A look ahead to HIMSS conference

张琨

A look ahead to HIMSS conference
<br>Healthcare IT News
<br>By  Jack Beaudoin, Editor  02/06/06
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<br>The industry’s biggest trade show and conference is now just a week away, and by most accounts, the San Diego Convention Center will be busting at the seams with attendees, educational sessions, exhibitions and prestigious speakers.
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<br>Late last month, in his annual list of predictions, Sentillion CEO Robert Seliger said he expected this year’s HIMSS to break all previous records. A safe prediction, according to HIMSS officials, who say they expect to top 2005’s unprecedented year, with more than 800 vendors in the Exhibit Hall and more than 22,000 attendees on hand.
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<br>“This is the perfect place to ‘know my industry’ with a concentration of so much information and education sources,” said Andy Paikoff of Vantage Technology Consulting.
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<br>Concentration is an appropriate word. While vendors appreciate the show’s ability to muster vast crowds, HIMSS put a freeze on the amount of real estate exhibitors could occupy in the convention center. That decision left more than a few vendors grumbling, although others sought creative solutions to the space crunch.
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<br>Eclipsys, for example, built its booth up. It went with a double-decker design to gain more room and added second floor filled with private meeting rooms. McKesson, another show anchor, redesigned its booth to maximize usable space.
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<br>Leavitt backs out
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<br>The show’s keynote lineup took a hit when Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt cancelled plans to speak on Monday. Instead of making opening remarks, Leavitt will be attending a high-level international meeting on the potential avian flu pandemic.
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<br>That leaves the spotlight on David Brailer, MD, National Coordinator for Healthcare IT.
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<br>He speaks on the morning of Feb. 13 and is expected to lay out an ambitious federal agenda for 2006.
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<br>Former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge speaks on Wednesday, Feb. 15, while former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner and Intel Chairman Craig Barrett share the dais on Thursday, Feb. 16.  Comedian Dana Carvey closes out the show that afternoon.
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<br>Certification unveiled?
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<br>While Tuesday is bereft of keynote speakers, there are two Town Halls that should draw a lot of interest from attendees. The first will be presented by the Certification Commission for Healthcare IT, which is presently beta testing certification for ambulatory electronic medical records vendors.
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<br>Dan Michelson, chief marketing officer of Allscripts and a member of CCHIT’s certification process work group, said vendors are becoming increasingly involved in the certification development process. That probably reflects a bit of anxiety about what the final product will look like, he said. The beta tests are expected to be completed by the end of the month.
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<br>“Are people more interested now than they were a year ago? Yes. Are they more interested now than they were six months ago? Yes, again,” he said.
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<br>The second Town Hall, held Tuesday afternoon, will be moderated by Brailer and his staff, and will discuss the latest developments of the American Health Information Community, a public-private chartered task force that is assisting the federal government in its healthcare IT decision-making.
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