CHIDS’ Workshop on Health IT and Economics Set for Nov. 15-16

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Experts from academia, industry and government will gather Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16 at the Washington D.C. Marriott at Metro Center at Metro Center to explore how information technology is making health care more patient-centered, effective and cost-efficient.

Organized by the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS) in the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, this fourth annual Workshop on Health IT and Economics (WHITE) will cover such topics as health insurance exchanges and how social media and mobile technologies are spurring patient engagement. 

The summit (8 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday) is open to observers. On-site registration begins 7:30 a.m. both days.

“The workshop is designed to deliver the latest research, inspire innovation, and accelerate healthcare transformation at the intersection of health IT,” said program chair Ritu Agarwal, UMD-Smith professor and chair of Information Systems and CHIDS’ founding co-director.  “The timing is especially critical with the health care industry challenged by the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act.”

(Listen to Agarwal, among UMD experts, analyze Affordable Care Act implications, including early successes and promises, in “Conversations on How to Save Healthcare, Part One.”)

Agarwal will moderate “Patient Engagement and Fostering Smart Patients” on Friday with panelists representing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's National Medical Center, George Washington University and The Walking Gallery.

Additional panel and speaker topics that day are: “Meaningful use of Health IT,”  “Healthcare Organization and Management,” “Health IT and Quality,”  “Social Media in Healthcare” and Social Wellness for Better Health.”

On Saturday, a “Health Insurance Marketplace” panel will include Accenture Managing Director Philip Poley and Maryland Health Connection Program Manager Justin Stokes.

Additional closing-day panel topics include “Health IT and Costs” and “Internet and Health,” and a cluster of research presentations will cover:

• Adopting the Market-dominant technology? The case of Electronic Medical Records in U.S. Hospitals
• Exploring Consistent Electronic Health Record Use
• Geographic Variation in Health IT and Health Care Outcomes
• Progress and Challenges with the Implementation and use of Electronic Health Records
• Health Information Exchange as a Multi-sided Platform
• Sustainability of Health Information Exchange
• Access to Health Care and Online Health Information Seeking
• The Impact of Electronic Health Records on Hospital Acquired Patient Safety Events

For more information, go to the workshop website http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/centers-excellence/center-health-information-decision-systems/initiatives-programs/workshops-white

Media Contact: Kenyon Crowley, associate director of CHIDS: kcrowley@rhsmith.umd.edu; 301.405.9593