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November 2 2005
By Howard Anderson,
Publisher
At this time of year, we
hear a lot about the
“heroes” playing in the
World Series or battling
in football games or
skating on the ice for
the NHL. But in 2005, we
all know who the real
heroes are: Those
thousands of people who
played vital roles in
coming to the aid of
hurricane victims.
I was particularly
touched by TV coverage
of the neonatal
intensive care teams in
New Orleans that rode
out the storm to take
care of tiny newborns.
These nurses and
doctors, and others like
them, worked long hours
under incredibly
difficult conditions,
even though, in some
cases, they had lost
their own homes. We can
all be heroes in our own
way by making
contributions to
charities involved in
hurricane relief
efforts. Dealing with
the aftermath of the
storms will take years,
and the need for funds
won't abate any time
soon.
But making a
contribution doesn't
necessarily mean writing
a check. A news story on
page 8 outlines how
several health care
information technology
companies are lending a
hand by donating
hardware and software.
For example,
PatientKeeper donated
software for use by
doctors working with
victims on the Gulf
Coast, Epocrates donated
medical reference
software, Motion
Computing donated Tablet
PCs and VeriChip donated
RFID chips. I urge other
companies to devise
creative ways to use
their technology to lend
a hand to the relief
efforts.
If you haven’t visited
yet, I encourage you to
take a close look at our
Virtual Trade Show on
Electronic Medical
Records, where you’ll
find three archived
“general sessions”
featuring presentations
by consultants, plus
numerous interactive
exhibits from leading
technology firms.
By going to
www.healthdatamanagement.com/vts,
you'll open the door to
a wealth of timely, FREE
information and insights
on how to create a
successful strategy for
implementing all the
components of electronic
records. The general
sessions address
software shopping tips,
strategies for group
practices and systems
integration challenges.
A fourth general
session, pinpointing
issues that hospitals
face, will be available
Nov. 15.
Based on the success of
this year’s event, we’ll
be expanding the Virtual
Trade Show in 2006 to a
year-round event, with
general sessions each
month tied to the theme
of a story in the
current issue of the
magazine. Plus, we’ll
add a second exhibit
hall featuring Microsoft
and its business
partners. In the new
Microsoft Pavilion,
you’ll also find an
expanded Microsoft
Healthcare and Life
Sciences Solutions
Directory, with in-depth
information on hundreds
of applications.
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