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Strategic Plan 2007 - 2010

Background

HINZ was established in 2000 through the merging of Nursing Informatics New Zealand and the NZ Medical Informatics Society. At present, the roles of HINZ include:

  • Quarterly seminars
  • Technical workshops
  • Annual Conference & Exhibition
  • On line media (website services)
  • International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA)/IMIA-Nursing Informatics membership & New Zealand representation
  • Academic Journal
  • Consultation body

The current strength of HINZ is its ability to provide a strong networking environment and connections for people working and studying in health informatics in New Zealand. Further, HINZ provides a conduit for those outside New Zealand wishing to access the New Zealand health informatics community. HINZ actively supports the dissemination of the latest local research through seminars and conferences and its online academic journal. This activity also supports the development of the health informatics workforce in New Zealand. HINZ also remains the only non-partisan and not for profit health informatics organisation.

Considerable recent progress has been made in health informatics nationally. Funding for the development and implementation of improved infrastructure for information and communication technologies is finally forthcoming. Strategic direction has been provided by the Health Information Strategy for New Zealand and increasing collaboration between health care organisations is supporting the strategy’s implementation. The lack of a trained health informatics workforce is apparent and a constraint on developments. It appears timely to review the role of HINZ to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our members and the wider health sector now and in the future.

The following is a proposed strategic direction for HINZ for the next five years for discussion with the HINZ executive and stakeholders.

Strategic Development of HINZ 2007-2010

Vision

HINZ is the primary professional organisation for those working, studying and interested in health informatics in New Zealand. HINZ will support its members with access to up-to-date information on national and international developments in health informatics, facilitate networking, and support the development of the health informatics workforce in New Zealand.

How Will HINZ Achieve its Strategic Vision?

Membership Base

One of the keys to the success of HINZ is the organisation’s membership base. The current membership totals . Active work is required to maintain and increase this membership. In particular, progress can be made on the number and range of corporate members, thereby providing membership benefits to many employees, with the spin off of potentially increasing the membership to employees that would not normally consider membership. Increased revenue is also provided through corporate membership.

The following initiatives are already underway to actively increase the HINZ membership base:

  • Membership is provided for those paying non-member fees to attend conferences and seminars. This has been a particularly effective method and should be continued.
  • Members are provided with email updates regarding relevant health informatics news and events.
  • An active membership contact list is maintained
  • Members are encouraged to renew their membership through annual remittance reminders
  • One free seminar is planned for each financial year for members (beginning December 2007)
  • Reduced costs for members to attend seminars and conferences
  • Actively exploring ways to increase benefits to those who are current members

To increase our membership base, the following further initiatives will be adopted:

  • Active lobbying of larger health care organisations to become corporate members. This should be undertaken by all members of the executive, but with coordination through the Chair and Secretary to ensure a consistent approach to a health care organisation from only one member of the executive.
  • Increased marketing via email to members to ensure all members are aware of membership benefits. This could be managed through a monthly newsletter
  • Removal of those from the active member list if they remain non-financial after two remittance reminders
  • A review of the sector to ensure the executive is aware of all possible member types.
  • Approach similar organisations in New Zealand to explore possible cross-over membership, i.e. if you join one organisation you automatically become a member of two or more, including HINZ. Such organisations include NZHUG, NZ Health Managers, Clinical Coding Group etc.
  • Widen the ex-offico membership of the executive to ensure wide ranging knowledge and support of HINZ
  • Direct lobbying to private health care providers, larger PHOs

Annual Conference

The annual HINZ conference has developed into the leading health informatics conference in New Zealand. The conference provides HINZ with the bulk of the organisation’s income. This may be threatened in the future by private organisations, such as BrightStar, providing one and two day seminars on health informatics. At present the threat is minimal due to the relative high cost of private profit making events and the goodwill and reputation of the HINZ Conference.

The quality of the conference programme has improved each year, with lessons learned and feedback from attendees used to increase the scientific programme committee’s (SPC) understanding of members interests. The membership of the SPC, since 2006, has included academics from all universities with an interest in health informatics in New Zealand, with subsequent improvements in the number and quality of papers submitted for presentation.

Feedback from the wide range of delegates notes the opportunities for networking as one of the greatest benefits of attending. With conferences now regularly attracting several hundred attendees, this benefit is increasing. HINZ should therefore seek to leverage such benefits by providing an environment and conference programme that seeks to increase networking opportunities.

Further developments over the next five years, aimed at increasing the number of attendees and the quality of the conference should include:

  • Maintaining membership of the SPC to include all academic institutions, not limited to universities
  • Consider combining conferences with other conferences, or linking dates to increase possible delegate types and numbers and leveraging keynote speakers attending conferences around the same date as the HINZ conference
  • Ensure members of the executive are supported to attend similar New Zealand health care conferences to provide feedback to the Conference committee on innovative developments in conference delivery
  • Actively planning the annual conference from the conclusion of the previous conference to assist in obtaining valuable international and national key note speakers
  • Maintain the specific roles of Scientific Programme Chair and Conference Committee
  • Actively seek feedback from all conference attendees, both through feedback forms at the conference and through face to face discussions with groups and individuals by the executive

Ability to Influence Health Informatics Developments in New Zealand - HINZ as a Consultation Conduit

At present, this is a somewhat underdeveloped role of HINZ that has considerable potential for HINZ members. HINZ provides access to the largest single group of health informatics professionals. For this reason, HINZ is capable of providing a consultation process through their email list to organisations seeking strategic change, such as the various directorates at the Ministry of Health. Further, the Minister for Health may wish to utilise such a group for communications.

HINZ will seek to become a forum for strategic consultation discussions in the future through:

  • Meeting with various Ministry of Health staff who have the responsibility for health informatics strategic developments, such as HISAC, NSDP, Key Directions leaders, to communicate the potential role HINZ could take in assisting with their consultation processes.
  • Alert organisations to the expertise HINZ has in organizing national seminars and the potential to utilise such skills in consultation processes
  • Leverage the goodwill and reputation of HINZ as a non-partisan organisation representing a wide range of health informatics stakeholders as an appropriate organisation to assist with consultation processes
  • Seek a regular (annual) audience with the Minister of Health to raise the profile of HINZ at the Government level

Affiliations with other National Groups

HINZ would benefit in several ways by increasing its affiliations with other national health information groups. These benefits include:

  • Exposure to a wider potential membership base
  • Economies of scale with seminars and similar events
  • Potential for increased income through increasing number of seminars to wider audiences
  • Increased access to wider range of keynote speakers for conferences
  • Economies of scale for members

HINZ should approach similar organisations to investigate their interest in closer relations. Such initiatives could include:

  • Joint membership of HINZ and other organisations
  • Joint information and notifications of upcoming events – utilizing both membership lists
  • Joint seminars and overlaps with conference dates and venues

International Affiliations and Links

HINZ currently has close links with HIC in Australia and utilises these links to gain access to international keynote speakers. Conferences are held back-to-back to facilitate sharing of keynote speakers.

HINZ is affiliated with the International Medical Informatics Association, to which we are required to pay annual fees. HINZ seeks to link with IMIA Working Groups on various specialised areas within health informatics, with varying degrees of success.

In the near future, HINZ should seek to improve international relationships and the benefits gained from such relationships by:

  • Increasing focus on specialist working groups and their links with the IMIA working groups
  • Provide more information to members on links with IMIA and the possible benefits to members

There may be other international organisations that it would benefit HINZ to belong to, such as organisations within the Asia Pacific region. HINZ should, in the near future, consider the following initiatives:

  • HINZ Executive members attending international events should consider potentially mutually beneficial affiliations and seek to initiate discussions with organisation leaders if possible.
  • The development of new regional and international organisations may be appropriate and should be investigated by HINZ. It is possible that HINZ can show some leadership in this area.

Working Groups

HINZ currently has three working groups chaired by organisation members. These groups are

  • Primary care
  • Nursing
  • Education
  • Standards

These groups can be linked to the IMIA working groups, as the nursing working group is. This includes email contact with the chair of the IMIA working group and updates of international developments, with invitations to international meetings of the working groups.

The local groups currently provide email updates and discussions on issues topical to the group and its’ members. At present there appears to be limited interest from HINZ members to fully utilise the potential of the working groups.

In the future, HINZ should endeavour to increase the interest of members through:

  • better use of communication tools such as electronic forums and updating the structure of the HINZ website to include easy access for working group members to forum discussions
  • canvassing the interest of possible working group members to better understand where working groups could be of use
  • providing a forum for face-to-face meetings with working groups members at the annual conference
  • ensuring regular international updates are provided to working groups
  • aligning with local developments of interest to each working group

Health Care and Informatics Review Online

Health Care and Informatics Review Online is now the official journal of HINZ (since 2006). As of August 2007, journal management has been taken over by HINZ. The journal provides the only health informatics specific avenue for publication of local research and information articles and is therefore a valuable tool for the development and dissemination of the body of knowledge in New Zealand. Now the journal is wholly managed by HINZ, it is possible to improve the link between the content of the journal and HINZ Seminar and conference topics.

The journal has an established and dedicated editorial board and editorial process. This will continue, with the proposed support of sponsors to cover the cost of outsourcing editing and publication. Improvements are planned for this process to ensure the commissioning of research papers well in advance of publication, with the hope of encouraging more original research articles.

The journal should now reflect its’ new management by HINZ, with an update of the HINZ and Journal websites providing clear links between the two. Potential financial supporters have noted both websites require improvements to attract their interest.

Marketing HINZ

HINZ now requires an active marketing strategy to ensure members and potential members are aware of existing initiatives and new developments. This could be supported in a number of ways:

  • the commissioning of advice from marketing experts around appropriate branding and marketing tools available
  • a revamp of the HINZ website to provide a more modern and user-friendly interface. The website should be heavily utilised by the organisation as a free and accessible means of interactive communication with its members. The website is also the gateway for international and local professionals to learn about HINZ as an organisation and should therefore be the cornerstone of any marketing strategy
  • Health Care and Informatics Review Online requires a marketing strategy and branding that clearly reflects the new HINZ management
  • The provision of space within the Ministry’s health e-news quarterly newsletter for HINZ updates

Approach to Strategic Change

This strategic plan should be reviewed annual at the HINZ Conference, with active participation sought from the executive and organisation members.

The above developments should be prioritised, with a specific plan of action for each financial year, in recognition of the limited time executive members are able to devote to HINZ initiatives alongside their existing workloads. The aim of new developments should be to build on and leverage existing successes where possible.