SIIM

The Value of Hackathons in Healthcare

dondennison Healthcare IT , , , , , ,

Having participated in the inaugural SIIM 2014 Hackathon, I can appreciate the diverse expectations that participants have. Some think of these events as a way to learn and experiment, others a competition. Some prefer to work as a team, others alone. Some are interested in integrating existing systems and data in new ways, while others want to invent something completely new.

In any case, I found this article insightful. It explores why the concept of “hacking” is so prevalent in healthcare, and also touches on why new “apps” often struggle to make it past the hackathon stage. It even posits that a hackathon can replace the traditional RFP procurement process for identifying and selecting innovative solutions.

Article – SIIM Hackathon gives DICOMweb a coming-out party

dondennison Healthcare IT , , , , , , , , , , ,

Check out this article in Radiology Business Journal on the recently concluded Hackathon at the SIIM 2014 Annual Meeting in Long Beach, California.

Here are my other observations on SIIM 2014, in case you missed it.

SIIM 2014 Reflections

dondennison Healthcare IT , , , , , , ,

Another SIIM Annual Meeting is in the books. As usual, it was a great event with tons of great information, discussions and networking.

Some observations…

  • There are some very bright folks working in clinical informatics that us imaging informatics folks should be collaborating with. They have cool stuff, we have cool stuff. We need to build bridges and keep each other informed.
  • Enterprise Imaging is slowly catching on. We need more details documented, such as exactly what values we should be putting into which attributes/fields for specific image types, but the overall message of the need for clear and consistent metadata along with the images is finally taking hold.
  • The vendors I spoke to were happy (happier than usual). It is no secret that SIIM is more about education, learning, networking and relationship building than high volume lead generation. It attracts thought leaders and people tasked with knowing how to get things done. Its members are loyal and have long careers in imaging informatics. Still, vendors that I visited seemed happy with the attendees that came through their booths. One emerging vendor closed a new customer on the exhibit hall floor (a first for them).
  • Hackathons are fun and a great way to learn about new technology. The SIIM Hackathon was a ton of work to pull off, but worth every minute. When you give smart creative people effective new tools, they can do amazing things in a short period of time. Seeing the applications and intgrations that the Hackathon participants completed in a few days (hours, in some cases) was great.
  • Twitter is not only a fun to interact with friends during the meeting, but also a great way to get key points of learning (in near real-time) for sessions that you could not attend. Twitter and climbing the SIIM Twitter Leaderboard ladder is also at the level of an addiction for some (you know who you are).
  • Long Beach is a great little place for a meeting.
  • SIIM meetings are very well run. The sessions rarely experience any technical issues. Speakers are well prepared. The agenda is clear and finding the rooms are easy. Sometimes we only notice when things go wrong, but fail to notice when they go right. SIIM staff has this ‘running a meeting’ thing down to a science.

That’s it for now. Already looking forward to SIIM 2015 in Washington D.C.

Going back to Cali (Long Beach, that is)

dondennison Healthcare IT , , , ,

About to board a jetplane to the SIIM 2014 Annual Meeting in Long Beach California. Very much looking forward to seeing friends and colleagues, as well as learning lots and recharging with some great new ideas. A lot has changed in our industry since last year, so it will be an exciting meeting.

And I hope to get some sun while I am there. 🙂

Article – The time is now for deconstructed PACS

dondennison Healthcare IT , , , , , , , , , ,

Here is another article (on Aunt Minnie; you likely need an account to access, but it’s free) predicting the deconstruction of PACS (and workflow management systems, like RIS). This mirrors many of the same predictions made in the article titled PACS 2018: An Autopsy, published in JDI recently.

The author’s observations on the lack of recent innovation in PACS is likely attributable to the saturation of PACS in mature markets. Would you invest the same amount in R&D on PACS in today’s environment as you would before the PACS “gold rush” of the mid-2000’s? I touched on this in a blog post a year ago after attending the SIIM 2013 Annual Meeting.

The Gamification of Radiology

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Check out this article on gamification and clinicians.

In Radiology practices, obvious applications of gamification is using the inherent social pressure of it to improve report turnaround/signing times and peer review quota compliance. Or, even clinician satisfaction of the report.

It could also be used to provide reward/advantage to technologists that provide superior service to patients and acquire good quality imaging exams.

Participating in continuing education opportunities—say, like by attending the SIIM Annual Meeting—could also earn “points” toward rewards.

To work, it needs to be based on meaningful activities, include an aspect of social pressure and provide rewards that matter to the participants.

Article – Imaging and radiology paves the way for industry adoption of open source

dondennison Healthcare IT , , , , , ,

Check out this article by my friend, Gorkem Sevinc, on open source software in imaging informatics. Remember to check out the Open Source Plugfest and the Hackathon at SIIM 2014 in Long Beach California.

SIIM 2014 Hackathon – Registration Details

dondennison Healthcare IT , , , , , ,

I am co-chairing the first Hackathon at the SIIM 2014 Annual Meeting along with Chris Meenan. Check out participation details here.

If the initial interest expressed is any indication, it is going to be an awesome event. I hope that you can join us.

More Post-SIIM 2013 Annual Meeting Reflections

dondennison Healthcare IT , , , ,

For years, I have heard providers lament at the slowing (dormant?) pace of innovation in PACS and RIS from established vendors.

Why might this be happening?

It could be that the current architectures have reached their limits. It could be that, with the saturation of PACS in mature markets, vendors are reducing R&D investment in this area. It could be that they can’t sustain the talent needed to innovate, losing creative and skilled people to more interesting/promising areas of IT. It could be innovation-suppressing regulatory burdens. Or the shift of spending to support staff in order to sustain the now sprawling installed base.

Regardless of the root cause(s), I see the emergence of interest in start-ups (such as those in the SIIM Innovator Alley) and open source projects (as seen by the steady traffic at the SIIM Open Source Plug Fest) that attempt to solve problems that the larger vendors appear not to be interested in solving. It seems providers are starting to accept that they are not going to get everything they need from their incumbent PACS vendor in today’s EMR-enabled, Cloud-hosted, analytics-driven, enterprise-accessible market.

Of course, the challenge of the start-up is breaking into the provider’s enterprise where the incumbent vendor may put up some resistance (overtly or passively). And open source is only as good as the staff (or paid service provider) you have installing, integrating and supporting it.

The informatics skills and knowledge provided by SIIM are more important than ever. If SIIM is to continue to lead in providing its members the knowledge and skills they need to survive and succeed, it will likely have to adapt how it organizes the materials to align with new and evolving learning goals. It also needs to adapt the medium by which its members learn, providing focused, on-line options where travel policies and budgets mean attending the annual meeting is not feasible.

I believe in the SIIM strategic plan and am wholly committed to helping the society that has helped me so much over the years thrive.