The New York Medical Imaging Informatics Symposium (NYMIIS) returns to New York City on September 18, offering attendees a chance to learn about the latest technology and best practices in imaging information systems.

Topics will run the gamut from regulatory concerns to implementing clinical decision support and leveraging Big Data.

David Hirschorn, MD, Director of Radiology Informatics at Staten Island University Hospital and Director of NYMIIS, told Health Imaging that his presentation will focus on the federal government’s approach to regulating health IT, from the recent past through the major changes soon to be coming down the pike.

“Up until now it has largely been the purview of just the FDA, but now there is a new joint initiative between the FDA, the ONC and the FCC to better ensure safety and efficacy without stifling innovation,” said Hirschorn.

A general update on Meaningful Use (MU) will be provided by Alberto Goldszal, MBA, PhD, Chief Information Officer at New Jersey’s University Radiology Group, but Goldszal said he also wants to focus on how MU measures are promoting better practice and not simply a means to get incentive payments from the government.

For example, the Stage 2 requirement that 5 percent of patients view, download and transmit their health information has spurred the proliferation of patient portals, which are powerful tools for patient engagement. “The portal gives [patients] the ability to manage their own medical records, after all the data belongs to them,” said Goldszal.

Goldszal will also present case studies of organizations implementing patient portals, including some that go beyond simply distributing the imaging report. “We’re also going to show that we can do one better and also embed images with the results, something we didn’t have the ability to do before and now is becoming more and more commonplace.”

Other topics include:

Clinical decision support – A talk from Kathy Andriole, PhD, Assistant Medical Director, Imaging IT, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, will delve into how data-driven information systems can streamline workflow, but also increase value by helping physicians decide which exam to order and how it should be performed.

Image sharing - David Mendelson, MD, FACR, Director of Radiology Information Systems at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, will be at NYMIIS to outline the current state of image sharing technology and the barriers that must still be overcome.

Big Data – We are just scratching the surface of how to use the vast amount of data being generated each day, and Eliot Siegel, MD, FSIIM, Chief of Imaging Services at the Baltimore VA Medical Center, will discuss the potential of Big Data.

Disaster management – Attendees will be able to learn about strategies for immediate disaster response and opportunities to improve processes from Michael Recht, MD, Chair of the Department of Radiology at NYU Langone Medical Center, whose organization stood up to Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

NYMIIS is held at the New York Marriott Marquis near Times Square in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.nymiis.com.