Keystone Breakfast Speaker Series to feature interim dean, WMU School of Medicine

Dr. Jack Luderer, Western Michigan University’s interim dean of the WMU School of Medicine, will speak at the Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series Friday, Dec. 3.

Luderer’s talk, “WMU’s School of Medicine— Moving Forward,” begins at 8 a.m. in the Dean’s Conference Room in Schneider Hall, home of the Haworth College of Business. A continental breakfast starts the event at 7:30 a.m. which is free and open to the public.

Reservations are required and may be made by calling (269) 387-6059. Parking is available in the Fetzer Center parking lot adjacent to Schneider Hall.

Luderer came to WMU as the vice president of research in 2002. He remained in that position until 2005, when he was appointed executive director of the Biosciences Research and Commercialization Center at WMU until his current appointment in June of this year.

Luderer first came to Kalamazoo in 1984 to work for the Upjohn Co. He has served on the Managing Board of Directors of the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center and ProNai Therapeutics. He is also a chief medical officer for Meditrina, Inc., a startup pharmaceutical company. Luderer earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Miami University. He went on to earn a master's degree in organic chemistry at Miami and a medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School.

Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series
The Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series is underwritten through the generosity of Keystone Community Bank. The series provides an opportunity for members of the local community to hear top business leaders, WMU faculty, alumni and friends of the Haworth College of Business discuss current business issues and corporate strategies as well as key information regarding the continuing progress of the college.

WMU IT forum to focus on advancing health care

Information technology and health care professionals will explore ways that information technology can facilitate better health care through collaboration at the ninth annual WMU IT Forum from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, November 12, in the Fetzer Center on the main campus. This event is also the kickoff for the grand opening of the Center for Health Information Technology Advancement (CHITA) at WMU.

The event, which requires advance registration, will center on the theme “Advancing Health Care with IT: Exploring the Landscape for 2011” and will open with a continental breakfast.

Dr. Bernard Han, director of CHITA and professor in the Department of Business Information Systems, and Dr. Sharie Falan, associate director of CHITA and assistant professor in the Bronson School of Nursing, are co-chairing the event, hosted by the Department of Business Information Systems in the University’s Haworth College of Business.

“Health care is an urgent issue. Under the current collaborative environment, health information technology (HIT) can be used to enhance and improve business operations and the safety, reliability and quality of health care service delivery,” says Han.

Falan adds, “This event brings together leaders from diverse aspects of the health care delivery arena to cultivate opportunities for WMU faculty and students to conduct joint research and hands-on projects. Together, they are working to solve health care issues with the community at large.”

Three keynote speakers will address the forum. They are:
• Michelle Troseth, executive vice president and chief practice officer, Elsevier’s Clinical Practice Model Resource Center
• Doug Dietzman, executive director, Michigan Health Connect, a nonprofit health information exchange organization, based in Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Donna Roach, vice president, information technology and chief information officer, Bronson Healthcare Group

At 8:30 a.m., Troseth will kick off the morning session and will address “Achieving Healthcare Transformation by Advancing Practice and Technology.” Troseth became an Elsevier executive leader in 2001, when she joined its Clinical Practice Model Resource Center business unit. Among her experiences are the co-creation and use of an integrated clinical practice framework that strengthens practice at the point-of-care and improves the quality of work environments for leaders and practitioners across the United States and Canada. She also led an interdisciplinary point-of-care design process that developed the first computerized, evidence-based, advanced clinical documentation system.

Recognized as an authority in her field, Troseth has co-authored several works, including articles on Clinical Documentation and Intentionally Designed Automation. She is a highly-sought keynote speaker on the topic of professional practice and healthcare technology and has addressed crowds at regional, national and international conferences. She is an original member of the IHE Patient Care Coordination Domain and a founding leader of the National Technology Informatics Guiding Educational Reform Initiative, recently serving as its summit’s program chair.

At 9:20 a.m., Dietzman will discuss “Health Information Exchange – The Need and Challenges.” He has over 20 years of experience which includes information technology initiatives in hospitals/health systems, health plans and physician offices. Dietzman was previously responsible for Community Physician Services for Spectrum Health and the deployment of its results, laboratory ordering and radiology ordering clinical messaging platform to over 150 offices across western Michigan.

At 11:20 a.m., Roach will address “The Application of HIT into Clinical Practice – Issues and Opportunities.” Roach is responsible for the information technology at Bronson Healthcare System and its subsidiaries. This includes planning, implementing and supporting Bronson information, network and telecommunication systems. She has over 29 years of experience in the health care industry, with the last 25 years being focused on health care information technology. Prior to joining Bronson, she was the chief information officer/vice president of information services for Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Ill. Her experience has included positions at W.A. Foote Memorial Hospital, Adventist Health System, Resurrection Health Care, Central DuPage Hospital, Rush Medical Center and the Veterans Administration.

The forum will also feature student e-Firm projects presented by the Auto-Owners project team and two Bronson Hospital project teams, where the students will share solutions that address real-world business challenges identified by the firms.

According to Dr. Mike Tarn, professor and chair, Department of Business Information Systems, “This year’s conference will be especially meaningful, because the Great Lakes IT Education Leaders’ annual meeting will be embedded in the forum. We will welcome 25 IT education leaders, as well as their faculty, from 21 universities and colleges in the Great Lakes area.”

The afternoon program will begin with the announcement of CHITA, followed by a plenary session at 1:40 p.m. addressing “Emerging Technologies for Health Care.” At 2:40 p.m., two concurrent panel discussions will focus on "Emerging Issues in HIT" and “Internships and Job Outlook.”

For more information about the forum or to register online, visit www.wmich.edu/business/itforum. Registration will close on Nov. 8. For more details, please contact Bernard Han at wmu-chita@wmich.edu or (269) 387-5428.

Social media in business is subject of Keystone Speaker Series

Jason Kehrer, chief problem solver, at The Image Group, will discuss “Leveraging Social Media for Business” at the October Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series on Friday, Oct. 29.

The event is free and open to the public and begins with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. followed by the presentation at 8 a.m. Parking is available at the Fetzer Center (Lot #72F). Reservations are required and can be made by calling (269) 387-6059.

Kehrer serves as the chief problem solver at The Image Group, a Holland-based creative communications agency. He works with a variety of clients in the business, nonprofit and education industries to tell their stories, and has spoken to a variety of groups on topics related to social media tools and tactics, brand-building and technology trends, including a monthly series for the Holland Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to joining The Image Group team, he developed local ministry and neighborhood development programs in West Michigan, and helped launch a new non-profit organization serving the Sub-Saharan continent of Africa. Kehrer has lived abroad in South Africa and Australia, and now serves on the boards of several startup companies and local nonprofits.

A native of Chicago, Kehrer graduated from Hope College in 2003 and now resides in Holland, Mich.

The Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Series is underwritten through the generosity of Keystone Community Bank. The series provides an opportunity for the local community to hear prominent business leaders, WMU faculty, alumni and friends of the Haworth College of Business discuss current business issues and corporate strategies as well as key information regarding the continuing progress of the college.

Business Career Day set for Thursday, Oct.14

More than 100 businesses and organizations will be on the campus of Western Michigan University for Business Career Day, Thursday, October 14. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the East Ballroom of the Bernhard Center and is open to all students, alumni and the public.

Hosted by Alpha Kappa Psi and the Career Center, Haworth College of Business, Business Career Day is designed for students to network with employer representatives and to discuss internship and professional career opportunities.

Many employers will arrive on Wednesday, October 13 for the Food Marketing and ISM Career Nights, to deliver informative presentations and network with students at the Fetzer Center. In addition, some employers will conduct on-campus interviews on Friday, October 15 as well as in the weeks following Career Day.

"We are thankful for the commitment employers make to WMU by recruiting our talented students,” says Linda Ickes, director of the Career Center, Haworth College of Business. “In addition to attending Career Day, we want to recognize the premier partners of the Career Center for sponsoring the event.” The 2010-11 premier partners are Coyote Logistics, Daymon Worldwide, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Meijer, Target and Walmart.

Candidates are asked to dress professionally and bring copies of their resumes. Details including a list of participating employers, is available from WMU's Career Network website at http://www.wmich.edu/career/events/career_fairs.html
Students are invited to pick up a “Business Career Day Booklet” from the Career Center in Schneider Hall, home of the Haworth College of Business.

New center integrates information technology with health care

A new Center for Health Information Technology Advancement (CHITA) has been created through collaboration between the Bronson School of Nursing (BSON) in the College of Health and Human Services and the Department of Business Information Systems at the Haworth College of Business.

From left, Dr. Bernie Han, director of the new Center for Health Information Technology Advancement, and Dr. Sharie Falan, associate director.

“The overall focus of the Center is to facilitate better health care,” says Dr. Bernie Han, director of CHITA. “We want to provide solutions to today’s health care information technology needs. Through joint course projects under a collaborative learning environment, both BSON and Computer Information Systems (CIS) students will gain a better understanding of health care and use of information technology to improve business practices. As a result, they can offer ways to more effectively and efficiently organize and deploy information technology for better health care.”

“Health care is one of the leading challenges that we face as a nation,” says Dr. Kay Palan, dean of the Haworth College of Business. “New and emerging technologies continue to advance the nursing profession resulting in higher quality health care.”

One of the Center’s first initiatives will be to provide WMU students with real world hands-on experiences. “This fall, selected CIS undergraduates are working with BSON graduate students to study health care business workflow at Bronson Methodist Hospital,” says Dr. Sharie Falan, associate director of CHITA. “The students will examine various business processes and after thorough analyses they will develop recommendations for improvements. This project will allow us to build partnerships with Bronson, and we anticipate that projects such as this will be sponsored in the near future.”

“Other projects may involve researching software packages or identifying vendor products to successfully meet hospital needs,” says Falan. “We want to improve processes to bring out better outcomes, while providing real learning experiences for our students.”

The Center, currently operated out of designated offices in the Haworth College of Business and the College of Health and Human Services, will address state and federal priorities aimed at using technology to reform health care delivery. Faculty members will pursue external resources to support research initiatives that will support area hospitals, health care companies and communities.

“The concept for establishing the Center came about during last year’s WMU-IT forum,” said Han. “It was during this forum when student teams presented IT solutions, called e-Firm Project, to meet the needs of selected businesses. Following these presentations, one of the health care participants suggested that we use e-Firm projects in the health care industries for our students.”

“The more we investigated the idea, the more we realized the opportunity and potential for wide collaboration,” says Han. “This is an important initiative and we soon realized that the need was great enough to promote the establishment of a center.” A proposal was presented to the provost in the fall 2009, and CHITA was approved by the WMU Board of Trustees in April, 2010.

Drs. Han and Falan are currently working with CHITA’s Advisory Board in strategic planning, exploring sources of funding and developing a website. This coming year’s WMU-IT Forum, scheduled for November 12, will represent the kick-off of CHITA. The forum theme is Health Care Quality and Transformation. Details are available at http://www.wmich.edu/business/itforum.

CHITA’s long-range plans involve developing strong relationships with business entities, achieving financial sustainability within five years and designing an interdisciplinary curriculum that involves the use of health information technology in the management of health care.

Physicians weigh in at WMU conference on business of health care

KALAMAZOO--Physicians will be in the spotlight of an all-day conference on Saturday, Sept. 25, at Western Michigan University that will promote awareness of the importance of health care and overall well-being of Americans while exploring health care's business side.

The Sustaining the Business of Health in America conference, begins at 8:30 a.m. in Schneider Hall's Brown Auditorium and will include remarks by WMU President John M. Dunn. The conference is being offered free of charge and will let doctors and other providers have the floor in discussions about why health care is so expensive in the United States, why its cost is rising so fast and what new legislation passed by Congress will do, legislation that was crafted not by doctors, but by lawyers.

"For the first time, I'm trying to bring to this conference physicians as speakers, to hear the physicians' opinions," says Dr. Andrew Targowski, WMU professor of business information systems, director of the Center for Sustainable Business Practices and conference co-chair. "The public may not know that those bills are designed mostly by lawyers, and physicians are rarely consulted about health care."
Physicians will join others in a rare presentation mix that also includes business leaders, educators and information technology professionals.

Keynote speakers include Dr. Tom George, state senator for the 20th District and a former gubernatorial candidate, who will speak on "Examining the Health Care Reform Bill, 2010," and local family practice physician Dr. Gary Ruoff, who will address "What Is Happening to Caring Physicians?" Dunn will speak on "The Medical School and Revival of Kalamazoo," while Targowski's talk is titled "Well Being, Wisdom and Health Care." Local heart surgeon Dr. Michael Khaghany will be among those serving on a panel of experts.

"Without the input from primary care physicians, any health care program cannot be successful," says Ruoff, a conference co-chair.

Health care is a huge business, Targowski says. At $2.4 trillion each year--three times the budget for the U.S. Department of Defense--it is the largest business in America. But monumental problems with the system remain.

Health care's high cost is exacerbated by large and disproportionate administrative costs, the soaring price of malpractice insurance and unnecessary procedures triggered by the threat of often-groundless lawsuits, Targowski says. Also contributing to the problem are expensive, end-of-life procedures that don't so much save lives as extend the process of dying.

Still another problem involves the inadequate compensation paid by insurers, particularly for primary care physicians, which has resulted in a persistent dwindling of the pool of family doctors, Targowski adds. That trend is sure to become a much larger problem in the years ahead.

"The family physician is disappearing right now," Targowski says. "Only 2 to 3 percent of medical students sign up for family practice specialization because their services are very poorly paid by any kind of insurance company."

The conference also will feature exhibits of medications, products and systems as well as a Best Papers Competition open to business professionals, faculty and students. The event is sponsored by WMU's Haworth College of Business Center for Sustainable Business Practices and the WMU Center of Health IT Advancement.
More information is available online at http://www.wmich.edu/business/healthcare/.

Major Info Night and Business Bash events scheduled for Sept. 21 - 22

The Haworth College of Business invites new and returning students to attend Major Info Night and Business Bash.

Major Info Night will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 21, from 5 to 7 p.m. A brief presentation from each academic department will acquaint students with all five departments and 15 business majors and will be held in Schneider Hall, room 1120. Immediately following the presentations, students, faculty and staff are invited for pizza and refreshments in the Schneider Hall lobby.

Business Bash will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 22 in the Schneider Hall Courtyard from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students may drop by anytime to meet representatives from business student organizations affiliated with the Haworth College of Business, study abroad and the Career Center, Haworth College of Business. Representatives from event sponsors – Charter One Bank and the Society of Financial Service Professionals will also attend.

According to Student Leadership Advisory Board co-advisors Jan Gabel-Goes and Linda Ickes, “This is an excellent opportunity for new students to become acquainted with business majors and meet faculty and student organization leaders. The goal is to help inform and involve students in a fun venue. Being informed is key for success in making decisions whether it be in choosing a major, signing up for a study abroad trip and/or participating in career center programs.”

Questions about Major Info Night or Business Bash may be directed to the Career Center, Haworth College of Business, (269) 387-2711, or by visiting Schneider Hall, room 3020.