Three hot topics to listen out for at HIMSS17
In just under a week’s time, the doors will open to The 2017 HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition (HIMSS17), the biggest date in the health IT calendar. Over 40,000+ health IT professionals, clinicians, executives and vendors from around the world are expected to attend this year’s event, which will be hosted in the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL, between February 19-23.
With more than 300 education programs scheduled, featuring thought leadership sessions, keynotes, workshops and more, not to mention the 1,200+ exhibitors that will be showcasing their products and services on the exhibit floor, attendees at this year’s event will have access to some of the most forward thinking minds in health IT, cybersecurity, and much, much more.
While by no means an exhaustive list, below are three topics that we think will prove to be major talking points at this year’s event.
Challenges in the transition to value-based care
The transition from a fee-for-service to pay-for-value reimbursement model is proving to be one of the biggest financial challenges in modern U.S. healthcare history. While the drive towards value-based care is accelerating, there’s still a long way to go for the majority of providers who are tasked with making it become a reality.
One of the major challenges for healthcare providers is a lack of knowledge around what technologies are required to achieve a transition to value-based reimbursement: A recent report revealed that more than half of healthcare organizations aren’t yet ready to adopt alternative payment models for value-based care.
Privacy and security are also big challenges – as value-based care is fueled by data, providers face increased pressures to keep sensitive information protected, and out of the hands of bad actors.
The transition to value-based care will take years to become a reality. Until it does, conversations around how the industry achieves its collective goals will only become more frequent.
Patient empowerment through disruptive technology
Patients are playing an increasingly important role in their own healthcare choices. Aided by advancements in technology, patients today are able to make educated decisions that support their short-term and long-term health needs, often without the need of a doctor.
Basic forms of self-monitoring have existed for many years, but advancements in mobile technology, wearables and other connectivity solutions are causing disruption in the market that’s only set to intensify throughout 2017.
But with innovation comes a new set of challenges: Security, privacy, and issues around permission control and confidentiality being some of the major issues. With so much happening in this space, and with so many challenges to overcome, patient empowerment is likely to be a big talking point at this year’s event.
Improving health data cybersecurity
The healthcare industry continues to struggle with protecting sensitive health information entrusted to it by patients. Additionally, the growing number of patients taking control of their own health management through apps, fitness trackers etc. is resulting in more health data being stored on more devices than ever before. This presents an ever-growing challenge for the industry.
Experts have pointed to the following three issues as being some of the higher priority items for 2017:
- Evolving ransomware threats
- Creation of patient generated health data
- Development of risk management processes and systems
The significance of these issues is reflected in the number of related sessions that are scheduled to take place at HIMSS17 – you can find the full Cybersecurity and Privacy & Security schedule here.
If you’re heading to HIMSS17, why not come and say hello? You can find us on booth 7775. More details and a map can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there.
