Digital information systems conference focuses on interoperability and workflow

Problems that affect interoperability, workflow, and communications both within radiology and between radiology and other departments in the enterprise will be the focus of the eighth annual Digital Healthcare Information and Management Systems conference this month. The meeting is organized by the University of Rochester department of imaging sciences.The conference is directed at a wide range of healthcare facilities -- community hospitals, outpatient imaging facilities, and academic centers -- as well as the vendors that provide clinical application solutions and hardware. It will present information blending basic knowledge and state-of-the art technology that should prove useful to administrators, IT personnel, physicians, technologists, and vendors. DHIMS 2008 will be held March 25 to 29 in San Antonio at the Westin La Cantera Resort. The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry designates its educational activity for up to 31.5 AMA PRA Category 1 credits and 33 Category A ASRT credits. This year's theme, "Getting Connected in Radiology ... Interoperability & Workflow," will offer a radiology-centric look at the changes needed within radiology and other clinical departments and in relationships with referring physicians to take full advantage of the emerging digital environment. The conference begins with a day-long PACS primer course covering the ABCs of developing a digital environment and its impact on workflow and productivity of radiologists, technologists, PACS administrators, and referring physicians. The PACS primer is intended to provide a foundation for attendees considering becoming a PACS administrator and those needing a basic refresher course or technology update on the essentials of operating in a digital environment.

Three new workshops offer additional hands-on experience:

• Interoperability demonstrations: Two or more exhibitors demonstrate that their combined hardware and software applications can interoperate to provide a solution to one of the many challenges facing the digital healthcare enterprise.
• Integrated clinical application workstation workshop: A single exhibitor gives attendees the opportunity to operate a workstation that features integrated RIS and PACS plus one or more other integrated applications.
• Advanced visualization workstation workshop: Attendees have an opportunity to process and display large data sets on an exhibitor's stand-alone client-server workstation.

A nationally recognized faculty will present lectures covering what works in the clinical environment, the latest technology being offered by vendors, and what's being tested for the digital environment in academia. Additional lectures describe the different needs and expectations for private healthcare and larger institutions.

Ask the experts panels will describe what can go wrong, how to overcome problems, and what panelists would do differently the second or third time around.Other topics to be covered include availability and accessibility, productivity enhancements, change management, storage management, economics of DHIMS, security and risk management, and much more.Please visit

DHMIS 2008

for additional program details.