I remember early in our HIMSS collaboration days when HIMSS Analytics published a report recommending IT subsume HTM. It was a topic worthy of discussion but not a jump to a conclusion.

When adopting the name HTM was first brought, it was recommended to be not the name for our field but rather our profession. That really set me off. My profession was and remains engineering, and I let AAMI et al know it.

Ok, so that was a bit hyperbolic, but I also said changing our name was akin to rearranging ye olde Titannic deck chairs.

Ok, so that was hyperbolic, too. But the name has stuck, and that’s fine. But what difference has it made?

I like the suggestions in the article for things to attempt going forward. I suggest adding a retrospective analysis of prior attempts. What has the name change /adoption accomplished that moved things forward? What did it hinder? Ditto the association with HIMSS, hardly an organization HTM can ignore..

The field really is a key participant in the national healthcare enterprise. I believe making visible why that is so is important, and that appears to be on the list.

Run with it.