Malaysia to Host HIMSS AsiaPac09

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City of Kuala Lumpur Chosen to Host Prestigious Healthcare IT Conference and Exhibition

City of Kuala Lumpur Chosen to Host Prestigious Healthcare IT Conference and Exhibition

Healthcare and healthcare IT experts from around the world will converge in Kuala Lumpur from February 24 to 27, 2009 for HIMSS AsiaPac09 organised by HIMSS, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, a not-for-profit and non-governmental, international healthcare membership organisation.

This follows the successful staging of HIMSS AsiaPac08, held in Hong Kong, which united over 1500 healthcare and healthcare IT leaders across the region to share best practices, gain insights and discover the latest innovations to advance quality healthcare through IT.

Said Steven Yeo, Vice President and Executive Director, HIMSS Asia Pacific, “HIMSS AsiaPac09 is an ideal platform for healthcare IT stakeholders to connect and exchange ideas and get the latest updates on worldwide healthcare IT trends.  We chose to hold HIMSS AsiaPac09 in Malaysia because Kuala Lumpur is the gateway for healthcare organisations and is easily accessible from many major cities in the Asia Pacific region, which makes it the perfect location to host next year’s event.

HIMSS AsiaPac09 comes at an opportune time as the Malaysian government considers its healthcare industry as one of its top priorities and many initiatives are in place to boost the country’s Healthcare sector. This includes improving existing hospitals’ quality care through use of Health IT, upgrading facilities and improving training for its healthcare professionals,” said Yeo.

Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Haji Mohd. Ismail Bin Merican, Director General, Ministry of Health, Malaysia is scheduled to deliver the opening keynote address at the HIMSS AsiaPac09 conference which will offer more than 30 education sessions covering topic areas by speakers representing over 14 countries. These experts and high level representatives will provide a variety of perspectives and unique insights into the latest trends and issues facing the healthcare industry today.

Other notable keynote speakers include Professor Emeritus William Edward Hammond, Chair, Health Level Seven Inc. at Duke University, Enrico Coiera, Director, Centre for Health Informatics, University of New South Wales and John J. Nance JD, John Nance and Associates.

Said Yeo, “Healthcare is facing fundamental issues in costs, accessibility and quality of care. Together with the aging population across the globe and especially in the Asia Pacific region, the healthcare sector will need to focus on reducing delivery cost of care and the administrative cost of the healthcare system. Another issue facing healthcare today is ensuring that quality of care is achieved through effective diagnosis, patient compliance and avoiding medical errors. Improving access to care in remote communities or emerging and underdeveloped economies with enough hospitals and care professionals is another area that needs to be addressed.

“It is thus imperative that healthcare organisations recognise the issues and respond with effective processes and technologies for delivering superior care, and this includes the widespread adoption of healthcare IT systems to deliver improvements in the quality and accessibility of care and also lowering costs,” said Yeo.

In addition to the keynote addresses, the HIMSS AsiaPac09 Conference will offer almost 25 education sessions, covering topic areas by speakers representing over 12 countries.

The conference offers a practical solutions-oriented educational programme covering three main tracks in eHealth; EHR/EMR/EPR/PHR; and IT Strategy & Innovation.

Additional sessions will explore topics in the following 3 topic categories:
•    Clinical Leadership & Governance
•    The Business Case for Sustainable IT
•    Communication – Connection for Care

In addition to education opportunities, the HIMSS AsiaPac09 exhibit hall provides visitors with a not-to-be-missed opportunity to explore the latest in healthcare IT solutions, emerging technological advances and interoperability standards. The exhibit hall will feature over 50 companies showcasing their latest products and solutions in a hands-on, interactive and dynamic environment.

The HIMSS AsiaPac09 will also offer two purposefully developed, full-day symposia and one regionally targeted workshop to provide clinicians, care providers, government personnel and leaders the opportunity to hear from experts in their fields on the most prominent issues in healthcare in the Asia Pacific Region today.

The Physicians’ & IT Leadership Symposium will focus on solution-driven approaches, healthcare IT issues, and IT as a foundation for innovation, integration and expansion of care delivery.  Participants at the Physicians’ & IT Leadership Symposium will also have the opportunity to tour Serdang Hospital, a government-funded multi-specialty hospital.

The Nursing Informatics Symposium will provide an opportunity for nurses, clinicians and managers to discuss key issues on how to effectively integrate IT tools to improve processes and workflow at the point of care, and approaches for enhancing patient care and quality outcomes.

The Developing Countries Workshop, a unique highlight at HIMSS AsiaPac09, is created specifically for providers, leaders and government officials from emerging nations. This workshop is designed to give insights on healthcare IT advances within the Asia Pacific region and provide an environment of knowledge-sharing in capacity building for developing countries.

Registration is now open at http://www.himssasiapac.org Early bird registration rates are available till January 15, 2009. The HIMSS AsiaPac09 website also provides information on travel and accommodation, where delegates can take advantage of specially negotiated rates at hotels around the city.

About HIMSS

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the healthcare industry’s membership organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., Brussels, Singapore, and other locations across the United States and the globe, HIMSS represents more than 20,000 individual members and over 350 corporate members that collectively represent organizations employing millions of people. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to ensuring quality patient care

For Information on HIMSS AsiaPac09, please contact:

In Asia Pacific:                                         

Cheryl Tan
Manager, Marketing & PR
HIMSS Asia Pacific
9, Temasek Boulevard 31/F
Suntec Tower 2
Singapore 038989
Phone: +65 6559 5357
Email: ctan@himss.org

In North America:
Joyce Lofstrom, MS, APR
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
HIMSS
230 E. Ohio St., #500
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: + 312-915-9237
Email: jlofstrom@himss.org