President's Message

Elizabeth Hartley-Sommers, BSN-RN, MS

Thank you for joining the Louisiana Chapter of HIMSS for another year and reading our newsletter. We have an exciting year planned and I am lucky enough to give you a preview. Louisiana HIMSS had a banner year in fiscal year 2018. We were multi award winning, hosted GC3 in New Orleans, awarded our first scholarship and branched out to form partnerships with other healthcare related professional organizations in Louisiana. That is a tough act to follow, but the 2019 fiscal year board of directors is up to the task. 

In fiscal year 2019, we plan to continue the tradition of excellence that has been building for several years. The board of directors for LaHIMSS has developed a strategic plan that creates value for our members. We are planning both educational and social events throughout the year to provide our members with needed education hours as well as networking opportunities. We also plan to strengthen the bond with the health entities in our states through increased personal communication and organizational affiliation. Professional development will prosper through increased contact with universities and continuing to offer the LaHIMSS scholarship. The Louisiana Chapter of HIMSS will also send out a survey asking you what you value most about LaHIMSS and what we can do to improve our services as a professional organization. To make all of these great things happen, we will be asking for volunteers for all of our committees. It is through the hard work of our volunteers that our chapter has grown so successful and we would like to continue this tradition by fostering new volunteers and board members. 

The schedule of events is packed with value in fiscal year 2019. Connect Louisiana will take place Tuesday October 9th 2018 at the old state capitol on North St. in Baton Rouge. This event celebrates National Health IT week by bringing together industry leaders from all over the state for education and networking. GC3 will be hosted in Mobile, Alabama this year with a preconference symposium featuring how health IT is improving care in rural parts of our states. These are just the first two events of the year. Stay tuned for more. I hope to see you at both events and volunteering on committees in between! 

Again, Louisiana Chapter of HIMSS is privileged to count you among our membership and hopes you find value in what we do. If you have any suggestions, feedback, tips or questions, please reach out to me at louisiana.info@himsschapter.org.

La HIMSS Achieves Presidential Status

In 2018, La HIMSS achieved the Presidential Level of Chapter Advocacy. 

Recognized and appreciated for dedication to transforming health through information and technology at the state and local levels and for engaging in the Chapter Advocacy Roundtable!

Meet the New La HIMSS Board!

2018-2019

President:
Elizabeth Hartley-Sommers BSN-RN, MS
Clinical Data Exchange Manager - EDM
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana

President-Elect, Member At Large, Sponsorship Co-chair
Mark Schroeder
Project Coordinator and Software Developer
LSU Health Care Services Division's Center for Healthcare Effectiveness

Past President
Errol Labat, MBA, CISA
Director of Enterprise Risk Management and Audit Consulting,
BlueCross and BlueShield of Louisiana

Secretary
Jan Fuller, MBA, RHIA, CPHIMS, FAHIMA
Associate Professor, Louisiana Tech University

Treasurer
Alan Thriffiley, CPHIMS, FHIMSS
Project Manager, LSU Health Care Services Division's Center for Healthcare Effectiveness

Member At Large & Sponsorship Co-chair
Alan Abshire
Director of HIT Operations, Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum

Advocacy Chair
Hank Fanberg, MBA
Member of the Office of the CIO and Director, 
Technology Advocacy for CHRISTUS Health

Communications Chair
Bryan Taylor, MSN, FNP
Telehealth Operations Manager, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana

Programs Chair
Paul Douglas, CISA, CCSFP
Associate Director in P&N's Consulting services division

Program Development Chair
Michelle Martin, MBA, RHIA, M.Ed., FAHIMA
Associate Professor, Louisiana Tech University

Membership Chair
Jeff Rayder, PMP, CLSSGB
Director of the Epic Community Connect Program for FMOLHS

Read more about your LA HIMSS FY2018 board members HERE:

COMING UP! Event News

Connect Louisiana and HIT Week: October 9th, 2018 

Join us in Baton Rouge for the 3rd Annual Connect Louisiana Symposium will bring together interested stakeholders from multiple sectors and areas to discuss the use of Health IT to improve the health of the people of Louisiana. 

This event is FREE, but registration is required 

View the Agenda and Register HERE!

6th Annual 2018 GC3 Conference: November 14th – 16th, 2018 

The 6th annual GC3 conference is coming to Mobile, Alabama this year. Read about this exciting opportunity for education and networking with our neighbors in the Alabama and Mississippi Chapters.

Registration information; hotel accommodations; and conference agenda can be found at the following link: http://gc3conference.com/

View the Agenda and Register HERE!

Join HIMSS and CONNECT!

Louisiana Chapter and National HIMSS membership 

Become a HIMSS Member

If you are not already, we encourage you to become a HIMSS member. National HIMSS membership includes a chapter membership of your choice (of course we hope you choose Louisiana). National HIMSS membership provides access to a network of resources, education, industry knowledge and cutting edge innovation. Louisiana HIMSS Chapter membership provides member level pricing for events, the ability to participate in committees and access to a network of local health IT resources. If you would like to join or renew your membership, please click here. Chapter membership is only $39!

Sign up to be a Louisiana HIMSS Chapter member: https://www.himss.org/membership/chapter 
OR
Sign up for National Membership and get your Louisiana Chapter membership for FREE: https://www.himss.org/membership

Sponsors of La HIMSS

Thank you to our 2017/2018 annual Sponsors!

Thank you to P&N and Spectrum Enterprises for being invaluable champions for Health IT in Louisiana!

For more information on sponsorship please visit the sponsorship page on our website.