Group on Information Resources (GIR)

GIR provides a forum for individuals in roles of leadership and responsibility to promote excellence in the application and integration of information resources in academic medicine.

Member Profile

Each month we feature a member institution and an interesting application or project. This month we are featuring the University of Iowa College of Medicine, a public medical university and its GIR Members.

Viewpoint

Do Medical Students, Interns, and Residents Need National Provider Identifiers?
The National Provider Identifier (NPI) is a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Administrative Simplification Standard. The NPI is a unique identification number for covered health care providers.

GIR News

2008 GIR Spring Meeting - Presentations now available

GIR, in collaboration with the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR), announces a new research study, IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice (PDF, 4 pages) analyzing the practices and perspectives of IT organizations that support the academic research enterprise in medical schools and colleges. An ECAR roadmap summary synthesizes important IT issues and provides recommendations for action in higher education. A PDF of the full report is available in the GIR members only section.

AAMC Legislative and Regulatory Update
This is a summary of the major legislative and regulatory actions of importance to medical schools and teaching hospitals as of Feb. 21, 2008.

Veterans Affairs Issues and Resources
The Veterans Affairs Issues and Resources Web site is available for members to discuss and exchange information about issues and topics arising from interactions between the VA and affiliated medical schools and teaching hospitals

Report on the Education Technology Summit (PDF, 2 pages)
The GIR Educational Technology Summit was held January 10 in Houston, Texas. Response from members was overwhelming. A diverse group of members came together to engage in a national conversation on infrastructure and technology standards around medical education technology.

Academic Medical Center Security and Privacy Conference and Webinar Series
On Feb. 13, the FISMA Impact on AMC/VA Medical Research Webinar covered issues surrounding the recent U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Directive, which makes compliance with the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA) mandatory throughout the department. This applies not just to clinical systems but to "the security of all VA information and information systems, at all levels of sensitivity and at any location or facility." This directive has greatly impacted academic medical centers that conduct research with VA facilities. Presenters discussed their experience with FISMA and actions their organizations have taken.

Presenters:
James Kaylor, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Marc Overcash, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University

Electronic Health Records Resources
In collaboration with other AAMC divisions, the GIR has developed a Web resource containing links to information about electronic health records. Please take a look and let us know if you have comments, suggestions, or contributions.

AAMC Updates

Medical School Expansion: Challenges and Strategies
This monograph comes at a time when almost 75 percent of medical schools increased or plan an increase in first-year enrollment over 2002 levels. As you know, there is a growing national dialogue on projected physician workforce shortfalls and concerns over access to care among underserved and elderly populations in the U.S. Yet for medical schools that are expanding, about to expand, or are considering expansion, the task can be time consuming, resource intensive and multifaceted. Medical School Expansion: Challenges and Strategies provides insight into this complex process by exploring issues of curriculum, faculty, student affairs, finances, communication, partnering, and planning.

The Scientific Basis of Influence and Reciprocity: A Symposium
Industry support of medical education can influence the objectivity and integrity of academic teaching, learning, research, and practice. This free publication presents the findings of a scientific symposium that summarized the latest evidence from neuroscience and the behavioral sciences that addresses the challenges to objectivity presented by gifts, favors, and influence in academic medicine.

eFolio: A Secure Personal Data Manager Serving Physicians (PDF, 21 pages)
Recent interest in learning portfolios has led to the planning and implementing of several working systems. However, these systems tend to support local needs rather than offer seamless application across the education and training continuum for all physicians. Several national organizations are exploring the feasibility of overlaying an open source electronic portfolio framework (eFolio) that could connect these isolated systems. The AAMC, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) therefore co-convened a broad audience of educators, regulators, and other potential users, together with technical experts and vendors, at a two-day invitational conference in Baltimore.

AAMC Job Board
The AAMC Job Board, an online forum for medical schools and teaching hospitals to connect with the best and brightest talent, has expanded its services to include faculty positions in academic medicine. The service will continue to post non-faculty and administrative job openings. The service is free to all job seekers and rates for employers are very reasonable.

In the News

The Digital Utility (Technology Review, March/April 2008)

Google Chief Demonstrates Health-Records Service at Orlando Conference (Orlando Sentinel, Feb. 29, 2008)

With a Can of Air, Hackers Can Steal Encrypted Data From Laptops (The Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 22, 2008)

Study Questions Impact of Quality Report Cards (American Medical News, Feb. 18, 2008)

New Informatics Tools Will Speed Personalized Therapies (Bio IT World, Feb. 11, 2008)

Senator: I.T., Payment Reform Urgent (Health Data Management, Feb. 7, 2008)

Google Releases New Online Software for Business in Latest Swipe at Microsoft (Technology Review, Feb. 7, 2008)

More News >>