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Due to “overwhelming” member demand, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society is getting into the clinical business intelligence realm. The society is forming a committee on BI and ramping up content at HIMSS12, says Mary Griskewicz, senior director of health information systems at HIMSS and the person tasked to lead the formation of the Clinical Business Intelligence committee.

The committee currently is seeking nominations and will not be seated until July 1. Griskewicz says that HIMSS members from all corners of the health care industry--payers, providers, life sciences and government health programs, among others--have told the society that it needs to address clinical business intelligence. (To read a recent HDM supplement about real-world uses of clinical analytics, click here.)

Ambulatory physicians, Griskewicz says, have a particularly acute need for more information on clinical analytics because they will bear a heavy burden as EHR meaningful use incentive program requirements fold into population health reporting. Other evolving programs, such as accountable care organizations, medical homes and health information exchanges, demand more analytics around patient care.

HIMSS is offering new educational programs focused on intelligence at its 2012 annual conference, to be held Feb. 20-24 in Las Vegas.

On Monday, Feb. 20, an all-day workshop will convene at the Marco Polo 706 room at the Venetian Sands Expo Convention Center. The workshop, titled “Clinical and Business Intelligence: Unlocking Tomorrow's Forecast Today: Driving Healthcare Decisions through Intelligence,” will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature a presentation from Cindy L. McKinney, senior managing consultant at IBM Corp.

The introductory-level workshop will cover the tools, resources, and access to best practices needed by executive management to determine the most cost-efficient and highest quality analytics processes.

Clinical business intelligence also will be the focus of one of six Knowledge Centers located on the show floor. The Knowledge Centers, a new feature at the conference, are focused on six “hot” industry topics, including ICD-10, cloud computing, mobile health, medical device integration and accountable care/value-based purchasing. More information is available here. The business intelligence Knowledge Center will be run out of Booth 13247, Hall G, and feature subject experts and educational sessions on the landscape of clinical and business intelligence, the criteria for assessing need for greater intelligence and setting realistic expectations.

Finally, those interested in learning more about serving on the committee can attend the HIMSS Communities Open House, Tuesday, Feb. 21, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Venetian Hotel, to learn about HIMSS Chapters, special interest groups, fellows, committees, task forces and user groups.