February 5, 2008 -- The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the COMCARE Emergency Response Alliance announced today the formation of the Integrated Emergency Medical Response Initiative Advisory Board. The twelve member board will guide the strategic plans of the COMCARE-HIMSS project to connect health information technology with emergency response applications.

In 2008, the Advisory Board will be guiding the development of a technology showcase to promote the COMCARE-HIMSS Integrated Emergency Medical Response vision. The showcase will serve as a proof-of-concept demonstration of the value of linking agency-specific information technology applications and sharing patient, resource, and incident data across the participating emergency response professions. The live showcase will be converted into a persistent virtual showcase which can be viewed online using a variety of scenarios.

The showcase will serve as a means for both emergency health care providers and technology vendors to evaluate the components that can contribute to an emergency patient information system for the entire continuum of care, linking private information sources, 9-1-1, EMS, hospitals, emergency management, and others.

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the healthcare industry's membership organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. COMCARE is a non-profit national advocacy organization of over 100 members, all dedicated to advancing emergency response.