As we all know, Vegas is bigger than life. High rollers, over-the-top shows and extravagant restaurants. As HIMSS returns to the Strip, can we expect the conference to live up to what we all expect of Vegas?
With over 40,000 health IT professionals expected to descend upon the Sands Convention Center, surely the focus will be beyond HITECH, meaningful use and EMRs. Popular hashtags of the past such as #personalizedmedicine will be replaced, but by what?
Interest in interoperability remains strong due to the challenges clinicians face obtaining complete medical records for their patients. Hackensack University Medical Center’s (HUMC) use of the proposed HL7 FHIR standard opens a new technology front in the effort to forge true interoperability. Led by Dr. Shafiq Rab, MD, CIO of HUMC, implemented FHIR to exchange data between a mobile patient-focused app and an EMR. Look for the FHIR symbol plastered on many vendor booths at Sands.
As the nation monitors the back and forth between the FBI and Apple over unlocking the San Bernadino shooter’s iPhone, health IT professionals face their own major security and privacy challenges. Michael Dell, CEO of Dell, Inc. will keynote the opening HIMSS16 session. With more than 30 years in the computer industry, Mr. Dell must possess strong opinions on cybersecurity and privacy.
Excerpts from: It’s Vegas Baby. Becker’s Health IT & CIO Review, January 27, 2016
