CHICAGO -- The Board of Directors of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society introduced its new officers and elected members as of July 1, 2007.

John Wade, FCHIME, FHIMSS, and Victoria Bradley, DNP, RN, FHIMSS, began their terms as chair and vice chair, respectively. They replace Chair George T. Hickman, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, and Vice Chair Marion J. Ball, EdD, FHIMSS.

Wade is the vice president and former CIO for Saint Luke's Health System, a multi-hospital healthcare provider servicing eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Wade currently serves as Executive Director of the Kansas City Regional Electronic Exchange (KC REE), an emerging RHIO, on behalf of Saint Luke's. He was recently recognized as one of the top 100 CIOs in the US by Computerworld publications.
Prior to joining Saint Luke's, Wade was a principal and national healthcare practice director with the consulting firm of Logica North America, headquartered in Waltham, Mass.

"As the Board Chair, I'm excited that HIMSS has a leadership team in place that will continue to advance health IT and support the Society's role as the leading source of HIT information in this country," said Wade, a member of HIMSS since 1993.

Wade noted that as he begins his term, HIMSS faces the dual challenge/opportunity of becoming an international organization while continuing to provide leadership for the use of health IT during this crucial time period in the United States.

"With only 67.1 percent of US-based hospitals reporting that they have implemented an EMR, while reporting even lower levels of needed automation in key patient support, there continues to be significant work for HIMSS and its membership," Wade explained. "Whether it's advocating the benefits of health IT to our federal and state elected officials, educating this nation's caregivers and citizens on why health IT is important, or supporting the Society's professionals who support patient care, HIMSS has both an opportunity and obligation to fulfill its objective of being the primary source of HIT information in this country."

Vice Chair
Dr. Bradley is the director of patient information at the University of Kentucky (UK). UK HealthCare facilities include UK Chandler Hospital, Kentucky Children's Hospital, UK HealthCare East, Kentucky Clinic, Kentucky Clinic North, Kentucky Clinic South, 80 specialized clinics, 143 outreach programs, and a team of 6,000 physicians, nurses, pharmacists and health care workers all dedicated to patient health. Dr. Bradley serves as the project director for implementing an enterprise-wide integrated clinical information system and is responsible for the hospital health information management department.

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