HIMSS Anticipation
Well, it's that time of year again. The premier event in the healthcare IT industry is only a few short days away. While always a leading venue for healthcare IT education and product exhibitions, this year's HIMSS conference has added a few wrinkles to keep its curriculum timely and resourceful to healthcare executives, IT professionals, and clinicians alike.
For example, to meet the demands of the ever-changing healthcare industry, HIMSS10 has added general education topics such as economic stimulus, globalization, and regulatory compliance to its lineup. Furthermore, preconference education offers attendees hands-on learning on various ARRA (The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) topics such as meaningful use, quality, certification, and interoperability. For complete information about the educational sessions on tap for HIMSS10, click here.
The keynote speakers slated for this year's HIMSS conference also promise to be intriguing. Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse kicks things off at 8:00 Monday morning (3/1), followed by a keynote address by David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at 8:30 Wednesday morning (3/3). CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, fraud investigator Harry Markopolos, and national hero, US Airways pilot, Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III wrap things up on Thursday (3/4) with their own insights and guidance for the healthcare IT community. For more information on these keynote speakers, click here.
While the educational courses offered at HIMSS are extremely valuable, I am always most excited to tour the exhibition floor to get a first-hand look at the latest healthcare IT innovations on the market. This year's crop of product and service enhancements should prove to be inspired as vendors clamor to offer solutions that will help healthcare facilities achieve complete EHR (electronic health record) adoption and meaningful use, comply with the latest iterations of industry and government regulations, and effectively manage and share an overwhelming amount of patient data. For a complete HIMSS10 exhibitor list and an interactive floor plan, click here.
Lastly, we at Health IT Outcomes encourage you to visit the booths of our vendor partners. Also, be sure to stop by our booth (#2509) for your chance to win a new Apple iPad, subscribe to our website and email newsletter, or just to say hi. We look forward to the opportunity to interact with you in person at HIMSS10 to discuss your current healthcare IT challenges as well as your latest successes. We hope to see you there!
Ken Congdon is Editor In Chief of Health IT Outcomes. He can be reached at ken.congdon@jamesonpublishing.com.