MASSACHUSETTS - Key3 Studios announced today that
Windows
on Healthcare 2000 the sixth annual conference and exhibition of the Microsoft Healthcare Users Group (MS-HUG)
and a healthcare IT marketplace, will provide healthcare professionals with solutions to some of the most critical
information technology issues facing the healthcare industry. The conference and exhibition, co-located with the
third annual meeting of the Internet Healthcare Coalition, will take place October 2-5, 2000 at the Las Vegas Hilton.
With the advent of the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the pressures of rising
costs associated with the delivery of quality healthcare, healthcare professionals are facing enormous challenges.
As recently noted in Business Week by Laura D'Andrea Tyson, Dean of the Haas School of Business at the University
of Southern California, "Inadequate information systems are a prime reason why administrative costs account
for an estimated 15% to 20% of total healthcare spending, with perhaps an additional 20% reflecting unnecessary
or inappropriate care. The Internet has enormous potential to trim these costs by transforming the practice and
structure of the
industry."
At Windows on Healthcare 2000, industry leaders and innovators will educate, demonstrate and discuss how attendees
can best utilize new and emerging Microsoft enabled solutions to capitalize on Internet technologies to cut costs,
create new revenue streams, and improve communications. The net result will be significant improvements in the
empowerment of physicians, clinicians and patients alike. "Attendees will have hands-on access to the solutions
that will reduce their costs while improving the overall quality of care," notes Kimberly Ray, General Manager
of Windows on Healthcare.
In this five track conference and complementary exhibition, keynote speakers, power panelists and industry experts
will address the issues that medical practitioners, ranging from family practices to members of national healthcare
networks, must resolve to remain competitive and effective in today's
rapidly evolving marketplace. The educational program will include case studies and cover topics ranging from
security, on-line referral programs, and expanding technologies such as Smart Cards, hand held diagnostic tools,
Microsoft's Digital Dashboard, and the Microsoft .NET Framework for healthcare. Keynotes will include industry
luminaries William George, Chairman and CEO of Medtronic, Inc. and Bob McDowell, Vice President, Enterprise Business Relationships for Microsoft Corporation.
Sessions are divided into five areas of interest including a special track focused on the benefits of Application
Service Providers (ASP) for the healthcare industry:
· Increasing the Value of your Healthcare IT Organization- will provide CIOs with the tools they need
to analyze new technologies and determine their compatibility with organizational goals while fully leveraging
legacy systems and technologies
· The Role of ASPs in Healthcare-will explore the current ASP industry and their value in the reduction
of IT and operational costs in healthcare
· Microsoft Technologies to Unlock the Potential of an e-Healthcare World -will focus on the latest Microsoft
technologies that will help healthcare organizations make the Internet a part of everyday operations
· IT Tools and Strategies for Physicians and Healthcare Professionals-will address the IT tools and the
value that IT tools and the Internet can bring to every component of healthcare
· Security in an e-Healthcare world-will examine state-of-the-art, practical examples of healthcare electronic
security practices with special focus on the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
Special features include "eHealth Code of Ethics: Compliance in the Real World", a Power Panel co-presented
with the Internet Healthcare Coalition, the e-healthcare.com Showcase, The Internet for Healthcare e-Health Business
Solutions pavilion, and the Industry Solution Awards for Healthcare.
Attendees will also benefit from roundtable discussions and visit the interactive exhibit floor which will feature
healthcare solutions with the latest innovations in administrative, financial and clinical information systems
for the acute care, ambulatory care, and managed care/payer segments of the industry.