 Nurses, providers and practitioners from around the world are encouraged to attend NI2012 next June in Montreal, Canada. In a YouTube interview, Dr. Patricia Abbott, NI2012 Chair, said the upcoming international event is expected to attract interest from all corners of the globe to include Latin America, Iraq, Iran and Nepal.
“If you are working to improve the health of your community or your population and you are using information, communications technology or informatics, please come to the meeting,” said Dr. Abbott, an associate professor of informatics and co-director of the WHO Collaborating Center at Johns Hopkins University.
The conference will provide attendees the opportunity to update their skills and knowledge about health policy, new trends and lessons learned. To view the interview, please click here.Back to top
Save Your Spot in One of Two Specialty-Informatics Concentrated 10x10 Courses in 2012
 10x10 with The Ohio State University is a clinical research informatics based 10x10 virtual course. Taught by Peter Embi, MD, MS, FACP, the OSU 10x10 course provides an introduction to the field of clinical research informatics. In addition to defining the CRI domain and highlighting the key challenges and opportunities facing CRI, students will be exposed to key models, approaches, tools, regulatory/ethical issues and initiatives driving CRI developments and practice. The course will also provide students with an understanding of the relationships that exist between CRI and the clinical informatics and bioinformatics domains. The course begins Jan. 6. To register, click here.
10x10 with University of Minnesota School of Nursing is a nursing informatics based 10x10 virtual course. Taught by Bonnie Westra, PhD, RN, FAAN, the UMN 10x10 course examines theories and frameworks for nursing, public health and healthcare informatics. It analyzes principles, theories and informatics standards to select, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of information systems. It also evaluates the impact of informatics on the roles of nursing, other healthcare professionals and the consumer. The course begins Jan. 9. To register, click here.
Also available through the 10x10 program beginning in January 2012: Kansas University Medical Center (KUMC) – Introduction to Health Informatics – course begins Jan. 30.
To register for any of these courses and to view full course descriptions, please click here.
 A diverse group of stakeholders from across the public and private sectors convened this week for AMIA’s 6th Annual Health Policy meeting to discuss the ideal future state of clinical data capture and documentation. Caitlin Cusack, MD, MPH, served as Chair of the Meeting Steering Committee, and George Hripcsak, MD, was the Meeting Steering Committee Vice-Chair. Participants reviewed draft principles of data capture and documentation, discussed attributes of high-quality information, and identified potential action items and policy recommendations to achieve the ideal future state. To learn more, click here.
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HIT Standards Committee (HITSC) Seeks Comments on Exchange Specifications
The HIT Standards Committee NwHIN (Nationwide Health Information Network) Power Team is seeking input from Exchange implementers regarding their experiences in implementing the Exchange specifications; setting up the required operational and administrative infrastructure; and using Exchange to meet their operational needs. Please submit comments by Thursday, Dec. 15. Click here for more information.
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Changes in MU Announced
To encourage faster adoption, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that HHS intends to allow doctors and hospitals to adopt health IT this year, without meeting the new standards until 2014. Doctors who act quickly may qualify for incentive payments in 2011 as well as 2012. For additional information, click here.
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Take the HIT Pledge
The Office of the National Coordinator is leading a national campaign to educate and engage the public on the value and benefits of health information technology (health IT) in improving health and healthcare. As part of the campaign, the ONC is encouraging entities that touch Americans’ lives to pledge to empower individuals to be partners in their health through health IT. For more information, click here.
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CDC Releases Survey Results about HIT
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey found that 52 percent of office-based physicians in the U.S. intend to take advantage of the incentive payments available for doctors and hospitals through the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. To learn more, click here.
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AMIA Members -- Participate in Committees!
On behalf of the AMIA Board of Directors, Nancy Lorenzi sent a special message for this week's e-News to recognize those individuals who led AMIA's Committees during her term as board chair. "It is an honor to serve as the Chair of the Board of Directors of such a vibrant and member-focused organization. The board and I could not have accomplished what we did without the dedication of our standing committee chairs and every individual member that participates in our volunteer structure," she said.
Nancy extends her special thanks to Scott Evans (Audit Committee), Dominik Aronsky (Awards Committee), Gil Kuperman (Awards Executive Committee), Joan Ash (Bylaws Committee), Chris Cimino (Education Committee), Dan Foltz (Industry Advisory Council), Ken Goodman (Ethics Committee), Craig Feied (Finance Committee), Bill Tierney (International Affairs Committee), David Lobach (Meetings Committee), Catherine Craven (Membership Committee), David Bates (Nominating Committee and Public Policy Committee), Eneida Mendonca (Publications Committee), and Martha Adams (Working Group Steering Committee).
If you are looking for a way to get involved and share your passion for and expertise in informatics, volunteer to participate in one of AMIA's committees for the 2012-2013 term. This is a chance to participate at the grassroots level where ideas that may end up as proposals to the AMIA Board of Directors are born. Click here to participate. We need your ideas, your expertise, and your leadership skills.
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Renew Your 2012 Membership Now
 As the New Year approaches, AMIA reminds all members to renew their membership for 2012. Membership fees are necessary to enable AMIA staff to plan for the upcoming year and to manage AMIA’s budget efficiently and effectively. Help our organization grow by encouraging your colleagues and students to join AMIA as well. Remind them that AMIA members receive a host of benefits that will boost their careers and knowledge of the field. Some perks of membership include:
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Uninterrupted access to JAMIA, AMIA’s premier journal (enhanced content in 2012),
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Weekly updates, AMIA E-News,
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World-class networking opportunities like AMIA’s new communites.amia.org, and
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Educational opportunities and many different special events.
Also, members receive special rates at AMIA meetings, conferences and other events sponsored by AMIA partners.
If you don’t receive your renewal notice, please contact Ceira Blount at ceira@amia.org. You can also renew online by clicking here. Select the appropriate invoice and follow the check out process. 
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Visit AMIA's New Career Center
 Whether you’re looking for a new career opportunity or searching for a potential job candidate, the AMIA Career Center is the place to be. With thousands of page views every month, it is one of the most popular pages on AMIA’s website. AMIA’s Career Center creates “connective tissue” in a multidisciplinary profession among individuals as well as organizations. Use the website to:
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Search for a job,
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Post your resume (members only),
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Find out more about AMIA’s Mentorship Program,
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Post a job opportunity, and
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Search AMIA’s resumes for potential job candidates.
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Comment Period Remains Open on Proposed Changes to AMIA Bylaws
The Comment Period remains open for proposed changes to AMIA’s Bylaws to align them with AMIA’s revised strategic plan. One of the major objectives identified in AMIA’s Realigned Strategic Plan was the need to reconfigure AMIA’s bylaws and standard operating procedures to support a more streamlined and nimble organization. The new version removes many operational details and instead incorporates these details into handbooks and manuals that can be easily updated as the organization evolves. For more information, click here.
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Calendar
Jan. 6
The Ohio State University's Clinical Research Informatics 10x10 course
Jan. 9
Jan. 30
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