Another HIMSS conference has concluded. It was estimated that more than 45,000 people were at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, talking about the latest in health IT, industry trends, and challenges and opportunities. I am always amazed at how social the health IT world is – and it is always great to meet in-person the people I tweet with. The conference this year, like those in the past, provided great insights into the state of health IT and the direction of the healthcare industry. Here are three takeaways from HIMSS17:
Data Still Dominates
I spent a great deal of time in the Perficient booth talking to people about the challenges they are having when it comes to data. A fair number of those I spoke with were still needing to integrate their EMR and other disparate systems, some organizations were needing to transform the data into actionable insights and a select few were looking to tap into both structured and unstructured data in order to provide more proactive (rather than reactive) care. Data as in years past seemed to dominate the conversation at HIMSS17 and while there still remains immense obstacles it was refreshing to hear from those who are making strides to leverage the power of their data!
Digital Experience in the Spotlight
Along with the data conversations came several discussions about digital experience – providing a seamless, personalized and engaging experience for patients. This is more than just redesigning a website or patient portal – it requires you to truly understand your unique patient population(s) and provide them with the information they need when they need it. It’s meeting your patients where they are already at, whether that be through a mobile app or social media, etc. And it is engaging, empowering and motivating patients!
Innovation and Security
The Connected Health Experience at HIMSS was full of new, cutting-edge devices to improve patient care. Everywhere you turned there were vendors discussing innovation and health system executives talking about the next best thing. While the buzz about innovation in healthcare was real and widespread, most of those conversations were accompanied by questions about security. With data breaches on the rise, security continues to be a concern for healthcare organizations. And while there is true excitement about innovation it is often overshadowed by the concern for security.
Even though HIMSS has come to an end, I look forward to continuing the discussion.
