Health Tech Net’s monthly meeting started with general reports from its members. First, the Network heard from its various sub-committees. The Website Committee and Open Source Task Force have made significant progress in their respective groups. Jim Conley, Chair of the Website Committee, announced the committee’s goal of providing support to the network through the website. He also announced new features on the website such as a “knowledge library,” and weekly-updated BNA articles. Roger Maduro of the Open Source Task Force cited some European Linux success stories. The Network continues to encourage members to participate within the subcommittees to address specific issues. David Main recently distributed a listing of these subcommittees. If you are interested in a particular subcommittee you are encouraged to contact him.
Terry Tumme announced the re-launching of Business Technology Insider Radio. The on-line radio program will develop a series of 20-30 high-impact, high-value seminars on various topics, including sales and marketing. It can be found athttp://www.btiradio.com.
The Honorable Dick Schweiker, former Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provided an update on recent Capitol Hill activity surrounding Medicare Reform. He was able to provide these insights via direct contact with the Hill. The House has passed its version of the bill, but it is significantly different than the version first introduced by the Senate. It is unclear whether the House and Senate will be able to reach a compromise in conference.
Anne Flam of Shaw Pittman LLP updated the Network about HIPAA security rule requirements. An electronic copy of the “HIPAA Security Requirements Update” is available below. Ms. Flam also updated the Network on the recent meeting of the President’s Council on Bioethics. A transcript of this meeting and related documents can be found at http://www.bioethics.gov.
David Main of Shaw Pittman LLP gave some tips on company presentations to venture capitals in a presentation entitled “10 Worst Mistakes in Company Presentations” and “Top 5 Ways to Impress Funding Sources.”
Dr. John Green of SRA International demonstrated the use of technology in bioinformatics through his presentation on the “mAdb” database and microarray research. The mAdb database is able to tackle some of the technical challenges of using microarray data. For instance, microarray data is not suited for Excel, requires access to external databases, requires collaboration and security. With mAdb, the system is able to receive electronic output of microarray experiments and the information is accessible world-wide. mAdb's mission is to reduce researcher's frustrations associated with using microarray data on desktops and to balance scientific information with IT skills.