Message for Members                                              

With 2007 rapidly drawing to a close, I would like to extend my best wishes to everyone in the Healthcare SIG for a happy and healthy holiday and New Year.

This past year has been marked by great accomplishments: among them are consistent free webinars, increased membership and member benefits, new web site enhancements, incredible volunteer efforts and a foundation prepared for an excellent 2008. I look forward to next year, a new focus and additional work to build on what was done by the board and volunteers in 2007.

I would also like to express my appreciation to two board members that have made a huge impact over the years and who are leaving the board at the end of December.

Adam Birnbaum, current past-president and president, four his four years of serives. Adam has given of his time, money, blood, sweat and tears for all of us. Without Adam and his hard work over the past several years, none of our accomplishments would have been possible. We hope he won't go too far after his reign ends December 31, because he not only contributed a great deal to the SIG, he is also a good friend to many of us.

Another person that has given so much to the board and membership is David Kumpf. He is a bit more quiet than the rest of the team, but is always working hard and available to help us out when needed. I can't imagine next year without him. Even though he won't be on the board, I know he will be around to give us input when we ask. And we will certainly ask! He has the best insight of anyone I know and looks at all sides of an issue, so it is always worth listening to him. He will be greatly missed.

In closing, I would like to express my personal thanks to the Healthcare SIG Board of Directors, both seasoned and new colleagues. I thank you for making my year as president a great and memorable one. Your care and concern for our members is always an inspiration. The SIG is nothing without its membership and you show it every day. You are always exhilarating, productive, and deeply satisfying to talk and work with.

As Healthcare SIG members, we should all take great pride in the work we do in the healthcare industry and the impact we are making with excellence in project management. Not everyone can do what we do and do it well!

Thank you for your support. I know you will do the same for your new president, Sue Houston, in 2008.

Michele Mills, PMP
Healthcare SIG President

Presenter: Kiron D. Bondale, PMP, MBA - Solution Q Inc.
Date: January 22 or January 23 · 2 PM EST
Cost: Free to Healthcare SIG members
PDUs: PMPs earn 1 PDU.

The Healthcare SIG and Solution Q have teamed-up to deliver a series of three webinars offered over the next few months. The next webinar offered in this series is IT Governance: How to Prioritize Projects When Each One is Critical.

During the project intake process all projects are considered critical, all others never get approved. So how do you decide which "critical" projects are most critical? These decisions are typically made politically, emotionally or without consistency. The impact being poor resource utilization, frustrated resources, projects not aligned with strategic objectives and higher risk with lower ROI.

This webinar demonstrates a Balanced Approach to prioritizing initiatives. Projects affect many aspects of your business; all factors should be considered when taking on a new project. Learn the prioritization secrets of successful companies using a Project Portfolio Management mentality. These secrets can decrease risk, return higher ROI, optimize resource utilization and allow you to reach the maximum aggregate value of your projects.

Register Online

Solution Q offers a variety of complimentary webinars focusing on Project Portfolio Management (PPM). Learn tips and tricks, best practices and strategies from experienced professionals in project management. View the list of January webinars>

Deck the Halls Without Climbing the Walls!

If you're like many people, the holidays tend to bring much more than "Fa la la la la." There's more to do in a short period of time - both at work and at home, and as your To-Do list grows, so does your stress level. There's good news! If you think about your skills as a Project Manager, you actually have a secret stress weapon in your own personal productivity holster. Project Management has the power to transform chaos into calm. Michelle LaBrosse of Cheetah Learning has
10 ways to make the holiday season more joyful and less stressful.

The Healthcare SIG has partnered with Cheetah Learning to publish select articles from their monthly Know How Network column written by Michelle LaBrosse, CEO Cheetah Learning. Download the articles from the Education web page.

Healthcare SIG to Co-Sponsor HIMSS®08

Orlando, Florida welcomes the 2008 Annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Conference & Exhibition. As the conference comes to Orlando, February 24 - 28, 2008, at the Orange County Convention Center, some 25,000 healthcare industry professionals and 900 exhibitors are expected to attend. The Healthcare SIG is proud to be a co-sponsor of this annual event which helps healthcare IT and management systems professionals make the right decisions about their upcoming purchases. At HIMSS08, attendees will learn more about leading-edge topics in healthcare IT and management systems with leading keynote speakers, more than 300 education sessions and innovative exhibits offering healthcare delivery solutions. Visit the HIMSS08 website for more information on the conference.

Healthcare Project Management Jobs

Senior Project Manager - California
Blue Shield of California (BSC) is seeking a Senior Project Manager to guide the development, implementation and ongoing support and refinement of a sales force automation system. This position may be located in San Francisco, Woodland Hills or El Segundo, California. This position reports directly to the Director of Sales Administration and will work very closely with the Sales Directors and General Managers of the Mid/Large group sector. This role is primarily complex project management and process transformation. The Senior Project Manager will drive high profile projects transforming processes in Mid/Large sales and operations.

To view the full job description, please visit blueshieldca.com/careers and look for job #5831. Please apply directly via the website. No phone calls or third parties.

Interested in posting a position?
If you would like to post a position description in HealthcareSpeaks, please email information to projects@pmihealthcare.org.

Industry News

FCC Launches Health Networks Initiative
The Federal Communications Commission has allocated $417 million to help build 69 statewide or regional broadband telehealth networks across 42 states and three U.S. territories. Learn more>

Just Published - Trends in Healthcare Financial Systems
Trends in Healthcare Financial Systems explores healthcare organizations' strategies to ensure quality care delivery while maximizing billing and reimbursement. Using survey information gathered from senior HIT executives, the report assesses the current state of financial and revenue cycle management systems among healthcare providers. It also considers how major trends, including consumer-directed healthcare and pay-for-performance programs, are affecting financial operations. Learn more>

Microsoft Acquires Hospital Solution from GCS
Microsoft is building out its medical practice, adding automated patient record keeping, billing, regulatory compliance and workflows for hospitals and clinics from Global Care Solutions. Learn more>

Washington Healthcare Update
The update summarizes regulatory and legislative matters and discusses the implications for the business of healthcare. Topics discussed in this issue include: Healthcare Lobbying Spending, FTC Approval to Physician-Hospital Network in New York, On Capitol Hill, FDA Advisory Committee Processes, and HHS/CMS Matters. Learn more>

The Future of Healthcare - Putting the Patient at the Center of Care
This paper aims to capture the opportunities in reducing resource pressure & challenges of implementation. Learn more>

Information Integrity - Improving and Protecting Data Quality, Access, and Value
This paper discusses the challenges associated with efforts to ensure information integrity. It also describes an approach to managing the information life cycle to improve the quality, and protect the value, of information. Learn more>