Government Health IT Conference and Exhibition, not just for the public sector
Schwartz MSL spoke with David Collins, MHA, CPHQ, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, senior director of professional development at HIMSS, to learn more about the upcoming Government Health IT Conference and Exhibition, which will take place at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC, June 11 – 12. Already in its eighth year, the theme of the show is appropriately named 2012: The Year of Critical IT Decisions to Transform Healthcare.
David, why should healthcare marketers, even those in the private sector, consider going to this show?
An organization doesn’t need to be in the public sector to gain the benefits of the topics and sessions we’ll be offering. There will also be an exhibit hall and an Interoperability Showcase. People can network with those with whom they might not ordinarily network in a smaller setting for a reasonable period of time. We are expecting a record 550 attendees this year. Our sessions cover a range of topics from HIE and patient engagement to Beacon Communities, mobile devices and telemedicine. These topics relate to the day-to-day use of healthcare IT.
We also have formidable keynote speakers from the Department of Defense, Veteran Affairs and CMS on the front and back end including: Karen S. Guice, M.D., M.P.P., principal deputy assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Barclay Butler, Ph.D. - director, Interagency Program Office of the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Vish Sankaran, senior advisor, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
What are some of the topics the sessions will be covering?
Through networking opportunities, panel discussions, case studies and demonstrations involving the federal experts responsible for developing and implementing policy, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how they can be more effective in advancing initiatives in the public sector.
We are pleased at the depth and breadth of topics we’ll be covering in three tracks. The first track is called, Innovative Knowledge Exchange, which aligns well with HIEs. It will cover private HIE successes and the government’s efforts in this area. There will be some great lessons to be learned bi-directionally with respect to infrastructure, security, buy-in from all levels and patient engagement.
The second track, The Changing Landscape of Health IT, will address the many moving parts among areas such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), ICD-10 and meaningful use. Participants will learn the best approaches to providing patient care and conducting business in today’s volatile public policy environment to truly transform healthcare. This track will also include a panel of people from the HIMSS legal task force, the American Health Lawyers’ Association and the American Bar Association to speak to the potential impact of the Supreme Court’s decision on the PPACA.
There will also be an Industry Solution Sessions track, in which sponsors will showcase real-life implementation experiences and share case studies and practical solutions. This year’s focus includes: The role of the connected consumer, mobile health and return on health IT investment.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Yes, we recorded a radio panel titled, "Health IT: A Policy Change Agent," on WTOP radio which aired today. Moderated by HIMSS Executive Vice President Carla Smith, the panelists, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James Peake, former U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, and ONC’s Deputy National Coordinator for Programs and Policy (and HIMSS board liaison) Judy Murphy covered a range of hot topics:
1. The Impact of the Supreme Court’s Decision on the Affordable Care Act
2. Health Information Exchange: Challenges & Opportunities, Bridging Private & Public HIEs
3. Beacon Communities: Lessons Learned
4. Clinical/Business Intelligence: Harnessing Data to Inform Decision Making
5. eConnecting with Consumers: Provider/Patient Engagement through Health IT
6. Meaningful Use as a Catalyst
7. Harnessing & Streamlining the power of Health IT
This was a dynamic conversation with rich exchange and insight into how policy is shaping health IT, and how health IT is helping to drive engagement and improved outcomes in the healthcare industry. Many of these topics will be addressed at the Government Health IT Conference 2012 by experts from both the private and federal sectors.
If you would like to learn more about the show, feel free to contact David Collins at dcollins@himss.org.
Posted by Davida Dinerman on May 17, 2012 at 11:23 AM
