Notes from the HL7 WGM in Phoenix

It is quite hard to imagine what activities take place at a WGM if you've never been there. A full week of meetings: a mixture of hard work in committees, networking events (i.e. party time), cookie breaks in the afternoon, sitting in the hotel pool, and tutorials. If you wanted to you could spent the entire week (from dusk to well after dawn) in meetings. Kai heitmann, one of the board members, suggested that soon we'd be having meetings that start at 05:30 - which was a joke, although most European participants would probably not find that time problematic given their jetlag.

If you've never been to a WGM (or: if you were at the Phoenix WGM) the following video shows some of its highlights:

This WGM I presented two tutorials and took part in meetings of 8 different groups. One visit was a very short one: the topic under discussion differed from the one expected so I left within a couple of minutes. The most notable events were:

• The Java SIG met on monday, where after some discussion a motion was passed to change the name to "RIM Application Architecture" (acronym: RIMBAA). Its current scope will be broadened and hopefully the paperwork can be finalized by thye next WGM in Vancouver. I've written before about RIM based application architecures. We need to promote the message that the RIM is much more than just a model for the exchange of data: it can be (and is) used as a database model, as a model for application (business level) objects, or as the starting point for the generation of user interfaces.
• The Marketing Council is working on a set of standardized presentations that provide a brief intruction into either HL7 (as a whole) or one of its standards. The discussion around their contents again showed me how difficult it is to create presentations that are truly of a global nature. All of us are most familiar with that which happens in our own context; only by combining the views of people with different backgrounds can one succeed in the creation of truly international presentations.
• The HL7 E-learning course currently covers both HL7 version 2 as well as HL7 version 3. The e-learning course is currently being piloted with 92 participants from 6 different countries accross the globe. On average the trainees spent 5 to 10 hours a week on this 10-week course .. that's a serious investment in terms of time and effort. The e-learning course will be repeated; the training may be split into a HL7 v2 and a HL7 v3 specific part. The initial version of this e-learning course was created by HL7 Argentina.

The next WGM is in Vancouver (Canada). It will be interesting to see if the number of US participants will be lower than that of meetings in the US, given that some employers won't give permission if a meetings takes place outside of the US - even if as in this case the meeting is just a short trip from the US border. However: the number of Canadians will probably be higher; also because of their use of HL7 v3.

WGMs are never boring - and my to-do list aways seems to increase in size in a significant way at a WGM.

-Rene

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Index of columns:

• Reflections on the HL7 membership model - the affiliate life cycle (Dec 28, 2011)
• Thinking like an OWL reasoner (Sep 17, 2011)
• RFH (Resources for Health): HL7 version 3 taken to the next step (Aug 18, 2011)
• What's so great about the HL7 organization? (Aug 04, 2011)
• Kerndossier: een Nederlandse versie van CCD (Dutch, May 03, 2011)
• A HL7 RIMBAA update (Apr 21, 2011)
• Timezone Hotel (Mar 29, 2011)
• HL7 and openEHR are cooperating (finally) (Jan 21, 2011)
• Increasing demand for IHE training courses (Dec 18, 2010)
• Context issues with the IHE QED profile (Dec 15, 2010)
• The changing role of HL7 country organizations (Jul 16, 2010)
• Implementing HL7 version 3 - the book (May 06, 2010)
• Adding openness to a closed world (Feb 09, 2010)
• How to lower the hurdle for HL7 v3 implementers (Jan 21, 2010)
• HL7 v3 deployment statistics (Dec 17, 2009)
• There's Trouble in Paradigm (Sep 25, 2009)
• Internationalization of HL7 (Sep 24, 2009)
• HL7 UK signs deal with Ringholm to deliver HL7 v2/v3 training courses in London (Sep 17, 2009)
• The use of HL7 in South Africa (Aug 20, 2009)
• The Next Web Conference in Amsterdam (Apr 17, 2009)
• The HL7 UK AGM and RIMBAA (Apr 16, 2009)
• The HL7 Wiki reaches 2000 pages (Mar 02, 2009)
• The HL7 roadmap for CDA R3 and the CCD (Jan 17, 2009)
• HL7 Affiliates Meeting in Orlando (Jan 11, 2009)
• Swiss and Dutch HL7 News (Dec 31, 2008)
• Devices and Prizes (Nov 22, 2008)
• HL7 in Norway: a situation report (Sep 02, 2008)
• Russian whitepaper (Jul 09, 2008)
• The HL7 Interoperability Conference - IHIC 2008 (May 30, 2008)
• HL7 creates a RIM Based Application Architecture (RIMBAA) group (May 18, 2008)
• Notes from the HL7 WGM in Phoenix (May 08, 2008)
• Germany embraces CDA eReferral document specification (May 02, 2008)
• HL7 v3 RIM based applications: an unintended side effect (Jan 19, 2008)
• Collaborative Tools (Jun 21, 2007)
• HL7 ist Pflicht in der deutschen Telematikinfrastruktur (German, Mar 16, 2007)
• HL7 based Tree inventory system (Jan 30, 2007)
• The link between HL7 and Open Source Software (Jan 06, 2007)
• Workflow Bribery (Sep 15, 2006)
• Timezones in HL7 (Jan 23, 2004)
• Controlled vocabularies: "@*%!!!" ? (Sep 01, 2003)
• Trusting the other Party (Nov 01, 2002)

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