The Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems is a 2000 member organization dedicated to the integration of information technology into the practice of medicine for the improvement of the safety and quality of the care of our patients.
Our organization is differentiated from other medical informatics organizations in that we are composed of individuals with not only the responsibility for successfully introducing and demonstrating the value of information technology in medicine, but who have actually accomplished those goals. It is because of this applied aspect of AMDIS that the Obama administration's agenda for accomplishing the introduction of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) throughout America is of such intense interest and we strongly support this effort. An early aspect of this agenda has been the stimulus of $20 billion dollars to acquire and implement EHRs throughout the United States AND to apply those dollars where "meaningful use" of EHRs is demonstrated. Therefore, at this very early stage of the introduction of the HIT stimulus package, the definition of "meaningful use" has both captured the attention and imagination of the US medical informatics community in a way that is entirely unprecedented.
For AMDIS, the definition of "meaningful use" holds the promise of either incentivizing our common vision of the improvement in the safety and quality of the care delivered to each and every American, or could be squandered in simply providing enhanced administrative control over clinical decision making. We are dedicated to the former and the communication to not only our medical colleagues but our patients and the general public of what, in fact is at stake. We believe and as a result of our experience, KNOW that this time can define a new golden era of medicine in this country. This website will act as a forum for communication between AMDIS, our medical colleagues as well as the general American public in the belief that by sharing our experience and passion for the vision of a better American healthcare system we can benefit our patients, our children and ourselves. Please join us in this vital dialog.
William F. Bria MD
CMIO, Shriners Hospitals for Children
AMDIS Board President