45th Annual ISM Conference kicks off
The 45th Annual ISM Conference, “HHS IT Sails at the Inner Harbor,” kicked off yesterday in Baltimore Md. Held by the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), the event is the nation’s premier human services information technology conference. It brings together federal, state and local government officials, as well as representatives from the private sector community, who are all heavily involved in implementation efforts surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
This year’s conference focuses on how stakeholders can work with new tools and visions for Health and Human Services (HHS). During the opening session, Tracey Wareing, executive director for ASPHA, emphasized that the agenda illustrates the journey and confidence in new innovations working. She also stressed how business reengineering remains the key way in which officials can carry out the mission of the country’s HHS programs.
The event consists of various breakout sessions under the following themes:
· New Service Delivery Models - Highlights how state and local agencies are leading the way
· Health Care Reform - Focuses on the recent Supreme Court ruling and best practices from early-innovator states
· Emerging Technologies - Covers cloud and legacy modernization in addition to non-traditional development methodologies
· Best Practices - Features real-world lessons learned that are geared to the challenges faced by both public and private sector officials
· Data Analytics - Emphasizes ways advanced data analytic capabilities and proven predictive modeling can be used to reveal patterns of behavior, and outcomes that were previously buried in mountains of data
One of today’s breakout sessions, “Accelerate IT Initiatives with Reusable Assets and Lessons Learned from HHS Visionaries,” was facilitated by Oracle. Carolyn Lawson, CIO of the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Department of Human Services; Angela S. Rouelle, CIO of Vermont Agency of Human Services; and Isidore Sobkowski, executive director of New York’s HHS-Connect, all provided updates on their state initiatives. The session was aimed at sharing challenges faced and the reasons behind their unique approaches in implementing health insurance exchanges. The three states are pioneers in exchange implementation -- Oregon being the furthest ahead in the game.
During the session’s question and answer period, an attendee referenced an “elephant in the room,” and asked what will happen to the insurance exchange initiative if a Republican is elected president come November. Representatives from Oregon and Vermont were very quick to respond with, “Nothing.” Both state officials agreed to still move forward with all initiatives surrounding the exchange.
Stay tuned for more ISM Conference blogs throughout the week!
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