HL7's Working Group Meeting
Cologne, Germany
April 29 - May 4, 2007

Key Information

What is a Working Group Meeting?

HL7 Working Group Meetings (WGMs) are held three times per year at varying locations. These working group meetings serve two important purposes:

  1. They give the HL7 Technical Committees and Special Interest Groups a chance to meet face-to-face to work on the standards;
  2. They provide an invaluable educational resource for the healthcare IT community.

Standards Development

HL7 has more than 40 technical committees (TCs) and special interest groups (SIGs) dedicated to specialized areas of interest such as Orders and Observations and Electronic Health Records. These technical committees and special interest groups are directly responsible for the content of the standards and spend much of their time at the working group meetings hard at work on standards development. Attending a TC or SIG meeting can be a great way to get a handle on what is going on in a particular area, and everyone attending an HL7 working group meeting is invited to attend any of the TC or SIG meetings.

Educational Sessions

This working group meeting will offer numerous educational opportunities. Sessions will cover a full range of HL7-specific topics such as Version 2.x Implementation, Version 3, and the Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) among others. Educational sessions also branch out to cover general interest industry topics such as the Electronic Health Record, XML and Vocabulary Terminology

Schedule Overview

Registration opens on Sunday, April 29, 2007 from 3:00 - 6:00 pm.

Meetings and Tutorials are scheduled Monday through Friday, 09:00 am - 5:00 pm.

The complete WGM Schedule is available in the Meeting Brochure.

"EarlyBird" Rate Deadline

Early Bird registration, including payment, is required by March 26, 2007 to receive the discounted rates. Otherwise the full fee structure will apply. Consult the registration form for a schedule of meeting fees.

To Register

Please complete the registration form.

You have several options for payment

The mailing address for payments is:

Health Level Seven
3300 Washtenaw Ave., Suite 227
USA
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Advance registrations MUST include payment. No balance dues will be accepted and registrations received without payment will not be processed until the time that payment is received. Registrations received with payment by March 26 will receive the early bird discount. All other registrations where payment is received after March 26 will be required to pay the full registration fee.

Advance registrations will be accepted until April 15. After April 15, registrations can only be made on-site in Cologne, Germany. All registrations require payment in full at the time of registration.

Cancellation Policy

Prepaid registrants who cancel prior to March 26 will receive a full refund minus a $50 processing fee. After March 26, no refunds will be made.

Tutorial Cancellation

The tutorial schedule is subject to change. A tutorial may be cancelled by March 26 if expected registration numbers are not met. If a tutorial is cancelled, pre-registrants will be notified via e-mail. The registrant can select another tutorial at that time, or a full refund of the tutorial fee will be made. However, registration fees will not be refunded.

Dress

The dress code is casual for all HL7 functions. Layered clothing is advised as room temperatures may vary.

Meals

A full breakfast buffet is included free with your hotel registration. HL7 will not be providing a continental breakfast buffet on any day. At the Maritim, a full breakfast buffet will be served from 0630 until 1030 (on Sundays until 1200). The InterContinental serves an extended full breakfast during the week from 0630–1030, on Saturday from 0730–1100 and on Sunday from 0730–1200.

Refreshment breaks and lunches are included in the meeting registration fee and will be provided for all registered attendees Monday through Friday. Vegetarian and diabetic meals are available upon request. You must register for each day’s lunch on your registration form in order to receive lunch tickets.

Air Travel

To make arrangements, attendees can call Conlin Travel at +1 (800) 783-9559 or +1 (734) 677-0900. Be sure to mention Health Level Seven when calling.

Ground Transportation and Parking

The Maritim is approximately 20 km from the airport and the InterContinental is approximately 15 km from the Cologne Bonn Airport.

Taxi Costs

By Plane and then Subway

Meeting attendees can also use the subway, but it is a bit complicated. The correct stop is called "Heumarkt" (not to be confused with "Neumarkt," which is another subway stop). From the Cologne Bonn Airport guests need to take Subway S13 to station "Bahnhof Köln Messe Deutz" and then change into U1 (direction: Weiden) or U9 (direction: Sülz) until "Heumarkt." The Maritim is located directly at the subway stop "Heumarkt." The InterContinental is just a short walk of approximately 3 minutes from this stop. The cost of the subway from Cologne Airport to the hotels is 2,30 €.

By Train and then Subway

Meeting attendees may travel to Cologne by train. There are several different options. The last stop for all IC/ICE trains is the Cologne Main Train Station. Attendees may take either the IC or ICE (high speed) train from the Düsseldorf Airport for approximately 10-16 €. There is also an ICE connection from the Cologne Airport which costs 12 €. Once attendees reach the Cologne Main Train Station, they must either take a taxi or the subway to reach the hotels. From the Cologne Main Train Station, attendees may choose either the U16, U17, U18 or U19 to "Neumarkt" and then change again to U1, U7, U8 or U9 to "Heumarkt" (= next stop). The Maritim is located directly at the subway stop "Heumarkt." The InterContinental is just a short walk of approximately 3 minutes from this stop. The cost of the subway from the Cologne Main Train Station to "Heumarkt" is 1,40 € (a short distance ticket called "Kurzstrecke").

Hotel Parking

Avis Rent-a-Car

HL7 has secured special rates from Avis for this meeting. To take advantage of these rates, please call Avis at +1 (800) 331- 1600, identify yourself as being with the Health Level Seven Group and provide the following Avis Meeting Rate Discount Number: D188914. The attendee must use the assigned meeting rate discount number and meet Avis rental requirements to receive the discount. Rates are available one week before and one week after the dates of the meeting. Should a lower qualifying rate become available, Avis will offer a five percent discount on that rate.

Hotel Information

HL7’s April/May Working Group Meeting will be held at the InterContinental Hotel and the Maritim Hotel. The Maritim is a comfortable four star business hotel located at the river banks of the Rhine. The InterContinental is a five star luxury modern designed hotel. The majority of the meetings will be held in the Maritim Hotel.

Maritim Hotel Koln
Heumarkt 20 * 50667 Koln
+49 221 202 70 phone
+49 221 2027 826 fax
Info.res@maritim.de
www.maritim.de
InterContinental Hotel
Pipinstrassel 1 * 50667 Koln
Deutschland
+49 221 280 60 phone
+49 221 280 6111 1 fax
cologne@ichotelsgroup.com

The hotels have each set up a special website registration process for HL7 attendees. To reserve a room at the InterContinental, log on to www.ichotelsgroup.com and expand the "Corporate, Group & IATA Identification" header where you can enter the "Group Booking Code" R73. To reserve a room at the Maritim, log on to www.maritim.de and simply follow the reservation instructions. Please note the group rate rooms are run of the house, which means the room type is based on the best available at check in, not prior to arrival. You will see the room type on the registration form, but it is only a request. Requests will be noted and based on availability.

Discounted room rates of 139 € per night single or 165 € double occupancy are available at the Maritim and 179 € per night single or 199 € double occupancy are available at the InterContinental. Remember, space is limited, so reserve your room early. Discounted room rates are available only on reservations made before April 1, 2007 and spans from Thursday April 26, 2007, to Saturday May 5, 2007. Room rates are subject to all applicable taxes in effect at time of check in.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON HOTEL CANCELATION POLICY:

If you need to cancel your room reservation, please do so by March 24, 2007 at 6:00 pm Eastern Time. If you cancel your room after that date, or are a "no show", your credit card will be charged 100% of your entire hotel stay reservation.

PLEASE BOOK YOUR ROOM AT THE HL7 MEETING HOTEL

HL7 urges all meeting attendees to secure your hotel reservations at the HL7 Working Group Meeting Host Hotels. These hotels have been contracted to provide the best rate and service to our HL7 meeting attendees, including the vast number of meeting rooms that HL7 uses. In order to secure the required meeting space, HL7 has a contractual obligation to fill our sleeping room blocks. If you make reservations at a different hotel, HL7 risks falling short on its obligation, which translates to HL7 paying additional costs (penalties) to the hotels. Should this occur, HL7 will likely be forced to pass these costs onto our attendees through increased meeting registration fees. Therefore, to help avoid such fee increases, we urge you to book your hotel room at our host hotel. Thank you!

HL7 Networking Reception—Rhine Cruise

The Wednesday Networking Reception has been replaced with a "German Evening" cruise on the Rhine. The MS STOLZENFELS is one of the larger passenger ships on the Rhine, with three salons, two decks, an open air deck, several bars, dance floor and wintergarden. On board you can celebrate in great style. Views include magnificent scenery, picturesque castles and fertile vineyards. Enjoy the most beautiful areas on the Rhine from on board the ship. The cruise will offer a buffet featuring traditional German foods, beer, wine, and soft drinks. There will be a cost of $50 (US) per person to attend. Register today for this exciting event! There are only 400 spaces available, so seating is limited. Act now to reserve your space!

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you plan to attend the networking reception ship cruise, please be sure to check the appropriate box on the registration form (page 21) and indicate the number that will be attending.

Exchange Rate

You can get the current exchange rate at http://www.xe.net/ucc/.

Helpful Links About Cologne


Register Today!
Cover Page | Letter from the Chairman | General Information | Student Accessability