Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the 2010 International MUSE Conference which was held June 1-4 in Dallas. So, I was very curious to hear what those who did attend had to say. I polled several people for their feedback, and below are some of the comments I received (shared with their permission, of course). Thank you to all who contributed their thoughts!
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
Seeing how others are preparing for ARRA/Meaningful Use. Visiting the vendors and seeing how they are addressing Patient and Physician Portal solutions and preparing for Hi-Tech.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
Good. Having more panel discussion type events was very helpful. The AV room set up was great, not to mention the CyberCafe and the Presenter’s staging area.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
CIO Forum was excellent.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
I know that physical layout is different from site to site, but I really like it when we can have the Vendor Hall next to the general session area or where we all gather for meals. I was pressed for time, so sadly enough, didn’t have the luxury of participating for the entire week. If I had, I’m sure my impressions would have been more valuable.
- Max Mortensen, Sinai Health System
Overall Thoughts:
The most valuable presentation I saw was pertaining to tracking data on claims that pulled for a RAC Audit. It seems that several facilities have purchased software to track the data when it can easily be tracked within the UR section of the ABS module by utilizing a Customer Defined Screen. Kimberly Scaccia did an excellent presentation of this. I also thought the presentation on implementing ICD-10 codes was very helpful in letting customers know all of the changes that are yet to come and how to deal with them. I was baffled at how extensive these changes are going to be and how they're going to impact AR for both hospitals and private practices.
- Regina Davison, Murray-Calloway County Hospital
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
The conference was great for Array and probably others who had favorable booth space and thus realized high traffic; but I did speak with several vendors in the back who didn’t share my enthusiasm.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
As you are aware, the overall conference experience in recent years has been weak – attendance has been low and the number of conferences (Regional-like) has dropped from 8 to 2-3. With that as a backdrop, our expectations were also low, particularly after Vancouver, and we’ve had to adjust both expectations and goals.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
In the past, our goals have revolved around meetings with existing and prospective clients which would hopefully uncover sales opportunities. We’ve also traditionally held user group meetings/cocktail parties to re-enforce existing relationships. At this conference we were more oriented to learning about the new 6.0 world and identifying marketing opportunities for both Array. We also took advantage of a new opportunity to schedule/conduct product demos that would be advertised on the conference schedule. This session (on Wednesday afternoon) in turn drove people to our booth. We also did a fair amount of pre-conference promotion to both existing and prospective clients.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
So, in summary, with appropriate (and tempered) expectations, together with having a favorable booth location, an opportunity to demo our newest products, and a fair amount of pre-conference marketing, we walked away with far more sales opportunities than we expected. But the real value was in learning more about 6.0 and identifying (through the help of 6.0 users) a few opportunities for our StreamTask product.
- Ted Molloy, Array Software
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
Networking with peers and attending some useful presentations.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
I felt that the quality of the presentations was not what it could have been. A lot of generalities in some of the presentations and not a whole lot of the nuts and bolts of how to do things.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
Probably the most valuable one was on how drug names work in various modules. The rest that I attended did not present a whole lot of new information. I consider myself a pretty sophisticated user and a lot of the information was too basic. Also, at the pharmacy peer group meeting, there was not a whole lot of roundtable discussion, whereas in previous years there was.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
I feel that perhaps there should be a peer review process of all presentations far enough in advance of the conference to determine if they really warrant a time slot. I would say that at least half of the presentations that I attended were a waste of my time.
Overall Thoughts:
The MUSE conference just isn’t what it used to be. When MEDITECH stopped participating, I saw a definite decline. Plus, it is difficult to get members to do presentations. I bet half of the presentations were done by vendors, and some of those weren’t too good. I sure wouldn’t want those people as my consultants; I knew more than what a lot of them knew.
- ANONYMOUS
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
Networking.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
Having actual physicians as the presenters was a great success.. It was so beneficial to hear their input in regard to POM.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
Pharmacy Rules and Physician Summit.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
To have the users to post their conferences on the web sooner.
- Moshgan Jones, Nathan Littauer Hospital
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
Making contacts. Meeting clients face to face.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
I do not believe as good. The location was wonderful, of course. Board members not as visible or upbeat.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
I only attended one besides mine.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
Their online schedule was not easy to use or follow. It was like a last minute addition...odd.
- Debe Wroble, CSC
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
I learned from other facilities how they're operating with the Scanning and Archiving module. This was very beneficial to me, and to the organization as it let us know how we need to proceed going forward.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
I hadn't been to MUSE in quite a few years. A recent position change however made this conference again very beneficial to me. I always enjoy these conferences and come away with a wealth of information and contacts.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
The presentations on Scanning and Archiving were quite valuable, but I also attended an ABS presentation that proved to be more valuable than I had anticipated.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
If they aren't already doing so, maybe monitoring the L-List to find what the hottest topics are, and then finding users who are doing it well, to give presentations. Opening up for people to volunteer is wonderful, and should continue, but sometimes the needed information doesn't come across because the person isn't really a presenter. Sometimes people who can present well, don't volunteer. Maybe having the presenters video themselves giving 10 or 15 minutes of the presentation would help before determining who will present.
- Jeri Belcher, Sierra View District Hospital
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
We receive useful information on HITECH /ARRA and what MEDITECH is doing to help prepare for it. I also got some great ideas that will give us some additional methods for compliance. We also got some valuable information on BMV which we decided to bring online after we went facility-wide with PWM/PDOC (CPOE and Physician Documentation). We will be going live with BMV by the end of the year.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
I am unsure as this was my first International MUSE to participate in. However, based on the information, I will definitely look to go back and get more involved with MUSE.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
The CIO Executive Institute; Achieving Stage 7 with MEDITECH; Google Health; Bar Coding Medication Administration Difficulties and Successes.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
I would love to see something given to the attendees that shares other facilities that are: 1) in their same graphical region; 2) that meet #1 and are on the same platform as them; and 3) what modules each of those sites are using.
For Example: 1) All sites in Texas; 2) Sites in Texas with Client Server; 3) North Cypress utilizes POM, ITS, ADM, SCA, etc. A directory of such information would greatly help me when we are looking to reach out with some questions or engage a site about sharing experiences etc.
- Peter Miessner, North Cypress Medical Center
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
We were able to connect with some clients that we do not get to see on a regular basis.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
There appeared to be greater discussions and sharing of ideas surrounding meaningful use.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
Reduce the presentation time at lunch to allow for more discussions at the table.
- ANONYMOUS
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
This was ICA’s first MUSE conference and we were extremely impressed with the educational opportunities, the appreciative nature of the attendees towards the vendor sponsors, the traffic in our booth, and the interaction of the vendors on the floor. I have been in the HIT business for a long time, attended many conferences and I can say that this group of conference planners and attendees has to be the friendliest and most engaging group of people I’ve ever met at a conference. I also provided a class about clinical information system implementation success elements and the room was full, attention was paid and people stayed to the very end of the class even though we were the only thing standing between them and the reception. I was very impressed with the amount of marketing benefit we got for the dollar – right down to the logo napkins at breakfast and lunch.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
This was our first MUSE conference.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
As a vendor, breakfast and lunch were our best opportunities to hear and share ideas about HIT, changes in the marketing, innovations each participant was using in their own setting. The specific training events were not necessarily relevant to us as vendors – but the feedback I received from the attendees I talked to was that they were extremely valuable to each of them.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
I’d be hard pressed to recommend anything as a participant. The only recommendations I’ve made as a vendor sponsor was to have at least some exhibit time when there were no classes and to include at least a half-hour break on the exhibit floor during the day (they were some long days).
- John W. Tempesco, Informatics Corporation of America
