Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
Abbreviation	HIMSS
Formation	1961
Legal status	NPO
Headquarters	Chicago, IL
Membership	50,000+ individual members, 570+ corporate members, 225 not-for-profit associations members
Chair	Scott MacLean, MBA, CPHIMS, FHIMSS
Website	http://www.himss.org/

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality, safety, cost-effectiveness, and access, through the best use of information technology and management systems. Originally founded in 1961 as the Hospital Management Systems Society, it is now headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The society includes more than 50,000 individual members, over 570 corporate members, and more than 225 not-for-profit organizations. HIMSS is a US 501(c)6 organization.

History

HIMSS was organized in 1961 as the Hospital Management Systems Society (HMSS), an independent, unincorporated, nonprofit association of individuals. The society was co-founded by Edward J. Gerner and Harold E. Smalley. In late 1961, the constitution of the HIMSS was drafted and approved, and in 1962, the first national convention was held in Baltimore. In 1963, the second national HIMSS convention was held in Chicago, and the following year the HIMSS national headquarters were moved there. In 1967, the Bylaws, Rules and Regulations of HIMSS were written and approved. By 1982, HIMSS had 15 affiliated chapters (14 in the US and 1 in Australia). In 1986, the HIMSS was renamed to include "Information" in the title. By 1996, membership had grown to 7,500. ^[1] As of April, 2014, HIMSS has more than 52,000 individual members. ^[2] Its annual conference was attended by more than 38,000 in Orlando, Florida. ^[3]

HIMSS Governance

Elected by the membership, the HIMSS Board of Directors serve a three-year term. H. Stephen Lieber was named president and CEO in 2000. ^[4]

Industry Collaboration

Along with the Radiological Society of North America, HIMSS is a sponsor of the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) initiative. HIMSS is also home to the Electronic Health Records Association. Supported by both the American Medical Informatics Association and HIMSS, the Alliance for Nursing Informatics represents more than 2,000 nurses and brings together 18 distinct nursing informatics groups that function independently. With 76 partnering organizations, HIMSS sponsors National Health IT Week, a collaborative forum during which key healthcare constituents - vendors, provider organizations, payors, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, governmental agencies, industry/professional associations, research foundations, and consumer protection groups - work together to elevate national attention to the necessity of greater health IT (information technology) adoption.