The Annual HIMSS Conference in Orlando was March 14-18
With the reporting of 26,000 attendees, HIMSS seems to be getting back on track and moving in the right direction.
So what were the reactions? What were the takeaways? Will the exhibitors and attendees return next year? Here are more reactions & takeaways.
Leon Lerman, Co-Founder and CEO, Cynerio
Twitter: @cynerio
It turned out to be such a great experience to have two healthcare technology events in a row – it really felt like the worst days of the pandemic were behind us and that we can have face-to-face events safely again. It’s clear that hospitals have learned a lot about how to improve security during their rapid transitions to telehealth and remote workforces. IoT security conversations have moved from a desire to get a straightforward device inventory to how to protect those devices from ransomware, breaches and other cyberattacks. It was also evident that a lot of large IT security firms are realizing that they need to address healthcare IoT security as part of their offerings – both events were wonderful for productive conversations about where solution integrations and potential collaborations might lead. ViVE and HIMSS were full of reassuring signs that hospitals are taking bold steps to protect their patients and devices, and we are as excited as we have ever been to help them.
Lucienne Marie Ide, MD, PhD, Founder and CEO, Rimidi
Twitter: @Jointherimidi
As a long-time attendee, it was wonderful to once again connect with healthcare specialists and industry leaders from around the country and discuss pertinent trends such as interoperability, remote patient monitoring and CDS hooks at HIMSS this year. As early pioneers of SMART-on-FHIR, we had many interesting discussions about why interoperability is a core competency of Rimidi’s and the benefits of understanding data models in-house. We were also honored to showcase Rimidi’s latest medical integration – Abbott’s Freestyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring system, which allows patients to share CGM data with their healthcare provider within the existing EHR workflow. As the healthcare industry continues to innovate, we’re excited to see how conversations around SMART-on-FHIR, RPM and more advanced medical device integrations will evolve at HIMSS 2023.
Yoni Nevo, CEO, Sweetch
Twitter: @SweetchHealth
It was incredible to see 20,000 people in one place after two years of Covid during HIMSS’22…and it felt like everyone gets digital health at last!
There are so many technologies knocking on decision-maker’s doors. However, it was clear that healthcare needs to become longitudinal, focusing on people with chronic conditions. The interest around our booth was evidence that precision engagement will be a key part of this transition. Sweetch will certainly return in 2023 as part of the Israeli pavilion that showcases unique Israeli “startup nation” innovation.
Mike Brandofino, President and COO, Caregility
Twitter: @caregility
HIMSS22 felt like a much-needed return to normalcy. It was great to reconnect with customers, colleagues, and partners in person. Staffing challenges and patient experience were top of mind for many providers and virtual care solutions, including our own new Inpatient Virtual Engagement offering, were well represented as a means to help address both areas. Providers are increasingly looking for tools that will allow them to consolidate telehealth resources onto a centralized platform. Hybrid care models are gaining traction as care teams look to improve patient satisfaction and drive efficiency for care teams.
Dave Skordahl, VP of Business Development, Harmony HealthcareIT
Twitter: @HarmonyHIT
HIMSS22 allowed us to talk about interoperability and the key role we play in ensuring access to full historical medical records through the Cures Act. One of our key clients led an educational session on legacy data management that drew great attendance. Strategic, in-person meetings with prospects, clients and partners were refreshing and welcomed. Our Harmony Healthcare IT team is booked for HIMSS23 in Chicago next year.
Michael Seggev, VP Commercial, Donisi Health
It was great to be back in person at HIMSS after two years’ absence. We were fortunate to be in the Healthcare of the Future pavilion, where we had the opportunity to discuss Donisi’s work to disrupt the congestive heart failure (CHF) patient readmission cycle with providers, innovators, and investors in the space. Their feedback was remarkable, both about the use case and our solution.
The best part about HIIMSS is that you know everyone in every sector of our business will be there. The conversations are so fruitful because everyone has significant knowledge of our challenges and opportunities. Based on ~100 discussions at HIMSS, I’m now confident in saying that we have the only tool providing medical-grade data using contact-free, at-home, remote monitoring of pulmonary congestion in CHF patients, with the goal of reducing the primary cause of hospital readmissions for Medicare patients.
We, of course, plan to return next year. Only cancellations and COVID could keep us away! No other meeting has the depth and breadth of critical stakeholders, most of whom are looking for innovative solutions to the pain points in healthcare today. There is no meeting quite like HIMSS.
Pouria Sanae, CEO, ixlayer
Twitter: @ixlayer_
We really enjoyed learning about the exciting advances in the healthcare space and were amazed at how covid-19 enabled the innovations happening around us. Healthcare innovation has radically improved our health and our lives. Some key takeaways were:
- At home and mobile lab testing is an essential part of the future of healthcare.
- The importance of meeting patients where they are: home, work or on the go.
- The patient experience is as vital as ever. There’s a need for accessible and affordable access to healthcare testing.
We definitely plan to return next year and are excited to see what’s to come.
Rohan D’Souza, Chief Product Officer, Olive
Twitter: @rohanpdsouza
Twitter: @oliveai__
HIMSS22 provided us with the opportunity to engage partners, customers and colleagues in meaningful conversations on topics transforming the industry and the role technology can play within, like solving healthcare’s human problems, shifting from point solutions to platforms to create deeper connectivity with legacy systems, driving value and more. Based on the exhibition floor, it was reassuring to see so many innovators share their ideas, insights and perspectives for tackling these top-of-mind issues.
Key takeaway: How to drive seamless integration between providers and payers and interoperability were among this year’s biggest conversation drivers. And, there was plenty of interest in how the industry is progressing on going beyond the traditional transactions between providers and payers. Many noted the frustrations on both sides of the fax machine. Similarly, automation software started to show that it can have real value in solving this pain point across all job functions.
As we look to HIMSS23, we need to keep up the momentum and deliver on our promises so we can create a better health ecosystem for all to thrive.
Jeff Becker, Vice President, Portfolio Marketing, FinThrive
Twitter: @Fin_Thrive
HIMSS provided a great opportunity for us to reconnect with customers and partners in person after what has felt like a long hiatus from attending the conference. Going into the event, I think everyone was wondering what the turnout would look like, but I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of foot traffic we saw on the exhibit floor. Staffing shortages and consumerization in healthcare dominated the conversations we had this year, which aligned nicely for us as we launched our End-to-End Revenue Management platform at the show and were able to demonstrate some of the automation and patient engagement tools we are bringing to market that address these issues. For us, our attendance was valuable. We also had the opportunity to present our most recent market research on the rise of single-enterprise-wide revenue cycle management solutions and where the space is heading. This was also time well spent.
As far as whether exhibitors and attendees will return next year, I think – as with all things 2020s – it will depend on the state and severity of the pandemic come April. Barring any significant issues at the time of the conference, I think we will see a steady increase in attendance as HIMSS works to grow back to the 45k annual event it once was. I imagine there will always be a place for HIMSS in health IT.
By Dr. Nick van Terheyden aka Dr. Nick
Twitter: @drnic1
Host of Dr. Nick: The Incrementalist – #TheIncrementalist
Two conferences in two weeks after a two year hiatus.
There has been a lot of commentary on the return to in person and while there have been other conferences in between they mostly occurred under a shadow of some restrictions and continued disease burden and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its multiple variants that wreacked so much havoc on our world. But here we are with another healthcare conference and one with a long track record in healthcare, technology and innovation.
Check out Dr. Nick’s thoughts and takeaways from each day at HIMSS22.