Himss – Everything You Need To Know

By Author: Sparity
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Introduction
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is an international not-for-profit, cause-based organization, aiming to improve human health through the application of information and technology. HIMSS is a member-based society dedicated to transforming the global health ecosystem and leads efforts to optimize health engagements and care outcomes. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, it was founded in 1961 as the Hospital Management Systems Society (HMSS) on the premise that members and other interested parties could benefit from an organized exchange of experience to improve understanding of the principles underlying hospital management systems, as well as develop new principles and strategies for improving the capabilities of individuals who direct hospital programs and practitioners who analyse, design, or improve hospital systems. HMSS move to encompass information systems and telecommunications professionals, and in the year 1986, changed its name to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
Whereas today, HIMSS expertise spans health innovation, workforce development, ...
... public policy, research, and digital health transformation to advise leaders, stakeholders, and influencers throughout the global health ecosystem on best practices. Today, HIMSS serves the global health community and exits at the continent level with focused operations across North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, as well as include local chapters. Its membership consists of over 650 health services organizations, 470 non-profit partners, 480 provider organizations, 110,000 individuals, including CIOs, project managers, clinicians and systems analysts, students, and more. The HIMSS network engages thousands of volunteers each year to leverage the power of digital health to improve population health, access, quality of care, cost-efficiency, and value.

HIMSS, through its content expertise, professional development, and research initiatives frames and leads healthcare IT practices and public policy to improve the quality, safety, access, and cost-effectiveness of patient care. HIMSS formulates its Public Policy Principles as guidelines for legislators in Congress and state legislatures composing health IT-related laws, and for their inclusion in national and state legislation to improve quality, access, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare. Furthermore, HIMSS’ Public Policy Principles serve as a roadmap for the organization’s activities throughout the year.

HIMSS Collaborations
HIMSS partners with hundreds of healthcare providers, academic institutions, and health services organizations on strategic initiatives that leverage newer information and technology. HIMSS collaborates with several other organizations, including:
College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME): At the HIMSS annual conference, CHIME and HIMSS co-host the CHIME-HIMSS CIO Forum and the HIMSS-CHIME Cybersecurity Forum.
CommonWell Health Alliance: As part of its partnership with the CommonWell Health Alliance, HIMSS provides education and promotes communication about health information exchange and interoperability.
Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM): SIIM and HIMSS, both organizations, co-host the HIMSS-SIIM Enterprise Imaging Workgroup to identify new ways to advance enterprise imaging strategies by collaborating with clinicians and IT professionals.
HIMSS sponsors the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) initiative in collaboration with the Radiological Society of North America.
HIMSS partners with the UK Department for International Trade to advance and enhance cross-border collaboration in digital health.
HIMSS initiatives and solution
Through a variety of programs, events, and committee engagements, HIMSS carries out strategic initiatives to promote and expand awareness of healthcare, IT advocacy, workforce development, and education. Accelerate Health, Alliance for Nursing Informatics, Electronic Healthcare Record Association, Gravitate Health, Health Technology Alliance, HIMSS Foundation, HIMSS Interoperability Showcase, IHE USA, Immunization Integration Program, ONC’s Interoperability Measurement by Health IT Developers Project, Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER) and more are some initiatives.
In the same way, HIMSS even offers some solutions such as Accelerate, HIMSS Analytics, Healthbox, Health 2.0 HIMSS media, Personal Connected Health Alliance and more, all working towards transforming the global health ecosystem.

HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition
The HIMSS organizations exist at the continent level, regional level, and include local chapters as well. Several chapters often organize regular in-person meetings, which are a great way to network and learn more about healthcare IT. HIMSS chapters also host regional and national conferences. HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition is one of the most talked about and must attend healthcare event of the year, where professionals from every sector of the global ecosystem all over the globe can connect for education, innovation, and collaboration to redefine health and wellness for everyone.

Hundreds of exhibitors attend the event, ranging from established tech giants to nimble startups that will exhibit in spaces larger than an average size home. The exhibit floor offers attendees the chance to see and experience innovative products and services, and to attend educational sessions on hot topics. The exhibit booths of some companies are designed to feel like you are in a home, with comfortable sofas, coffee tables, flower arrangements, decorative drapes, and yes, cappuccino machines. Some companies set up a fully-stocked bar in their exhibit booths, which opens promptly for happy hour – many thirsty conventioneers making their way through the hall before heading off to a multitude of after-parties sponsored by their companies.

The annual HIMSS conference has attracted companies in the health IT sector for decades now. Big brands that have gained a substantial share of the market typically put all their efforts into creating a larger-than-life presence. Their booths on the exhibition floor will cover a great deal of space with huge custom-built structures, hanging and twirling signs, giant monitors with eye-catching videos, and multimedia presentations. At their booths, people dressed in company shirts will try to get your attention with big smiles, so they can demonstrate their product or software or service. Some booths hand out bite-sized pieces of chocolate, pamphlets, leaflets and more. Some booths even invite you to drop off your business card in exchange for a surprise gift.

Companies that wish to exhibit at HIMSS but cannot afford the cost of building booths that resemble mini-movie set, let alone afford the costs to transport and house their employees in hotels charged at convention rates, usually chooses smaller mini-booths with table-top signs and presentations. The creative things these companies can do with a 10*10 space is amazing.

For smaller companies and start-ups looking to attend, walk around, and network, they have to shell out $1505 per person just to get in for non-members. There are many other payment options such as Digital Pass, Single Day Pass, and more that vary for different personal such as member, student, government organizations, organization affiliate and more. You can even participate “virtually” and see the keynote speakers, education sessions, and a multitude of moderated chat sessions. Nevertheless, sitting at your desk and watching HIMSS on your screen isn’t the same as actually being there to see thousands of people being amazed by an endless cavern of dazzling exhibitors.

HIMSS conference is attended by professionals from all parts of the healthcare industry will gather-from CIOs and senior executives to providers, IT professionals, Clinicians, Emerging Healthcare Leaders, government officials, innovators, investor, Cybersecurity Experts, consultants, Retail Health Professionals, Programmers/Developers, Data Analysts, market suppliers, and more.

Is it worth it? Those are the questions every CEO, president, and division executive asks of their marketing and sales leaders about HIMSS. What is the return on investment? What metrics do we use to determine whether the HIMSS conference is worth our participation?

HIMSS is a costly affair. In addition to paying for the rental of the booth space, obtaining electrical and internet service, the cost of transporting your marketing materials, setting up signs, lighting exhibits, connecting monitors, getting waste baskets, vacuuming – you name it. There are costs associated with everything.

Here are some of the ways in which you can justify your company’s presence at HIMSS and try to achieve your objective:

Grow your pipeline - Quantify the number of quality new business leads
The task of capturing new business leads at HIMSS is complicated – for sure – as it’s difficult to gauge the genuine interest of someone who stops by your booth, watches a video, or grabs a pamphlet or hospitality item. Consider doing a pre-conference outreach approach. Pre-scheduling meetings at your booth or another meeting space is recommended to reach out to new business prospects who will be attending the HIMSS show. By doing so, businesses can schedule demos ahead of time or invite selected team members to participate in certain discussions. Another good approach is to purchase the official HIMSS list and create an independent target list by following the old-fashioned method. While lead generation software and devices are must-haves, your booth staff must be diligent about tracking and coding these conversations.
Educate your audiences in person
In contrast to traditional retail companies, most health IT companies don’t have a showroom or storefront where customers can see devices on display, try them out and speak with real people. HIMSS can act as a storefront that opens once a year for your customers and prospects to experience what it’s like to do business with you. This once-a-year opportunity allows you to educate people about what you do, how you deliver results, and most importantly, why your company and services and products are valuable. Making sure that your staff in the booth is well-trained with full range of your company’s products and services, collecting business cards, tracking the number of people who request demos & how many demos you give during HIMSS, and tracking all the people you targeted in your pre-show outreach will help you educate your audience in person.
Seek media and analyst coverage:
Today in the digital age, it’s critical to target the audiences you want to reach. Create a media strategy that allows you to identify and target audiences in your niche in the health IT market. Pre-schedule meetings and collaborate with editors, bloggers, social media influencers and analysts in your niche in the health IT market you want to meet in advance of HIMSS. Create content around your niche, be it videos, blogs, articles, interviews, news announcements, white papers, reports and more.
Meet New People
HIMSS is an excellent networking opportunity. Here are some ways to meet new people at HIMSS.

Scheduled Networking Events: HIMSS organizes after-hours receptions to facilitate networking. You can interact with healthcare professionals who have similar interests at these events. However, these events come at an additional cost. 

Company Parties: While you’re interacting with companies on the exhibition floor, you’ll most likely get invited to parties at local restaurants or happy hours at exhibitor booths. 

Networking Areas: You can interact with your peers at several networking areas provided by HIMSS. A few of these locations will also feature educational sessions and Q&A sessions to spark discussion among attendees.

Explore Digital Opportunities
Do not worry if you are not able to attend HIMSS in person. Many digital options will be available to virtual attendees. The event will include digital content, including an array of speaking sessions and discussion panels led by over 100 speakers. There will be a variety of topics to explore from, including digital transformation, data and interoperability, patient experience, security, and more.
HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition 2022
HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition 2022 in Orlando was scheduled to take place from March 14 to18, 2022. HIMSS kicked off the first official day of HIMSS Orlando 2022 on March 14 in the 1 million square foot exhibit hall Orange County Convention Center with over 950 booths and eight specialty pavilions. Sparity attended the 2022 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition in Orlando with its sister company Doctorite at booth 5865 .
Day 1- 14 March 2022
HIMSS on 14 March kickoff the 2022 HIMSS global conference and exhibition in Orlando and online. HIMSS 22 digital opened with participation from around the globe with a focus on assessing the current state of healthcare and strategizing for the future.
At the executive summit, Visionary John Mackey discussed improving health outcomes by changing our lifestyles, reeducating our palettes, and reforming the healthcare system to optimize health through real-time monitoring. In her talk, Angela discussed how organizational leaders can encourage their workforce to cultivate grit or a sustained passion and perseverance towards long-term goals, which are the common characteristics of high achievers.
A panel of experts discussed the future of healthcare delivery, experts stressed the importance of maintaining a balance between human contact and self-service. Emphasizing on integrating feedback from stakeholders into reform efforts as we move toward greater digitization.
Harry Walker and Andrew Cicella, FBI Special Agents, discussed how healthcare organizations can work with the bureau to protect patient information.
The panelists at the patient experience forum discussed how social determinants play a critical part in ensuring the quality and equity of care and ensuring innovative care delivery models.
Day 2- 15 March 2022
HIMSS opening day Tuesday, March 15 2022 in Orlando opened its exhibit hall with over 950 booths and eight specialty pavilions. Exhibit floor open at 10 am.
Opening Keynote by Ben Sherwood, Former Co-Chair of Disney Media Networks and President of Disney | ABC Television Group addressed the audience on the topic Daring Greatly: Leading and Succeeding in the Age of Disruption. Followed by an interview with Milton Chen, Co-founder and CEO of VSee
HIMSS trust partners revealed global research insights from a 2022 state of healthcare survey that only 25 percent of patient’s report receiving personalized care, a stark contrast to the responses of caregivers.
On HIMSS 22 digital, Lisa J. Pino Director of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, gave a visionary keynote on the topic, an update on HIPPA privacy, security and breach notification.
A panel of experts discussed the roadblocks to interoperability – The fight for interoperability is not purely a technology problem.
On the exhibit floor, GE Healthcare revealed the Edison digital health platform, which aggregates patient data across EHRs.
Day 3- 16 March 2022
Scott Pelley led panel discussion on workforce sustainability retaining talent and work-life – Preparing for the 2022 and Beyond Work-force Balance.
Health equity possible without accountability- Is it possible? Experts outlined how cross-sector partnerships can minimize friction to improve outcomes.
Emerging Care Models: How retail, big box, pharmacy and online are disrupting traditional practice – One panel explored the rapid expansion and impact of retail and online care models
Re-humanizing the care experience – Panelists analyzed how the pandemic has affected patient care, with a special focus on the elderly population
Panelists discussed the impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare supply chain -The lasting impact of COVID-19 on the supply chain
Director of Defense Health Agency (DHA), Lieutenant General Ronald J. Place shared lessons from the military health system – Military healthcare a partnership to help all the healthcare community. Furthermore, the HIMSS TV stage was buzzing with interviews from the industry’s top thought leaders and innovators.
Day 4- 17 March 2022
Visionary keynote: 7 trends to watch from the fringes of medicine – Experts take us on a tour of products and strategies that are pushing health to the cutting edge
Diversity, equality and inclusion form an Astronaut’s perspective – Astronaut Joan Higginbotham pointed out that the key to achieving success is a diverse team with different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds.
Adrienne Boissy, former Chief Executive Officer at Cleveland Clinic, talked about the importance of the patient experience
Investing in the fringe through the VC lens – Leading healthcare VCs shared their insights and predictions on where will the capital flow for digital health investment.
Certification program standards and technology update from ONC – Reps from the ONG shared updates on their certification program and its impact on healthcare technology
Day 5- 18 March 2022
Top Gun and Healthcare – Former fighter pilot Jim Murphy and wing-woman Jen Johnson share some inspiration for healthcare industry professionals.
Michael Phelps closed the 2022 HIMSS Global Conference and exhibition with a keynote on mental health and personal transformation – The Pursuit of Dreams.
Overall, the annual HIMSS conference was a pleasant one, and both the exhibit space and sessions were buzzing. There was an excitement and energy in the air as the aisles and hallways were bustling. The exhibit was filled with prizes won by spinning wheels, giveaways like water bottles, hand sanitizer, first aid kit, screen wipe, or phone holder, a lot of gourmet cookies, smoothies, popcorn, pretzels, and lots of coffee being offered by exhibitors.

We had more meaningful discussions with a number of people including partners, customers, and colleagues coming through the booth. Most conversations were more serious and at a higher level than people just passing by and asking a basic question. These topics included: tackling healthcare’s human problems, moving from point solutions to platforms to create deeper integrations with legacy systems, driving value, transforming the health industry and the role technology can play, and more. Discussed pertinent trends such as remote patient monitoring, interoperability and CDS hooks. We watched demos of many new and innovative products on the various showcase stages. On the exhibition floor, it was encouraging to see so many innovators share their perspectives, insights, and ideas for tackling these pressing issues.

Sparity took the opportunity to attend HIMSS22 to show off our ability to offer healthcare solutions for both payers and providers. Having strategic meetings with prospects, clients, and partners in person was refreshing and appreciated. Sparity organized a giveaway contest where participants who answer in the contest were given Kardia EKG card. Doctorite – A mental wellness platform that aims to lower the stigma surrounding mental health treatment and make it more accessible for all, developed by our sister company, Doctorite Inc. received tremendous response at the booth regarding its features, importance, and its relevance in today’s pandemic affected age. Insightful conversations and debates happened on the topics of mental health. Our subject-matter expert and Chief Strategy Officer Dr Jayanthi Subramanian even had the opportunity to showcase the poster presentation on the topic social isolation and loneliness (SIL) for patients in PCP practices.

It was an exciting week filled with technology trends, healthcare innovation and industry collaboration for both Sparity and Doctorite networking with industry professional & inspiring leaders, making new connections & memories, attending keynote talks, learning and showcasing our product and services at the exhibit.

We definitely plan to return next year to attend HIMSS23 and are excited and looking forward to seeing what’s to com

Sparity is globally recognized software development company & IT service provider, offering next-gen technology consulting & digital services