One of the largest events in the area of health information technology, the HIMSS annual conference and exhibition opened its doors this year to more than 42 000 healthcare IT specialists, clinicians, and executives. For five days the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando turned into a platform for sharing ideas, discussing challenges, finding solutions, increasing knowledge, and building partnerships.
Representatives of Velvetech were among those lucky ones who attended this industry-leading gathering. In view of our company’s extensive experience in designing, developing, and implementing cutting-edge digital solutions for healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, the HIMSS annual conference has always been of particular interest to us. This year we have visited it for the third time in a row. As in previous years, the event pleased us with its warm hospitality and excellent arrangements.
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, that traditionally hosts the event, prepared an interesting and elaborate program for 2017 conference. Its participants could choose from a plethora of education sessions, roundtables, workshops, and forums. Interactive in nature, these speaking events provided their attendees sufficient room to discuss the major technological issues currently existing in the health industry. Among the most discussed topics were clinical business intelligence, health information exchange and interoperability, precision health, and population health management.
The talks given by the world-class IT experts and the government representatives undoubtedly were the highlights of the HIMSS17. Ginni Rometty, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of IBM, was among the keynote speakers. Calling artificial intelligence and cognitive computing the new frontier technologies, she emphasized the importance of their implementation in the health sector in an enduring and ethical manner.
“This is a profoundly hopeful moment in time for all of us. We are at the moment when we can actually transform many parts of healthcare, we can reinvent many pieces and we can change things.”
– Ginni Rometty
Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives John Boehner and 45th Governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell had a hot discussion about the plans of the recently elected US government to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The former lawmakers also expressed their belief in that the health information technology will continue to receive the bipartisan support and will remain the critical and driving force behind any healthcare policy changes.
The closing keynote session at the HIMSS17 featured a cybersecurity expert and a famous entrepreneur Robert Herjavec and a well-known investor in IT innovations Kevin O’Leary. The speakers shared with the audience their thoughts on the vulnerability of healthcare software systems to digital attacks, the current financial trends in the health sector, and the long-term need for digitization and interoperability of health records.
Known as an event with enormous educational potential, the HIMSS exhibition is also famous for being one of the largest health IT vendor shows.
This year it brought to Orlando around 1280 vendors, specializing in digital solutions for healthcare organizations and pharmaceutical companies. Walking between the booths, one could hear people around having conversations about data protection software, Electronic Health Records systems, applications for better patient engagement, and new wellness monitoring devices.
The Velvetech representatives returned from the HIMSS17 full of energy and enthusiasm to create new health IT products. The health industry is one of the fastest-growing verticals. However, the faster it grows the more challenges it poses for healthcare providers and pharmaceutical producers.
Velvetech, a software development company, is an expert in transforming business through digital innovation by delivering powerful customized software and hardware solutions. The created by our company products can help pharmaceutical manufacturers, hospitals, medical and dental practices to ensure business continuity, reduce costs, and establish consumer and patient trust.
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