HIMSS and MGMA-ACMPE Collaborate on Health Information Exchange Toolkit

Englewood, Colorado and Chicago—To help physician practices navigate the challenging health information exchange (HIE) environment, HIMSS and MGMA-ACMPE have introduced a new online resource, The Ambulatory Health Information Exchange Toolkit . The toolkit, targeted to ambulatory practices, serves as an important resource for practices looking for a pathway toward sharing and receiving patient information in an electronic format and participating in a health information exchange organization.

“Physician practices are increasingly employing health information technology to more effectively and efficiently deliver care to their patients,” said Susan Turney, MD, MS, FACP, FACMPE, MGMA-ACMPE president and CEO. “For these ambulatory practices, one important tool in an expanding health IT arsenal is the HIE. Practices can now use this toolkit to leverage the opportunities offered by HIEs to add to the critical health information stream flowing securely from one clinical setting to another.”

The toolkit offers clinical practices the resources they need to make smart HIE decisions in a number of critical areas, including:

  • The HIE value proposition
  • Meaningful use and HIE
  • Business and financial models
  • Leadership and governance
  • Technical architecture
  • Evaluating participation.

“With the evolution of the patient care environment, this web-based toolkit is specifically designed to capture the latest developments in HIEs and highlight any new and practical resources beneficial to physicians and their practices,” said H. Stephen Lieber, CAE, president/CEO, HIMSS. “As a cause-based organization focused on improving healthcare delivery with the best use of IT, HIMSS recognizes the value of and need for health information exchanges in healthcare.”

About MGMA-ACMPE
MGMA-ACMPE is the premier association for professional administrators and leaders of medical group practices. In 2011, members of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), and its standard-setting body, the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE) voted to merge to form a new association. Since 1926, the association has delivered networking, professional education and resources, political advocacy and certification for medical practice professionals. The association represents 22,500 members who lead 13,600 organizations nationwide in which some 280,000 physicians provide more than 40 percent of the healthcare services delivered in the United States.

MGMA-ACMPE’s mission is to continually improve the performance of medical group practice professionals and the organizations they represent, helping medical practices provide efficient, safe, patient-focused and affordable care. MGMA-ACMPE is headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and maintains a government affairs office in Washington, D.C. mgma.com.

About HIMSS
HIMSS is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded 51 years ago, HIMSS and its related organizations are headquartered in Chicago with additional offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. HIMSS represents more than 44,000 individual members, of which more than two thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations. HIMSS also includes over 570 corporate members and more than 170 not-for-profit organizations that share our mission of transforming healthcare through the effective use of information technology and management systems. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare practices and public policy through its content expertise, professional development, research initiatives, and media vehicles designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to improving the quality, safety, access, and cost-effectiveness of patient care. To learn more about HIMSS and to find out how to join us and our members in advancing our cause, visit www.himss.org.