund start-up and expansion, she worked with the company's Chief Medical Officer to develop and implement BenefitNation's health information services business strategy. Before BenefitNation, Ms. Marchibroda served as the interim Chief Operating Officer for the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), where she facilitated significant change and improvement by performing an organizational assessment of, and developing and implementing recommendations for improvement in several areas, including strategic and organizational planning, fundraising, technology, finance and operations. Prior to NCCS, Ms. Marchibroda served as Chief Operating Officer of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), helping grow the organization from $3.7 million in revenues and 20 employees to one with over $24 million in revenues and over 100 employees. In addition to her role at eHI, Ms. Marchibroda serves as Executive Director of Connecting for Health, a public-private sector initiative funded by and led by the Markle Foundation and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and designed to catalyze actions on a national basis to drive electronic connectivity and create an interconnected, electronic health information infrastructure.

Janet M. Marchibroda, CEO and founder of the eHealth Initiative, has been named one of America 's top 25 women in healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine. The honor was announced in the magazine's April 18, 2005 issue.

Thelma McClosky Armstrong , Director, Easter Montana Telemedicine Network, Deaconess Billings Clinic

Ms. McClosky Armstrong has over 25 years of experience in the development and management of healthcare delivery services. As director of the Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network, Thelma is responsible for the overall management of a 22-site interactive videoconferencing network providing medical and mental health services, continuing medical and higher education, administrative and telebusiness services throughout eastern and central Montana and northern Wyoming . The Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network recently received the American Telemedicine Associations Presidents Award for the Advancement of Telemedicine . This award in given annually to a program for its outstanding and lasting contribution to the field of telemedicine. Ms. McClosky Armstrong is the Past-President of the Montana Healthcare Telecommunications Alliance (MHTA) and is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Telemedicine Association. She has chaired the ATA policy committee and is presently serving a one-year term as President of ATA.

Abstract: “Establishing networks: Lessons learned from the Telehealth Community”
Members of the telehealth community have learned many valuable lessons as they established networks. This session will discuss both the technical and human challenges of network development, from start up to ongoing operations. This session will also address the importance partnerships between the telehealth community and the EHR community moving into the future.

Seong K. Mun, Ph.D , Georgetown University Medical Center

Seong K. Mun, PhD , Professor of Radiology, is Director of Imaging Science and Information System Research Center , Georgetown University Medical Center . The ISIS Center established in the 80's has approximately 60 faculty and staff and conducts interdisciplinary research in diagnostic imaging, computer aided diagnosis, e-health, image guided robotic procedures, surgical simulation, information assurance, and health information systems architecture. Trained as a theoretical molecular physicist at the State University of New York, Dr. Mun led development of one of the first high field of MRI system at Columbia University Medical Center in New York . He also serves as Associate VP for Special Programs for Georgetown University Medical Center

Neal Neuberger, President, Health Tech Strategies, LLC

Neal Neuberger is President of Health Tech Strategies, LLC, a Virginia-based consulting firm focused on the public and private sector policy environment with regard to research, development and implementation of emerging health care technologies. Since 1998, HTS has provided technology implementation and HIPAA consulting services to government and industry. Mr. Neuberger has nearly 30 years of experience in government, health policy, regulatory analysis, program development and communications. He is a widely recognized for his contributions to telecommunications policy and program implementation for applications in health care. He speaks and writes frequently on subjects related to state and national telemedicine policy, security and privacy of health information, risk management, and the emerging business environment for the health technology fields.

Accomplishments of Mr. Neuberger Include:

• - Selected as the lead project consultant / coordinator with regard to “Shared EHR/CPOE
• Infrastructure in Wisconsin ” a planning grant of AHRQ under the Transforming Healthcare Quality Through Information Technology program.
• - Chair of the American Telemedicine Association Committee on State and Federal Policy and recently elected to the ATA Board of Directors.
• - National expert on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
• - Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
• - Content coordinator and producer of the nation's most comprehensive series of seminars addressing “ Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality of Medical Records ” in more than 50 locations during the past four years. Among other things, the seminars introduced the use of a comprehensive training tool, the “ CPRI Toolkit: Managing Information Security in Health Care ”.
• - Mr. Neuberger co-founded, and continues to coordinate, the eleven year old Congressional “Steering Committee on Telehealth and Healthcare Informatics” under the aegis of Senators Kent Conrad (D-N.D.); Mike Crapo (R-Idaho); Representatives Charlie Norwood (R-GA); and Rick Boucher (D-VA) along with 60 Members of Congress.
• - In 2004, Neuberger facilitated an twelve-session series of Capitol Hill educational programs on Telehealth and e-Health policy and programs and produced two major healthcare technology demonstrations in the United States Senate attended by more than 1000 legislators, staff, agency representatives and the public.
• - Neuberger recently received a special commendation from the Director of the United States Secret Service and the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office for his efforts in helping to rebuild the capacity of the New York Electronic Crimes Task Force following the tragic events of September 11th, 2001. Mr. Neuberger is married to Mary Ella Payne, R.N., MSPH and has three daughters. He is a marathon runner, masters swimmer, is certified in SCUBA, and holds a black belt in a classical style of Japanese Karate.

Dr. Dena Puskin, Director, Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Dr. Dena Puskin directs the Federal Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). She chairs the Joint Working Group on Telemedicine, the Federal interagency committee coordinating the development of telemedicine initiatives across the Federal government, and within the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Puskin has held a variety of leadership positions in health policy and program development for over 25 years. Dr. Puskin received her Sc.D. degree from Johns Hopkins University , a M.S. degree from the University of Rochester , School of Medicine and Dentistry, and B.A. and M.A. degrees from Boston University .

William M. Reiter , MD, FACP

Affiliation:

• Community Hospital of Anaconda
• Montana Powell Medical Society
• Anaconda Internal Medicine
• Subcontractor to National Center for Health Care Informatics

Experience

Focusing practice on internal medicine Dr. Reiter is a pioneer to the implementation of health information technology in rural settings. He has contributed expertise to health care organizations through private practice, instruction, research, publications, directing, and actively partaking in many professional organizations. The Principal Investigator for a study consisting of 70 multi-center clinical research sites leading to Project Director for “Planning the Implementation of HIT in Rural Settings”.

Education

• The Johns Hopkins University (BA, 1976)
• The Albany Medical College of Union University (MD 1980)
• The University of Miami Affiliated Hospitals (1983)
• Board-Certified, American Board of Internal Medicine (1983)

Raymond F. Rogers , Chief Development Officer, National Center for Health Care Informatics Marketing Director, Health Care Informatics Program, Montana Tech

Mr. Rogers is is one of the founders and the Chief Development Officer for the National Center for Health Care Informatics (NCHCI) in Butte, Montana. In his capacity, Mr. Rogers is responsible for directing the day to day operations of the National Center and formulating strategic business planning for the National Center . Mr. Rogers served as the coordinator and liaison on behalf of the Montana University System to plan, develop and implement the nation's first undergraduate degree in Health Care Informatics at Montana Tech, where he continues to serve as a consultant for the future development of that program. He is currently the lead project manager on an variety of diverse projects within the NCHCI. He has been responsible for the development of several health care conferences focused on Health Information Technology and is leading a statewide effort to develop a Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) for the State of Montana . Mr. Rogers holds an undergraduate degree in Engineering and a Masters Degree in Technical Communications.

Abstract:
Mr. Rogers will be discussing the development of the Health Care Informatics degree at Montana Tech, the need for specific training in Health Information Technology, and future training needs for a Health IT workforce.

Eugene Sullivan , Director, Office of Telemedicine University of Virginia Health System

Eugene Sullivan is the Director of the Office of Telemedicine at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville , VA. He has been the Director of the Office since 1993. Prior to arriving at the University Mr. Sullivan served over 22 years in the United States Army retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. At the University he has been instrumental in developing a 58 site Telemedicine network that links small rural hospitals and clinics with the specialists in Charlottesville . In 1996 with the passage of the Telecommunications Act, Mr. Sullivan was appointed to the Federal Communications Commission's Healthcare Advisory Board that helped develop the guidelines for Universal Service Fund support to rural healthcare. Since that time he has worked tirelessly with the FCC and the Congress to further refine those guidelines. Mr. Sullivan is a 1967 graduate of Saint Peter's College in New Jersey and earned a Master's Degree from the University of Southern California in 1976. Mr. Sullivan and his wife Cheryl, have one daughter and two grandchildren.

Abstract:
Mr. Sullivan will be discussing how the Universal Service Fund can help rural healthcare with their broadband communications charges. He will walk through step by step the procedure process. Additionally he will cover the current requirements for receiving this support and most importantly how rural healthcare can make their needs known both to the FCC and Congress. . Broadband telecommunications is a rapidly changing arena and the US Congress is very interested in reviewing the 1996 Act and bringing it up to date. Now is the time to get involved.

Andrew Louis Wenzlow , Director of Health Information Technology Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative

Louis Wenzlow served as the Director of Information Technology at Reedsburg Area Medical Center for five years. There he led a variety of patient safety related EMR implementations, including CPOE, medication verification through barcoding, and Pyxis medication dispensing. He also served as the leader of the HIPAA Security taskforce. Recently, he took the newly created position of Health Information Technology Director at the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, where his mission is to spearhead shared health information technology applications that will benefit the cooperative's member hospitals and their patients.

Abstract: Connecting Rural Health Communities in Wisconsin Abstract
The presentation describes the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative's early efforts to establish a shared health information technology application and data exchange model in Wisconsin . Topics include RWHC and RWHC member profiles, the Wisconsin AHRQ planning effort, and the developing RWHC shared-EHR initiative. The central point of the presentation is that rural and urban communities have different strategic interests when it comes to data exchange. In the rural context, the success of a data exchange infrastructure depends on the implementation of HIT applications that provide immediate positive value to participating rural organizations.

Scott S. Young, MD, Director, Health Information Technologym, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Scott S. Young, M.D. is a board-certified family physician currently at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Young directs the Health Information Technology portfolio at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. His health IT position encompasses a $60 million investment portfolio that includes a variety of research, evaluation and implementation initiatives aimed at improving the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare.

Prior to joining AHRQ he served as a Senior Clinical Advisor in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Young was instrumental in the design and implementation of national quality and safety programs including hospital public reporting, integration of health information systems and linking payment policy to quality and performance measures. He served in the United States Senate in the Office of Senator Jeff Bingaman, (D-NM) as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow. In that capacity Dr. Young advised Senator Bingaman and staff on a number of issues including rural health, Medicaid, Veterans Affairs, Medicare, health workforce, national prescription drug policy and public health. He participated in policy initiatives ranging from Medicare payment policy, graduate medical education, care of the underserved and health information technology on a local, state, and national level. He is the former executive vice president of the Utah HealthCare Institute, a not-for-profit organization providing clinical care, outreach programs, medical education, research, informatics, and health policy services. Dr. Young is a founding member of Intermountain Health Care's Utah Valley Family Practice Residency. While in Utah he served on Governor Michael Leavitt's Telemedicine Technical Advisory Group, the Finance Subcommittee of the Utah Medical Education Council and participated in a variety of state efforts to improve coverage for the uninsured. He continues to see patients one evening a week and teaches at the George Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Young received an M.D. from the University of Oklahoma in 1987 and completed his training at the Fairfax Family Practice Residency. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Abstract: Addressing the Unique Needs of Rural Healthcare Organizations: Opportunities, Challenges, and Available Resources
Health Information Technology offers a unique opportunity to improve the quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of care. In order to support rural providers and patients in fully realizing the benefits of health IT the unique nature and challenges of care in these regions must be better understood.

The Department of Health and Human Services has a host of programs to support and foster rural providers integration of Health IT into daily practice. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has created a health IT portfolio that places a special emphasis on rural and small community projects. Nearly 60% of AHRQ's Health IT portfolio is invested in projects located in these settings. The projects, a collection of planning, implementation and research efforts, assist public and private stakeholders better understand and overcome the unique challenges intrinsic in health IT implementation and utilization. AHRQ has developed the National Resource Center for Health IT (NRC), a venue to provider expert and technical assistance to AHRQ funded Health IT projects. Recognizing the potential value of the NRC resources to others, AHRQ is currently deploying components of the NRC more generally. The Agency is working closely with the Health Resources and Services Administration to make available the expertise of the National Resource Center to rural providers and organizations.