HIMSS UK launched

HIMSS has launched HIMSS UK after buying events management company Citadel in a move it hopes will bring an “outside perspective” to healthcare IT in the UK.

The US-based health information organisation acquired a minority position in the Harrogate-based events company in 2012. Since then it has partnered with BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, in running its Healthcare Computing conference.

HIMSS president and CEO, H. Stephen Lieber, told EHI that he hopes the launch will bring an “outside perspective” to healthcare IT in the UK.

The expansionist not-for-profit organisation is headquartered in Chicago and runs an annual HIMSS conference as well as several other initiatives.

“Our focus is going to be on events, on education and on analytics as we utilise the global tools we have developed,” said Lieber.

“Through our educational programs, events, market insights, and other initiatives, HIMSS will be a valuable partner to government, trusts, clinicians and other key stakeholders in achieving a better care system.”

In the US, HIMSS is a membership organisation much like BCS Health. However, Lieber said HIMSS UK would not go down that route as the company does not wish to compete with BCS Health.

“We don’t intend to pursue something like that, as it already exists,” he said.

“We are not attempting to replicate or compete with the work BCS is doing. We have a strong relationship with them and the work we do will be compatible and additional to that.”

Mike Sinclair, vice chair of professionalism for BCS Health, said the acquisition of Citadel, which manages the body’s HC events, will not have any impact on HC2014 taking place this week, or future events.

“We have been in a working relationship with HIMSS in relation to the event since 2012 and this arrangement actually simplifies operational management for the institute in relation to future working,” he said.

In addition to planned events HIMSS UK will attempt efforts to re-engage with UK trusts on the European version of its electronic medical record adoption model.  The model, originally developed for the US, provides an international model for EMR adoption, but has had limited adoption in the UK to date being closely mapped to a single EMR system paradigm.  

The HIMSS adoption model shares some characteristics with the EHI Intelligence developed Clinical Digital Maturity Index. In partnership with NHS England, EHI Intelligence launched the CDMI as an NHS-specific descriptive benchmark for UK trust digital maturity,  in November 2013.