HIMSS09 photo journal: Interoperability Showcase

April 05, 2009 | Chip Means, New Media Manager

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CHICAGO – More than 70 vendors are participating in this year's Interoperability Showcase, an exhibition of integrated healthcare IT products and care coordination.

The showcase, presented by Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE), HIMSS and the global standards community, is located on a sizeable chunk of the Exhibit Hall here at McCormick Place. Patient care scenarios are simulated to demonstrate the advantages of interoperable IT, information security and adherence to standards established by participating organizations, which include HITSP, HL7 and Continua Health Alliance.

The Interoperability Showcase is located at booth #7750 in the North Hall.

More than 70 vendors are demonstrating connectivity between 78 IT systems in this year's showcase.

John Donnelly of IHE, one of the showcase's docents, said the showcase was the busiest booth at HIMSS08.

The docents of the Interoperability Showcase will lead as many as 12 simultaneous tours at any time over the course of HIMSS09.

John Donnelly of IHE guided Healthcare IT News through a scenario in which a patient is struck by a car and requires emergency medical attention. Through the participating vendors' solutions, the showcase demonstrates the integrated, secure transfer of the patient's information throughout the continuum of care.

HealthVision's Jesse Pangburn demonstrates the creation of a patient consent document - the critical first step in establishing an integrated care record.

William Howard of GE Healthcare shows the different views of patient data accessible to care workers with different roles. A 911 dispatcher will see a restricted view of a patient's data, while an ED worker could "break glass" to obtain more information - an audited event requiring follow-up documentation.

A simulated ICU is one of many additional care entities represented in the showcase.