IAIMS (Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems) is a grant program of the National Library of Medicine (NLM).  The NLM, on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, is the world's largest medical library. NLM is a national and even world resource supporting quality health care through information access through the National Network of Libraries of Medicine®.  In addition to publishing such resources as MEDLINE (PubMed) and MEDLINEplus, linking the general public to many sources of consumer health information, NLM also facilitates a number of research and development project in areas such as telemedicine, testbed networks, virtual reality, the Unified Medical Language System and the Visible Human Project®.  Its Extramural Programs Division provides grants to support research in medical informatics, health information science, and biotechnology information, as well as for research training in these areas.

NLM began the IAIMS grant program in 1984 to help health science institutions and medical centers integrate information systems in support of patient healthcare, health professions education, and basic and clinical research.  NLM provides an FAQ for IAIMS grants and funding.

Between the years 1984 and 2000, a total of 42 institutions received NLM IAIMS funding. Information about these institutions and more can be found at this link to the IAIMS Consortium, which consists of institutions that have received IAIMS grants.

In the grant review summary, the Indiana IAIMS Initiative was distinguished by the following remark:

“It is said that IAIMS is 85% sociology and 15% technology.  In this context, the three most unique features of the Indiana environment are:  (1) combined city/county government (Unigov) in Greater Indianapolis/Marion County; (2) broad political and business collaboration and support for health-related, academically-driven programs; (3) the history of county-wide (SMSA) health systems technical collaboration catalyzed in part, by the depth, breadth, and quality of the work performed by the Regenstrief Institute over the last 30+ years.  The combination of the above three factors makes this project unique – it is a test bed that does not exist anywhere else.”