CollaborativeCARE Conference, HIMSS form alliance to lead healthcare information technology

CollaborativeCARE Conference (C3), the first healthcare conference designed to foster regional coordinated care by educating specialists, primary care physicians and patients, today announced an alliance with HIMSS that will provide customized access to health information technology at the inaugural C3 event in Long Beach, Calif., scheduled for Nov. 15-20, 2011.

Building on the vision of both organizations - C3's to enhance coordinated and team care and HIMSS' to lead healthcare transformation through the best use of health IT - the alliance broadens the existing planned CME curriculum by illustrating how information technology can improve patient outcomes and practice efficiencies.

HIMSS will offer a complete day of education at the C3 event that provides technology credits for physicians beyond the clinical CME they can receive. HIMSS will also oversee the healthcare technology pavilion with promotional theaters. These theaters provide additional educational opportunities on the exhibition floor and showcase the newest technology products and services designed to help physician practices operate more effectively and efficiently and allow for future growth.

"This collaboration marks an important milestone in our effort to deliver an integrated curriculum and helps support our mission of fostering team care leading to better patient outcomes," said C3 Cofounder John Mooney. "Given the synergies of our missions - C3 through collaboration and HIMSS through improving healthcare delivery with technology - we are thrilled to be working together to offer attendees cutting-edge clinical and health information technology education while broadening our exhibit floor to include health IT products and services."

The partnership comes as the industry observes a growing physician demand to successfully integrate health IT systems into their practices to improve coordinated care and prepare for the Meaningful Use and Certification Criteria and Standards regulations.

"Our collaboration with C3 introduces HIMSS to the physician audience on a regional level as we broaden our outreach to office-based specialty and primary care practices," said H. Stephen Lieber, CAE, President and CEO of HIMSS. "Through the educational platform of the C3 conference, we will be sharing beneficial information and health IT product solutions with physicians who will be attending."