The 2022 edition of the annual HIMSS conference will be unlike anything we have experienced before. Although there will be sense of optimism with a return to in-person healthcare conferences, it will be tempered by the specters of COVID (waning), staffing challenges (present), and the uncertainty of geo-politics (looming). I choose to be optimistic and will be on the hunt for good news stories.
As we get ready to descend on Orlando, here are 4 things I’m looking forward to at HIMSS22.
- Seeing Friends and Colleagues
It has now been almost 2½ years since I have seen health IT friends and colleagues. Only a handful made the trek to HIMSS21 last year in Las Vegas and prior to that, everything was virtual. Judging from the tweets, emails, and direct messages, it looks like a lot more people have decided to make the trip to HIMSS22.
For the last decade, it is the people at HIMSS that keeps me coming back. I laugh. I learn. I’m constantly smiling from the discussions I have.
- Exploring the Exhibit Hall
For me the heart of the annual HIMSS conference is the exhibit hall. It is always buzzing and there is a palpable energy that permeates the air. I spend as much time in the hall as I can – visiting with established Health IT players and discovering companies making their debut.
The exhibit hall fascinates me for two reasons. First, I am intrigued by the solutions that are on display. I look for an overall trend (what are the technologies that everyone is talking about) and stand-out individual technologies. One of my favorite things to do is tour the outer ring of booths – that’s where I typically find new and interesting entrants.
Second, as a marketer, I am always on the hunt for interesting booth designs. I love seeing new types of booth structure, bold ad copy, new display technology, or cool ways to entice attendees to stop. It’s always amazing how creative companies can be. I’ll be on the hunt for the ‘best booth at HIMSS22’.
Here are a few booths on my visit list:
- Canon Medical – 1933
- Clinical Architecture – 3811
- DSS – 1521 (will they have t-shirts?)
- esri – 2079
- MEDITECH – 3311
- Spok – 3321
- TigerConnect – 5959
- Listening to panel discussions
When I’m not in the exhibit hall, you can usually find me in the breakout rooms and exhibit hall theatres, listening to panel discussions. I love the dynamic and unpredictable nature of panel discussions. I find I learn more when there are multiple perspectives on a topic.
There are a few panels on the agenda that I plan to attend:
- Measuring Industry-Wide Interoperability in the Time of COVID – Hosted by Surescripts. Wed, March 16, 7:00–8:00 a.m., Rosen Centre Hotel, Salon Rooms 20/21. Even if I wasn’t moderating this panel, I would have made time for it. The Healthcare Leadership Council has been working on proposed measures for industry-wide interoperability. Without knowing where we are, how will we know if we are making progress? I’m excited to learn more about the Council’s work.
- State of Patient Experience (pre-conference) – Mon March 14, 8:55-9:35am, Rosen Center Grand Ballroom D. I’ll be moderating a panel that features patient advocate Grace Cordovano, Brian Martinez from Orlando Health, and Paul Torrey from Amazon Web Services. We’re going to be discussing what has improved in the last couple of years, and where we have taken a step back.
- Digital Freedom From Unstructured Documents – Tues, March 15, 11:15-12:15pm, Thought Leadership Theatre, Booth 8240
- Improving Community Outcomes With Geospatial Analysis – Tues, March 15, 4:15-5:15pm, W206A
- Women in Health IT Roundtable – Wed, March 16, 10:00-11:00am, W340A
- HITMC, HITsm, HCLDR, pinksocks meetups and photos
Even before I joined the team here at Healthcare IT Today, my must-attend events at HIMSS were the HITMC, HITsm, HCLDR, and pinksocks community meetups. There is something unique and special about these communities.
As in years past, we are gathering together for a group photo. Head to the stairway in the Hall B Lobby (outside of the exhibit hall) at noon ET on Tuesday March 15th. Be prepared for a lot of laughing and hugging.
See you in Orlando!
