Integrated Health Systems Subject of Lindberg Symposium

The evolution of large integrated health systems, which are quickly becoming a national trend, has created enormous challenges in the implementation and development of information technology and services. Information Technology Leadership and Health System Integration, the subject of this year’s Lindberg Lecture and Symposium, sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Biomedical Informatics, addresses the necessity of implementing technology that serves not only the individual hospital’s need, but also the needs of the whole system. The symposium is being held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on June 8, in the South Wing Conference Center (Room S-100) of the Biomedical Science Tower.

“This year’s symposium will provide an excellent overview on the current status of information technology within health systems, stressing the importance of integrating information, knowledge, and processes across diverse facilities. These issues are vital to everyone engaged in the delivery and support of health care,” said Charles P. Friedman, director of the Center for Biomedical Informatics and associate vice chancellor for biomedical informatics at the University of Pittsburgh.

The Lindberg Lecture, Health System Integration: The Role of Information Systems at Partners HealthCare, will be given by John P. Glaser, vice president and chief information officer of Partners HealthCare.

Daniel Martich, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology/critical care medicine, University of Pittsburgh, and executive director of the Electronic Health Record, UPMC Health System, will give a presentation Electronic Health Record Strategies for the UPMC Health System. A panel discussion on Health Care Process Improvement and Evaluation will feature a variety of University experts, including: Cynthia S. Gadd, assistant professor of medicine, and Douglas Fridsma, M.D., associate professor of medicine, both with Pitt’s Center for Bioinformatics; Louis Penrod, M.D., assistant professor, physical medicine, and rehabilitation, School of Medicine; and Randall Smith, associate dean for research, School of Pharmacy.

Established in 1997, the Lindberg Lecture addresses key issues in biomedical informatics and is named for Donald B. Lindberg, M.D., who pioneered the development of advanced information systems at the U.S. National Library of Medicine while serving as its director.

The symposium is targeted toward clinicians, information technology professionals, educators, and administrators. For more information or to register, contact Joseph Cummings at 412-647-7156.

—Jocelyn Uhl