NEW ORLEANS, (HIMSS 2007) - February 26, 2007 - Cisco® today announced the formation of the Community for Connected Health, a Cisco-sponsored forum dedicated to sharing best-practices for using information to drive better healthcare.

The Community for Connected Health will offer its membership of caregivers, end-users, CIO's and other IT professionals high-value educational programs, networking opportunities, and access to Cisco healthcare and technology experts. It will provide members the ability to enhance their professional development and to ultimately help their own organizations deliver better healthcare.

"The Community for Connected Health offers HIMSS members an opportunity to be part of this new community that provides a fresh perspective on information technology and new insight on Cisco's healthcare solutions," said H. Stephen Lieber, HIMSS President/CEO. "We welcome Cisco into the HIMSS family and recognize the company's continuous and expanded commitment to the healthcare industry."

The Community for Connected Health is part of the HIMSS Users Group Alliance Program. Through the program, HIMSS collaborates with healthcare IT organizations like Cisco to provide environments for members to exchange technology-related ideas, challenges, and solutions. The Community for Connected Health will be under the strategic direction and guidance of the HIMSS board but with its own volunteer leadership. The leadership within the Community for Connected Health will provide specific direct on tactics, and the implementation will be coordinated by HIMSS staff. HIMSS members can join the Community for Connected Health at no additional cost.

"Increasingly, health care provider organizations are realizing the transformative effect that information technology can have to make healthcare more safe, effective, and patient-centered," said Dr. Danny Sands, senior medical informatics director at Cisco. "We're establishing the Community for Connected Health to be Cisco's forum for information-sharing with the thousands of healthcare leaders who comprise HIMSS' membership."

More information about the Community for Connected Health can be found at: www.connectedhealthcommunity.org