Message for Members                                              

It was great to see many of you at the member meeting in Atlanta! I was impressed with every person I met. Those who attended were able to network with colleagues, discuss best practices and get ideas to help them in their own positions. As I walked around the room at the end of the meeting, I could hear a lot of useful information being passed on. What an impressive group of people! The PMI® North American Global Congress was also excellent. I had two people with me who had never attended and they had nothing but wonderful things to say about the event. Particularly, in comparison with other conferences they had attended--the PMI® North American Global Congress was much more beneficial. Everyone I talked with had remarkable take-aways from their sessions. Hopefully, those of you who couldn't attend the member meeting and congress this year will be able to next year!

As we move into the next couple of months, I'll be transitioning my role as president to Sue Houston. Ordinarily, I would be uneasy about passing the baton, but in this case I am confident you're in good hands. Sue has many talents, but the one I appreciate the most is her willingness to listen and keep all options open. Although she is structured and focused, she is never inflexible. As the months go on you will hear more about Sue, but I want to make certain you are comfortable with the transition. Please let one or both of us know if you have questions as we move forward.

As always, we are interested in your input. Please send me an email any time you have a question, concern or ideas. We have made many changes in the SIG this year, because of your survey responses and ongoing input. We want to continue making adjustments, as needed.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you as president.

Michele Mills, PMP
Healthcare SIG President

Project of the Year Award Presented to Alegent Health Systems

The Healthcare SIG Board once again selected Alegent Health Systems as the second annual winner of the 2007 Project of the Year Award. Alegent Health Systems was selected for the award based on being the first hospital system in the nation to achieve full chest pain center (CPC) accreditation. The award was presented to Myra Ricceri at the Annual Membership Meeting at the PMI® North American Global Congress.

The runner up for the award was Harris County Hospital District and Michael Bersin, based on a PACS implementation.

To be considered for this prestigious award, applicants had to submit a completed application that included a workplan, original charter or scope document, document/lessons learned (if applicable), a letter describing why the project deserved the award, and up to three other supporting documents. Only projects in the healthcare industry were eligible for consideration and the project manager had to be a member of the Healthcare SIG. Key evaluation criteria for the project were to meet or improve upon the original project management plan and to advance the image of the project management profession as demonstrated by effective application of the principles set forth in the PMBOK® Guide.

The Healthcare SIG seeks motivated members to help make a difference for nearly 2,500 healthcare project managers throughout the world. Consider running for one of our board-appointed positions.

Treasurer
The treasurer/director of finance shall oversee the management of funds for duly authorized purposes of the SIG, shall prepare the monthly account reconciliation report, annual budget, and shall present financial reports to the Board and an annual financial report to the membership. The term for this position is January 1, 2008 - December 31, 2009.

Director of Events
The director of events shall be responsible for managing the logistics and activities associated with conferences, the annual member meeting, regional education programs, etc. This person would be completing the second year of a two year term. Your term would be January 1, 2008 - December 31, 2008.

If you are interested or have questions, please contact Adam Birnbaum, past president, at pastpresident@pmihealthcare.org. If you wish to be considered, please submit your résumé.

Healthcare SIG and the Harrington Institute Partner to Offer Twelve Week Course: "Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare"

Last Chance to Register!

The HealthCare SIG and Harrington Institute, Inc. have partnered to bring to members "Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare." This course normally costs students over $12,000.00, but the Harrington Institute is providing this training at basic costs just for the Healthcare SIG! Conference call lectures are one hour each week over three months (12 Weeks) 26 October 2007 - 18 January 2008.

Drive operational excellence in your organization through in a real-time workshop, via on-line study, while obtaining 40 PDUs. Obtain certification as a Certified Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma Quality from the Harrington International Institute of Quality - recognized internationally - this is where many Quality Experts from around the globe obtain their Six Sigma Master Black Belts.

Capitalize on our international research group and certification board that for the past eight years has focused on "what does" and "what does not" actually work in Lean Six Sigma. This course enables contributors to infuse "the latest" Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques into their own job to realize immediate gains.

Download the brochure.

Register today!

Presenter: Kiron D. Bondale, PMP,
                 MBA - SolutionQ Inc.
Date: 15 November 2007 · 2 PM EST
Cost: Free to Healthcare SIG members
PDUs: PMPs earn 1 PDU.

The Healthcare SIG and SolutionQ have teamed-up to deliver a series of three webinars offered over the next few months. The second webinar offered in this series is Implementing a Project Portfolio Management Initiative: Where do you Start, Technology or Process?

There are many reasons for implementing Project Portfolio Management (PPM) in your organization, but how do you go about getting started? Should you begin with establishing process or implementing technology?

This webinar illustrates the pitfalls of either a pure process or a pure technology approach and provides you with a proven approach for successfully implementing Project Portfolio Management. There is an important balance between people, process and technology that needs to be established and you will be provided with a roadmap to achieve PPM success.

Register Online

Healthcare Project Management Job

Project Management Coordinator - PMO, Anchorage, AK
The project management coordinator performs a variety of PMO tasks to support the Alaska Medicare Management Information System PMO activities, enhancement project and operations activities and customer deliverables. This individual should be one with a desire to advance into project management.

Responsibilities include:

• Reconcile system changes planned to system changes executed and support the
  Chance Control process.
• Administer Project Portal for MS MMIS and folder management.
• Coordinates PMO work plan reviews.
• Coordinates PMO risk assessment reviews.
• Performs RFP, proposal and MS MMIS Document research as requested.
• Coordinates and schedules weekly project team and staff reviews and status meetings.
• Perform operational and systems process definition and documentation as requested.
• Ensures collection of all periodic project required documents (timesheets, work plan updates, etc.).
• Distributes project documentation to project team members.
• Supports the Alaska Project Quality Assurance Program in fulfilling all day-to-day job responsibilities.
• Supports the Alaska Project Management Methodology to ensure efficient on time delivery and high quality results.
• Supports the goals and objectives of the Alaska Medicaid Program and works within area of responsibility to ensure success.

For more details contact Gayle Mitchell at Gayle.Mitchell@acs-inc.com.

Healthcare Information Technology Principal Consultant - Eastern US

Excellent opportunity with a boutique consulting firm to make an impact in a small, but growing healthcare practice. You will have an opportunity to work with diverse clients from start-ups to major corporations. This is a true consulting leadership position requiring a mix of high-level client facing skills and Information Technology (IT) leadership skills.

• As a principal you will be the primary customer contact. You will be responsible for all client facing interactions including responses to RFPs and key presentations.
• You will also be expected to provide technical leadership to project managers, systems analysts and IT application developers.
• We are seeking candidates who have broad experience with the systems and applications utilized by healthcare organizations.

If you at least 3-5 years of IT consulting experience working in the healthcare arena, are open to 50% travel and are looking for a challenge, please contact Kevin Martin at kmartin@beyond-search.com.

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

HIMSS®08 Registration Now Open

Plans are already under way so mark your calendar to attend HIMSS08. Hotels will fill up quickly so prebook now and get the hotel of your choice. A payment is not required at this time - just a credit card to hold the room. The credit card will not be charged anything until two weeks before the meeting.

As a communications professional involved with health care information, you know how important it is to eliminate ambiguity from the documents you produce. You know that:

• Your readers will be less confused, better engaged, and more loyal,
• Your support and service people will be less burdened by “annoyance” calls and better able to tackle more substantial issues,
• Your partners will be more responsive and better performers, and
  Your organization in the end will be more nimble, more competitive, and more profitable.

If these issues are important to you, then come to the 2007 Healthcare Communications Forum: Connecting Clarity and the Bottom Line. The forum is dedicated to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the information that flows among payers, providers, and patients.

For more information, visit the forum web site.

Industry News

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Trends in Patient Safety Technologies
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