Communications Meeting 2011-02-15

Agenda:

• HIMSS demo announcement – Didi
• Ecosystem announcement – Rich
• Messages for key stakeholders – Michelle
• Specification and compliance announcement – Janet
• Patient Perspective - Rich/Brian

Notes:

• HIMSS demo announcement – Ivy
  • Cutbacks with staff/contractors due to budget. Scrambling to make sure kiosks/speaking events are covered. Nothing major to report in terms of demos. Also placement of demos announcements into HIMSS daily - any updates from Ivy/Didi would be great.
  • Ivy: Things are progressing nicely. 8 and 9 interviews with Arien/Doug Fridsma have already been scheduled. Direct will be central in terms of discussions within Interoperability Showcase. A number of reports will be coming within area. Some will talk to individuals at kiosks. Too early to see if coming to talk for additional comment. For media, Arien and Zhan have created data sheet about Direct. Will send to Rich to send to full group. Cannot be printed/handed out at stations.
  • All 8 kiosks in showcase will be included in one of two docent tours that start from interoperability showcase stage and walk through the area. 2 tours on Direct. Each tour will have 4 kiosks. Ivy sending out listing of how they're broken down. Tours of Direct to come through roughly every 2 hours.
    • Noam signed up to be a docent, but haven't heard any details on the schedule. 8 separate docents for 8 tours. Time commitment is approximately 15 mins, every two hours. If unable to serve as docent, let Ivy know ASAP. Ivy has asked HIMSS when first tour starts. Once she hears, she can populate the schedule. She will follow up with Sandy Vance to get the timing down. Will send the schedule out ASAP upon hearing.
  • Article placement regarding demos. Doug gave a preview interview to describe the Interoperability Showcase area. Likely to be in HIMSS Daily. Also sent 8 demo descriptions out to multiple reporters. Hoping they incorporate interviews and resulting stories.
    • Originally thought message should come from ONC, but probably a good thing for organizations to contact reporters directly. If message is coming from multiple fronts, it might be a strong impact/show there's more buzz about it.
  • Wondering if we should try and get "article" out to blogosphere?
    • HIMSS didn't take the demo description as a byline, instead did an interview. Rich will take latest version verbatim to go to blogosphere. Can't be Ivy from ONC, but perhaps Arien? Rich to follow up with Arien regarding byline.
  • Made request to include Direct in David Blumenthal as well as Farzad's keynote speeches. Doug will also talk about it. Should be a lot of buzz about Direct throughout event.
  • Zhan: Doug is also speaking at EHRA dinner and will bring up Direct. And Tuesday Arien will bring up Direct/S&I with EHR vendors.
• Ecosystem announcement – Rich
  • Realistically, ONC staff is swamped this week/next with HIMSS. Strategy with how ONC publicizes - compile all press releases and working to put together blog for the week after HIMSS - summary of commercialization strategy, why important, summary of all announcements the previous week, etc. May impact strategy during HIMSS.
• Messages for key stakeholders – Michelle
  • Began process a few months ago, and now messages for key stakeholders up as deliverables for consensus. Number of comments that came back that were integrated into new versions are embedded into the Feb 1 agenda. Key messages for vendor, physician, state/HIE communities. Idea was for slides to be used as necessary to compliment Direct Overview slides. Questions is - are these still needed? Or are they in condition now that they can be posted for consensus once again?
    • Noam: Think they're still useful (not extensive body of material), still serve a purpose - not irrelevant. Have gotten better and better each time. Finally in the right place.
    • Meryt: looks ok
    • Jon: We're trying to ramp up and integrate as quickly and how to participate. Good for us to review.
    • Amber: Have priorities of strengths/opportunities been changed? Or just looking at content? Reorder them with now/key items as first on the slide. Reorder
    • Karen: Slides are still relevant. One of areas of most relevant in physician community. Vendors/HIEs have better understanding of this than physician community does.
  • Comments have been supportive for communication as way of describing Direct for targeted stakeholder audiences.
    • To move forward, if specific points about missing points for enhancing. Then put out for comment. Perhaps further review with Direct Overview, but any specific comment helpful and put up for comment. Current comment round was dated end of September. Likely ready for consensus for approval.
    • Brett to send out to Rich for WG consensus.
• Specification and compliance announcement – Janet
  • Targeting for before next NHIN University (March 21). Arien presenting a standards committee review scheduled for next week in March. Draft of announcement making good progress. On way for having prepared and ready to go.
• Patient Perspective - Rich/Brian
  • For website, adding in a "what's it to me" for patients. Would make sense to develop something similar to what's presented to other stakeholder groups for patients. Good messages and opportunities for patients to take advantage of the benefits of Direct. Any feedback from group? Also recruiting volunteers to develop a brief summary from a patient perspective.
    • Jon: Max.MD supports.
    • Noam: almost nothing about Direct that patient has control to enable. Hesitant.
    • Patient at some point in time has to sign consent forms. Communication tool. Dependent on state requirements. Can send from one provider to another for treatment/payment unless more severe state law.
    • Pages for doctors, health systems, vendors, HIEs. Question is to create one for patients. All other stakeholder groups decide. Patient can decide all they want, but there's very little that they can do, have control of.
      • Why would that be? Dr or EHR is on the other end. If Microsoft is connecting - why can't patient talk too? System would have to accommodate and built into Direct it could.
    • Right track - have to describe.
    • Until offering in production, might want to hold off on this. If as a patient, reading what Direct can do, what can I REALLY do? Can't do much until someone enables the capability.
    • Patient goes to doctor's site, selects secure send opportunity, can send secure send message via Direct to physician.
    • Have to be clear about "what it's to me?" from patient perspective in terms of possibilities, still early days, not all worked out. Have to make sure stay grounded in terms of how we describe. Think that it's important to describe what the patient usage is.
    • Patient interaction would be ability to click on a link and push message to doctor securely. Proprietary example - yes. And describe as possibility, as well as to receive electronic health info into PHR, depending on what vendors support, using Direct as a transport.
    • Maybe that's the action. Make sure if you sign up with a PHR - does it support Direct, because it enables access to info they may not be able to get otherwise. Should ask whether PHR is sending/receiving securely.
  • Jon Meyer will help draft. Bruce and Jon will work to develop. Rich will get it out to group. Will not be meeting next week due to HIMSS, will try to do via email.
• Other Questions:
  • Bruce Schreiber - how do contact everyone? Google groups used occasionally - Brett to send new emails. To Rich - and he can disseminate to everyone.
  • Jon Meyer - wondering if key members and responsibilities can be posted. After HIMSS whatever work is done, one remaining item to close out Comm. WG will be event in March and how transition the website for future maintenance, but at that stage will have completed what work was planned for group.