The first HL7 meeting in the New Year is always exciting. This meeting will be the first for some new officers and new Board members in that role. Bob Dolin will serve as vice chair (as chairelect) and Jill Kaufman as secretary. New Board members are Stan Huff and Don Mon. We also welcome Catherine Chronaki as the affiliate representative to the Board. We thank Chuck Meyer for his years of service, and Frieda Hall as outgoing secretary. We also thank outgoing Board members Liora Alschuler, Kai Heitmann, MD, and Wes Rishel for their years of dedicated service to HL7.

Many positive results have come from the reorganization of HL7. HL7 has grown large and diverse with many work groups. Recognizing that communication among groups is a challenge, the Technical Steering Committee (TSC) and the Steering Divisions have put new management procedures into place. Perhaps the most productive is project management that enables HL7 and its leaders to have some understanding about what work is being done and what progress is being made. The TSC has asked each work group to create and share a S.W.O.T. (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats) analysis and three year work plan. I strongly encourage all work groups to submit these documents as soon as possible because they will serve as additional input to the HL7 Strategic Roadmap for 2009. The 2008 Roadmap has now been deployed and will guide the strategic direction of HL7. The TSC has also created a newsletter to increase the awareness of what is happening in the Working Group and I urge you to share your news through this format. The work of the ArB in creating an Enterprise Architecture for HL7 Architecture is commendable and essential in moving HL7 forward; it will influence the work in HL7.

At the Vancouver Board meeting, I asked the members of the Board to identify their top three strategic priorities. Tooling, working more effectively and harmoniously with other SDOs (US and international); creating a working relationship and partnership with the clinical community; refining the HL7 business model and creating a new financial model are among these top priorities. I have formed groups within the Board to flesh out these priorities and to create specific action items to pursue these strategies. Marketing also continues to be a top priority.

The Affiliates have continued to grow and have become an increasingly important part of HL7. Not only are the creative and intellectual contributions from that community important, but global standards and global healthcare are being demanded by governments, industry and consumers. How HL7 will serve that community as well as meet the needs of nations and regions will be a challenge. The issue of the US Affiliate continues to be debated and discussed. I anticipate this issue will be resolved soon. I congratulate the Affiliates and particularly HL7 Greece and its leaders for an outstanding IHIC meeting in Crete in October 2008.

HL7 has agreed that one Working Group Meeting each year will be held outside the United States. This agreement seems highly desirable for an international organization. IHIC 2009 is being held immediately prior to the May Working Group Meeting on May 8-9, 2009 in Kyoto, Japan. The May Working Group Meeting will take place in Kyoto May 10-15, 2009. I urge all HL7 members to support and attend these meetings. This support is critically important from a financial perspective and makes a statement to the international community.

Finally, I would like to congratulate again all the folks involved in creating the e-Learning courses and the Ambassador program. HL7 continues to attract persons interested in working together to produce global standards. There are many factors that influence successful standards development. It means timely work, attention to detail, accepting compromise, and thoroughly understanding the requirements of other groups. Standards cannot be global unless they meet all of the requirements from all participating countries and groups. Working together as well as with other groups is critical to producing required quality standards.

HL7 is a volunteer organization; without our volunteers, HL7 would be unimportant and non-productive. Although more organization and “requirements” seem to be the direction in which HL7 is moving, the leadership of HL7 is still listening and fully appreciates the needs and concerns of its membership. Have a great and productive meeting! See you in Orlando.

W. Ed Hammond, Ph.D.
Chairman of the Board, Health Level Seven, Inc®

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