Dr Homer R. Warner is one of the fathers of medical informatics.[1]
He has pioneered many aspects of computer applications to medicine. Author of the book, Computer-Assisted Medical Decision-Making, published in 1979, he served as CIO for the University’s Health Sciences Center, as president of the American College of Medical Informatics (where an award has been created in his honor), and was actively involved with the National Institutes of Health.[1]
Warner received his Bachelor’s and Medical Degree from the University of Utah and his PhD in Physiology from the University of Minnesota.
Contents |
Beginning in the mid-1950s, Dr. Warner began his work using computers for decision support in cardiology at Intermountain Healthcare LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City. His ground-breaking work set the stage for the growth of the new field of academic study called medical informatics. In the 1970s, Dr. Warner and his Intermountain colleagues created one of the nation’s first versions of an electronic medical record. Designed to assist clinicians in decision-making, Intermountain’s now famous HELP system has been operational for nearly 40 years.
Dr. Homer is emeritus chair of the University of Utah's Department of Medical Informatics. He was also a senior member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and president of the American College of Medical Informatics.
In 1964, Warner and his associates formally taught computer applications to medicine at the University of Utah in the Department of Biophysics and Bioengineering within the School of Engineering. In 1972, the department was split in two and Warner directed one of the splits: the Department of Medical Biophysics and Computing in the School of Medicine.[2]
The department is internationally recognized for its contributions to computer applications in clinical care, medical education and research. The mission of the department is to improve health care outcomes through information systems in both the private and public sectors of the health care industry.[2]
Much of the department's success is directly attributable to Warner's accomplishments. The department has produced the largest group of medical informatics professionals educated at any institution in the United States.[2]
He was first chair of the Department of Medical Informatics. University of Utah was the first medical school in the U.S. to formally organize a degree in medical informatics.[1]
Warner served as director of the cardiovascular laboratory at LDS Hospital from 1954 to 1970 and was honored as Physician of the Year in 1985.
In 1988, he was elected to senior membership in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. New members are chosen for major contributions to health and medicine as well as from related fields.
For over 25 years, Dr. Warner has served almost continuously on research review groups for the National Institutes of Health, the National Center for Health Services Research and the National Library of Medicine.
Intermountain Healthcare officially opened a new center to support its clinical information systems on February 16, 2011 on the campus of Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City. Named after Dr. Warner, the Homer Warner Center for Informatics Research honors one of the industry’s recognized fathers of clinical computer systems.
Advanced information systems help caregivers improve medical delivery and outcomes. For example, these systems automate routine functions, facilitate communication among caregivers, support decision-making processes, and allow statistical analysis to help improve care processes and implement best medical practices.
Intermountain has been an industry leader in using computers in the practice of medicine for several decades. Thanks to the hard work and vision of Dr. Homer Warner and his colleagues, Intermountain has an outstanding legacy on which to build all of its future information systems. Beginning in the mid-1950s, Dr. Warner began his work using computers for decision support in cardiology at Intermountain's LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City. In the 1970s, Dr. Warner and his Intermountain colleagues created one of the nation’s first versions of an electronic medical record. Designed to assist clinicians in decision-making, Intermountain’s now famous HELP system has been operational for nearly 40 years.
The award was created by the Object Management Group (OMG), self described as "an international, open membership, not-for-profit computer industry consortium".[4][5]
It includes a $1000 prize, and is presented each year at the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA). It is named for Warner. It is awarded for the paper that best describes approaches to improving computerized information acquisition, knowledge data acquisition and management, and experimental results documenting the value of theses approaches.[6]
Some relevant books listed at Oregon Health & Science University (OSHU) library:
Papers published at Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association [1]
To illustrate his contribution to informatics applied to medicine, on the patent called "Rules-based patient care system for use in healthcare locations" issued on January 1, 2008, the references list includes seven works where he has collaborated.[11]