FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
JANUARY 4, 2006

Kitty Ratcliffe
Executive Vice President
New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau
504-566-5034
kratcliffe@neworleanscvb.com

Joyce Lofstrom
Manager, Corporate Communications
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
312-915-9237
jlofstrom@himss.org

HIMSS Will Go to New Orleans for 2007 Annual Conference & Exhibition

HIMSS confirms its commitment to the city of New Orleans and prepares for HIMSS 2007 in the Big Easy

New Orleans, LA- The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has announced that the Society will be in New Orleans for the 2007 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition. The announcement confirmed the Society’s previous plans that had slated New Orleans as the location for the 2007 conference.

“We are going to New Orleans for HIMSS 2007 with complete confidence in the city’s capabilities to host our annual conference and meet the needs of all conference attendees,” said H. Stephen Lieber, HIMSS president/CEO. “We have consulted with our members, our exhibitors and our leadership finding overwhelming support for this decision; one that HIMSS views as a positive contribution to the rebuilding of New Orleans and the Gulf area.”

Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, HIMSS began a thorough examination of the city’s viability to host the conference and the anticipated 24,000 attendees. Lieber and other HIMSS staff members also toured the area, learning that the French Quarter and Garden District had largely escaped flooding with virtually all services restored in those areas some weeks ago.

As for hotel rooms, New Orleans now has as many, or more, available hotel rooms as San Diego, Calif., the site of HIMSS 2006. That means 20,000 hotel rooms are ready for occupancy today. All hotels, except the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, are expected to be open by the end of 2006 with many of those properties opening with renovations.

The Gulf Region is home to about 400 HIMSS members and HIMSS reached out to individuals in these areas after the hurricanes hit. Through a matching donation program managed through the HIMSS Foundation, members donated just over $10,00 to various relief charities. HIMSS matched that amount with a $10,000 donation to the American Red Cross. The Society also introduced the HIMSS Katrina Phoenix Project, a collaborative effort focused on rebuilding physician practices, originally equipped with paper health records, with electronic health record systems donated by hardware and software vendors. Read the news release on the HIMSS Katrina Phoenix Project at http://www.himss.org/pressroom/releaseDetail.asp?ContentID=65305 to see the list of participating organizations and individuals.

“The commitment by HIMSS to New Orleans is evidenced in every action they have taken, from supporting their members in the area to bringing their annual conference and exhibition, and its financial impact, to the city,” said Kitty Ratcliffe, executive vice president of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau (NOMCVB). “We have been impressed by the thorough approach taken by HIMSS leadership in the decision process, the outcome of which has great importance to both the Society and to our community.”

HIMSS will have additional information on the New Orleans conference in the months ahead on its Web site. Representatives from the NOMCVB will be attending the 2006 HIMSS Conference & Exhibition in San Diego, Feb. 12-16, to provide more information on rebuilding the city and answer questions from attendees.

To read more about the rebirth of New Orleans, visit www.neworleanscvb.com.

About New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau (NOMCVB)
Since 1960, the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau (www.neworleanscvb.com) has been the driving force behind New Orleans' most
important industry, attracting $4.9 billion to the region annually. Nationally recognized for superior customer service, NOMCVB represents over 1,200 members and provides convention services and visitor information for business travelers and vacationers. Last year, the NOMCVB welcomed a record-breaking 10.1 million visitors to one of America's favorite meeting and leisure destinations. The NOMCVB is committed to rebuilding the city of New Orleans.

About the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the healthcare industry’s membership organization exclusively focused on providing leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of human health. Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and other locations across the country, HIMSS represents approximately 17,000 individual members and more than 275 member corporations that employ more than 1 million people. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to ensuring quality patient care. Visit www.himss.org for more information.