The Healthcare Informatics 2011 Innovator Awards at this year's HIMSS Conference in Orlando was a smashing success. The reception, which was sponsored by HP, Intel , HCL, and 4th Source, was held at the Loews Portofino Hotel, and was well attended by executives from both hospital organizations and industry-leading vendors.

 What does it mean to be an innovator in healthcare today? Just ask the folks at Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, at Southeast Texas Medical Associates (SETMA), and at HealthInfoNet, Maine's statewide health information exchange (HIE). The leaders at these three organizations exemplify leadership across a broad range of dimensions. Most importantly, in the face of a daunting array of policy, reimbursement, operational, staffing, and other challenges, leaders at Children's of Omaha, SETMA, and HealthInfoNet are moving forward boldly to create healthcare of the future, strategically leveraging information technology to improve care quality, patient safety, efficiency, and data exchange.

Speakers at the Innovator reception included Doug Cusick, VP and GM, Health and Life Sciences at HP and Mark Blatt, M.D., director of global healthcare strategy, Digital Health Group at Intel, as well as Mark Hagland, HCI’s editor-in-chief, and Charlene Marietti, executive director of editorial initiatives.

George Reynolds, M.D., CIO and CMIO of Children's Hospital and Medical Center, was on hand to accept the first place award. CEO James L. Holly, M.D. of SETMA, received the second place award, while Dev Culver, executive director of HealthInfoNet, accepted the third place award.

We at Healthcare Informatics are honored and delighted to congratulate this year’s winners, in the hope that they will inspire the leaders of healthcare organizations nationwide. We would also like to thank all of our sponsors for helping to make this year's Innovator reception a success. We hope to see you next year in Las Vegas!