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Sep 12
We gathered today @GreenHosp to honor the victims, families, and heroes of 9/11.
A view of the memorial taken in June 2008.
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Sep 12
WTC Memorial Hawk - June 2008
There are not many hawks, if any, that venture toward the center of town in Greenwich, CT. How appropriate that when one did, it perched upon the top of the 9/11 memorial located at Greenwich Hospital. The memorial, created by artisan Silas Seandel, sits at the south end of the hospital's Carl and Dorothy Bennett Community Garden.
Sep 11
This was the scene on 9/11 from the roof of @GreenHosp after the two WTC towers had fallen. Heartbreaking.
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Sep 11
On 9/11 10 years ago, a view of the NYC from the roof of Greenwich Hospital at about 9:38am.
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Mar 11
Thoughts on HIMSS10
Another Annual HIMSS Conference is in the bag and I am home in CT where it has been warmer than Atlanta. I still cannot beleive it was snowing in Atlanta and colder than it was here at home in CT. However theye did have some flowers in bloom. We are a few weeks away from that.
So, how was HIMSS? Due to commitments back at the office, I was not able to attend several of the educational sessions nor spend as much time as I normally do on the exhibit floor. The good news is that I was able to be in Atlanta, stayed next door at the Omni and attended what I believe were he highlights of the week.
So what impressed me?
· Attendance seemed to be quite high AND people actually invested the time to attend the sessions, fill some of the rooms and spend time with the vendors. This is not always the case when the weather is warm and the convention is competing with area attractions. The snow, cold temps and wind served us all and those we serve well.
· Not certain what the numbers show, but I found myself meeting far more clinicians than IT staff. My hope is this was the case and the convention is being more heavily attended by the people who are on the frontlines of patient care and not just the IT staff. It’s not about the wires and CPUs, it’s about improving patient care and outcomes.
· Speaking of “not just IT people”, I was quite fortunate to be joined this year by our COO, CFO, CMIO and a community MD who chairs our Medical Executive Committee. I was thrilled for them to hear and see everything first hand rather than relying on copies of presentations and vendor materials. How powerful for this level of our team to participate in person. They thoroughly enjoyed every minute and are home now singing the praises of HIMSS.
· This may sound sappy, but I also enjoyed the video presentations shown prior to the keynote sessions. Seeing the success stories presented on the projection screens by our peers demonstrates we can all meet the challenges we are faced with. I especially enjoyed the photo thrown on the screen of our Stage 6 recognition award ceremony with Dave Garets last year. That was a special day for all of my team and everyone at home who made it happen. It’s good to do some cheerleading and as you often hear me Tweet, “Rewards and Recognition” is integral to success. The job is tough enough and getting more difficult. Sharing and celebrating successes with peers is good for the sole.
· Although not always on time, I did make all three Meet the Bloggers sessions. Putting a face and voice to the avatars was a hoot. Cesar and the HIMSS Social Media team deserve kudos for bringing us together. From the highly energetic and relentless writer Anthony Guerra to one who is on the front line of patient care, ePatientDave. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the insights and opinions shared by the authors of knowledge assembled during these sessions. You can see by the videos and photos we certainly enjoyed the content and friendships.
· The keynote with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Harry Markopolos was exceptional. The insights shared and candid remarks mixed with some humor were quite the wake-up call for many. Everyone back at home would benefit from seeing a video of this session. The message needs to be heard by many more than the only the attendees at the conference. Not everyone is able to make the trip. For some reason I have found it difficult to get any sleep since J
· The conference closing keynote with Captain Chesley `Sully' Sullenberger III was by far the most valuable session I have attended at HIMSS since my first in the mid 80’s. His ability to demonstrate the parallels between the airline and healthcare industries had most everyone in the room hanging on every word. As he spoke I listened more as a patient than someone in IT and hope he continues to deliver a similar message to many, many more across the country.
As with the prior keynote, my hope is this event was captured on video and will be offered to share with everyone back at our organization and communities. I regret that we did not all break in to chants of “Sully, Sully, Sully, Sully…”
Thanks to HIMSS, CHIME, the attendees, the vendors, the speakers and Atlanta for an exceptional learning and networking experience.
Feb 22
Meaningful Mobility...
The 2010 HIMSS Conference is just one week away and CHIME 2010 CIO Forum is even sooner. Needless to say being on the road while trying to maintain communications with family and work can be challenging. It is not an option to place everything on hold while I traipse off to Atlanta.
Last week one of the HIMSS Social Media Gurus, Cesar Torres, asked what we might be taking along on the trip. While toiletries are important and having the proper attire, I will be adding one or more of the following to my trip.
While I love the iPhone, but I live on my Blackberry Tour…
…with a full keyboard which my fingers are used to. The bad news is the encryption combined with some of my rather chatty applications simply kill the standard battery. The standard battery never lasts the entire day. Even a new battery starts to age quickly after 5pm.
The solution, an extended life battery from Seidio. This has worked amazingly well for me. I not only get through an entire day without charging, I can get through two days or more.
While there I also invested in a couple of retractable cables. Less clutter in the carry-on is a good thing. No need for more spaghetti to tangle in the bags.
Must have apps on MY Blackberry include…
ZDNET Tech News for IT Professionals
And yes, I will be taking an iPhone too.
The applications and screen are too difficult to pass up, not to mention being able to listen to more than a few Podcasts on HITECH, ARRA mixed in with some Led Zeppelin and J. Geils. But here again, the battery life leaves much to be desired, especially when I will leave for the convention at 7am and not back to the hotel for 12 or more hours. The juice box I will be bringing is not from Minute Maid, it will be from Morphie .
The low profile battery\charger case should help to make it through the day.
You may opt for the Charger\stand\battery from Kensington. A little bulkier, but claims to “extend play time up to 23 hours music, up to 7 hours of video and up to 5 hours of talk time.” My voice will be history way before I run the battery down.
A few must have apps on the iPhone
Of course the heavier lifting cannot be done on these mobile devices. For remote access and viewing documents on a screen size where I will not go blind I will use my HP Mini.
The screen on this is just a tad larger than the BB and iPhone. Best of all, it won’t break my back like my first laptop.
Not to mention my first cell phone.
Add in a few more accessories to assist in connectivity and I should b e good to go.
Of course I want to capture at least some of the moments on the road. The hotel, the vendor exhibits and maybe a few view pics of Atlanta. For that I will rely on my newest addition, the Kodak Zi8.
I’m quite impressed with the video quality and the compact size. This competitor to t he Flip also takes some pretty decent stills. I am looking forward to documenting the journey and the events at CHIME and HIMSS. Who knows what or who will show up in my videos J
Eventfully all this has to be sowed in a carry-on. I’m not checking this in and chancing the bag end up on eBay. The choice for this trip is my modest Targus Port 3.1 Easy Roller. No it is not leather, no embroidery, no embellishments or fancy monograms. It’s simply a light weight rolling carryon that won’t break my back or the bank.
So there is my list Cesar. Not everything, but most of the road-warrior necessities. See you all soon in Atlanta. That is if the weather cooperates.
Feb 16
Surprise snow
So a week or so ago we were to get 12" to 18". We received maybe 6". This morning we were to get a dusting to 3" and that was to mix with rain. Well, when I woke up at 6am we already had 6" - 7".
The local roads were a mess with only a few near us plowed. But it sure was pretty :)
