AHA and CHIME Partner to Publish CEO Guidebook on EHR Implementation

ANN ARBOR, MI and CHICAGO - July 22, 2010 - The American Hospital Association (AHA) and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) will release a special joint publication exclusively for hospitals CEOs today at the AHA and Health Forum’s Annual Leadership Summit in San Diego.

Over the past three months the AHA and CHIME have worked collaboratively to create a guidebook for CEOs on the HITECH Act and meaningful use implementation. The handbook entitled, Health Care Leader Action Guide on Implementation of Electronic Health Records, provides a readable, actionable, step-by-step guide designed to assist CEOs and other C-suite executives in the EHR implementation process.

“Right now, the AHA is focused on how to best help as many hospitals as possible qualify for the health IT stimulus payments,” said AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock. “At today’s Leadership Summit, we'll release, in conjunction with our colleagues at CHIME, a publication that will help hospital leaders plot their health IT path to make sure that health IT's full promise is realized.”

The 22-page guide will be given to every Leadership Summit attendee and is available for download at: http://cio-chime.org/advocacy/Action_Guide_on_Implementation_of_EHRs_FINAL.pdf.

“This guide is a valuable resource designed to give CEOs a better understanding of the impact meaningful use and the HITECH act have on their organization and to provide them with fundamental insight on the challenges of implementing an electronic health record,” said CHIME President and CEO Rich Correll. “This is a critical time for CEOs and their fellow C-Suite executives to learn all they can about how to maximize their organization’s success in this unprecedented new environment.”

As an extension of the guidebook, CHIME will host an executive luncheon and discussion session, “CEO Strategies: Your Organization’s Benefit from the HITECH Act,” on Friday during the Leadership Summit. Led by CHIME Board Members David Muntz and Linda Reed, the session will cover the associated rules, regulations and timelines, potential financial gains for hospital organizations, and strategies for maximizing stimulus funding.

About AHA
The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which includes more than 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, and 38,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends.

About CHIME
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 1,400 CIO members and over 70 healthcare IT vendors and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and healthcare in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.cio-chime.org.

Contact:
Stephanie Fraser
Communications Coordinator
734-665-0000
sfraser@cio-chime.org

Updated: 7/22/2010 4:51:05 PM