The South Florida Chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (SFLHIMSS) was organized to promote the professional development of members, to improve the reputation of the profession and to encourage advancement in the field of health care management systems. Our objectives are to promote the sharing of ideas and experiences, work on joint projects at the local level and to provide a forum for meeting and networking among local professionals in the field of healthcare computing and telecommunications.
The SFHIMSS chapter was first organized in 1988 and has grown both in sophistication and membership. The chapter started with a dozen members and can now boast that is has a roster of 380 members. Meetings are generally held four times per year. The Board of Directors is elected by the membership and meets officially before each of the general meetings. The geographic area outlined in the by-laws of the SFHIMSS chapter includes Broward, Dade, Collier, Hendry, Lee, Martin, Monroe, Palm Beach Counties, Latin America, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. National HIMSS members not in these counties have the option to choose the SFHIMSS chapter as there local chapter. Annually the South Florida Chapter hosts a statewide meeting for the Florida HIMSS members. A special event is being planned by the Chapter for 2008 that will coincide with the National HIMSS meeting taking place in Orlando from February 24-28, 2008. The Chapter will host a meeting for all of the Latin American members of HIMSS. “Geography is an ongoing challenge for us”, stated Ari Entin President of the South Florida Chapter. “The National meeting provides us with the opportunity to bring all of our members together in one place. We anticipate our members will capitalize on this.” The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the healthcare industry’s membership organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., Brussels, and other locations across the United States and Europe, HIMSS represents more than 20,000 individual members and over 300 corporate members that collectively represent organizations employing millions of people. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to ensuring quality patient care. Visit www.himss.org for more information.
