Siemens Healthcare Executives Recognized With New Industry Leadership Positions
April 17 2008 - 10:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Accelerating the Adoption of Healthcare Information Technology
through Industry Involvement MALVERN, Pa., April 17
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc.
(http://www.siemens.com/healthcare) today announced a series of
executive appointments to new roles and leadership positions in
numerous strategic healthcare industry organizations. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO ) Charlene
Underwood, M.B.A., director of government and industry affairs for
Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services, has been elected to
serve on The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
(HIMSS) board. HIMSS members provide global leadership for the
optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and
management systems to optimize healthcare outcomes. A nationally
recognized expert in the field of healthcare informatics, Underwood
will use the breadth of her experience working collaboratively in
diverse communities to develop and support HIMSS initiatives that
leverage the value of current IT investments as the industry adopts
emerging interoperability standards. This will be especially
critical because of the current governmental push to increase
access, improve quality and reduce the cost of care. "Siemens
remains dedicated to furthering the adoption of information
technology in the healthcare industry," said Janet Dillione, chief
executive officer, Health Services, Siemens Medical Solutions. "We
are especially proud of Charlene for her recent nomination and
election to the HIMSS Board by her industry peers and of all of our
executives who continue to devote themselves to working
collaboratively with organizations focused on improving the state
of healthcare." In addition to Charlene's election, many Siemens
executives have been appointed to various industry committees, work
groups and panels, including: Donald Bechtel, chief privacy
officer, Healthcare Data Exchange (HDX(R)), a service of Siemens
Medical Solutions, was re-elected to the Board of Directors of the
Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) to
represent ANSI-Accredited Standards Committee X12. Bechtel is
currently serving his second term as co-chairperson of the X12N
Health Care Task Group, which develops and maintains the financial
and administrative healthcare transactions used by the insurance
industry for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) and other purposes. Hans Buitendijk, M. Sc., senior product
manager, was named as a 2007 Health Level Seven (HL7) Volunteer of
the Year. The annual W. Edward Hammond, Ph.D. Volunteer of the Year
Award was established in 1997 and recognizes individuals who have
made significant contributions to HL7's success. Buitendijk was
also re-elected to the HL7 Board of Directors. HL7 is an accredited
Standards Developing Organization (SDO) that provides standards for
interoperability that improve care delivery, optimize workflow,
reduce ambiguity, and enhance knowledge transfer among all
stakeholders, including healthcare providers, government agencies,
the vendor community, fellow SDOs and patients. Michael Campana,
ambulatory marketing & business manager, was elected as
chairperson of the HIMSS Electronic Health Record Vendors
Association (EHRVA) Communications Work Group. The Work Group's
mandate is to position the association, its members and its
initiatives, as leading the healthcare information technology
industry in the adoption of electronic health records. Campana will
also continue to oversee the relationship and collaboration with
the HIMSS marketing and public relations teams and direct all
external marketing, public relations and promotional outreach
efforts of the EHRVA. Joe D'Antonio, M.Eng., M.B.A., a senior
manager for Soarian(R) HIM product development, and Denise Dunyak,
M.S., R.H.I.A., marketing manager for Soarian HIM and EDM
solutions, were both named members of the American Health
Information Management Association's (AHIMA) Action Community for
e-HIM(R) Excellence (ACE). ACE is a community composed of HIM
professionals who are leading and influencing e-HIM(R) and making a
difference in the healthcare environment. ACE members will assist
AHIMA in advancing the HIM profession through leadership in
advocacy, education, certification, and lifelong learning.
D'Antonio was also elected Chair of AHIMA's, Foundation of Research
and Education (FORE) Board. FORE is the 501(c)(3) charitable
affiliate of AHIMA, providing the financial and intellectual
resources to support continuous innovation and advances in health
information management through research, education and public
awareness initiatives. Susan Matney, R.N., M.S., clinical
informatics, was appointed to the American Nurses Association's
Committee for Nursing Practice Information Infrastructure (CNPII),
which is a standing committee of the Congress on Nursing Practice
and Economics (CNPE). The committee develops and implements
strategic plans for managing and preserving nursing's information
legacy. Michele McGlynn, manager of government and industry
affairs, was selected for the eHealth Initiative Policy Steering
Committee (PSC). The PSC recommends eHI positions on key policies
from a multi-stakeholder perspective. Kathleen Ochal-Thompson,
revenue cycle product manager, was elected as the vendor
representative for the National Uniform Claims Committee (NUCC) on
behalf of HIMSS and the Association for Electronic Health Care
Transactions (AFEHCT). The NUCC is a voluntary organization that
was created to develop a standardized data set for use by the
non-institutional healthcare community to transmit claim and
encounter information to and from all third-party payers. It is
chaired by the American Medical Association (AMA), with the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a critical partner.
Henri "Rik" Primo, director of marketing and strategic
relationships for the Image and Knowledge Management (IKM) Division
of the Customer Solutions Group, was re-elected as chairman of the
Medical Imaging Informatics (MII) Section of the Medical Imaging
& Technology Alliance, a division of the National Electrical
Manufacturers Association (NEMA). This is his third consecutive
term as chairman of this section. MII leads and assists the
diagnostic imaging and therapy systems industry in defining
domestic and international policy, regulations, legislation,
standardization and guidance on all equipment, software
applications components and accessories used in medical imaging
informatics. As the chairman of the MII Section, Primo also serves
on the Board of Directors of the NEMA Medical Imaging &
Technology Alliance. About Siemens Healthcare Siemens Healthcare is
one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry.
The company is a renowned medical solutions provider with core
competence and innovative strength in diagnostic and therapeutic
technologies as well as in knowledge engineering, including
information technology and system integration. With its laboratory
diagnostics acquisitions, Siemens Healthcare is the first fully
integrated diagnostics company, bringing together imaging and lab
diagnostics, therapy, and healthcare information technology
solutions, supplemented by consulting and support services. Siemens
Healthcare delivers solutions across the entire continuum of care -
from prevention and early detection, to diagnosis, therapy and
care. The company employs more than 49,000 people worldwide and
operates in 130 countries. In the fiscal year 2007 (Sept. 30),
Siemens Healthcare reported sales of euro 9.85 billion, orders of
euro 10.27 billion, and group profit of euro 1.32 billion. Further
information can be found by visiting
http://www.siemens.com/healthcare .
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGODATASOURCE:
Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc. CONTACT: Thomas Schaffner,
+1-610-448-1477, , for Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc. Web site:
http://www.siemens.com/healthcare
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