HIMSS Files for IPO: A Global Leader in Healthcare Information and Management Systems

What Is HIMSS?

HIMSS (Health Information Management Systems Society), founded in 1961 and headquartered in Chicago, USA, is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare through information technology. It currently has more than 52,000 individual members, over 600 corporate members, and more than 250 for-profit partner organizations worldwide, with branches established in Europe and Asia.

HIMSS’s core business activities encompass three main areas: first, it establishes a communication platform for the healthcare information industry, providing a forum for dialogue among hospitals, enterprises, and government policymakers involved in health informatics; second, HIMSS conducts ratings of hospital information systems; and third, it issues professional certifications to healthcare IT practitioners. Recognizing that IT professionals often have limited understanding of clinicians’ needs, HIMSS provides comprehensive training materials and curricula, awarding certificates upon successful completion of its professional examinations.

HIMSS aims to promote the use of information technology to optimize healthcare processes, ensure the safety and quality of medical services and treatment, and enhance the effectiveness of healthcare institutions.

HIMSS Development History

In 1961, Edward J. Gerner and Harold E. Smalley co-founded HIMSS. Later that year, the organization’s bylaws were drafted and adopted. In 1962, the first national conference was held in Baltimore. In 1963, the second national HIMSS conference took place in Chicago. The following year, HIMSS relocated its headquarters to Chicago. By 1982, HIMSS had 15 affiliated chapters, with 14 in the United States and one in Australia. In 1986, HIMSS changed its name to include the word “Information.” As of April 2014, the organization had more than 52,000 individual members. The HIMSS Annual Conference was held in Chicago from April 12 to 16, 2015, and the next annual conference was scheduled to take place in Las Vegas from February 29 to March 4, 2016.

HIMSS Information Technology Maturity Model

The HIMSS evaluation focuses on electronic medical record (EMR) systems and comprises eight levels (Levels 0–7), which are:
Level 0: Local clinical workflow automation; pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology systems have not yet been established;
Level 1: Automation implemented in pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology systems;
Level 2: Clinical database established;
Level 3: Complete nursing documentation and Electronic Medication Administration Record (EMAR) systems;
Level 4: Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) is available to all healthcare professionals and integrated into nursing and clinical data repositories;
Level 5: A full suite of Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) completely replaces film-based imaging;
Level 6: At least one clinical ward has deployed complete medical documentation that includes structured templates;
Level 7: Achieve hospital-wide paperless operations, support information sharing with various healthcare-related institutions outside the hospital, and enable truly idealized electronic health records.
(Note: 1. Levels 0–6 may apply directly; Level 7 cannot apply directly and requires prior attainment of Level 6 before upgrading. 2. For levels 0–5, the review may be conducted either on-site or by phone; for levels 6–7, an on-site review is mandatory.)

Level 7 represents the most advanced electronic medical record (EMR) environment and the highest level of international healthcare informatization, with a rigorous validation process. As of the first quarter of 2014, a total of 5,449 hospitals in the United States participated in the evaluation; among them, only 3.1% achieved Level 7 certification, and 13.3% achieved Level 6 certification.

Current Status of HIMSS Development in China

HIMSS Greater China was established in early 2014, with its service scope covering mainland China, the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions, and the Taiwan region. Guided by HIMSS’s philosophy, it provides HIMSS EMRAM ratings, consulting, training and education, examination and certification, conference and exhibition activities, market research, and media services to healthcare institutions, specialized enterprises, organizations, and professionals within its jurisdiction. On May 23, 2014, at the “2014 Chinese Hospital Information Network Conference and Sino-US Hospital Informatics Forum,” Peking University People’s Hospital announced that it had achieved HIMSS Stage 7 certification. Jilan Liu, Executive Director of HIMSS Greater China, personally presented the certificate to President Shan Wang. Since then, Peking University People’s Hospital has become the second hospital in Asia and the first in mainland China to pass the HIMSS Stage 7 evaluation.

Currently, China has not yet established an evaluation system for digital hospitals. Although the informatization construction of domestic hospitals has achieved rapid development in recent years, the direction of development remains unclear, and the level of advancement is uneven. Particularly against the backdrop of deepening healthcare reform and the increasingly urgent need for regional medical integration, establishing a digital hospital evaluation system in China has become increasingly important. The experience and philosophy of the U.S. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) offer valuable reference and guidance for China’s development of digital hospitals. We must accelerate the development of laws, regulations, and security systems for healthcare information, including privacy protection, identity authentication, and network and data security. Furthermore, we should actively promote the construction of regional information platforms based on resident health records, hospital information systems based on electronic medical records (EMR), and resident health cards. By driving development through application, we will further advance the informatization of healthcare services.

By Liu Nan | Edited by Mo Renying

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