Every year there are new features added to the HIMSS Global Conference and Expo’s slate of events, educational offerings and networking opportunities. As you might expect, 2019 will be no different.
If you’re new to the world of HIMSS conferences, read our previously published HIMSS conference content regarding everything from using social media to enhance your conference experience to things to keep in mind as you start planning.
Along that same theme, today we’re focusing on what’s new at HIMSS19. The following features, sessions, amenities and showcases will be of interest to you, whether you’re a seasoned HIMSS conference goer or a first timer.
Don’t forget to come see us at HIMSS19 on University Row. We’ll be in kiosk UR12!
HIMSS Circles
Comprised of nine groups for this first iteration, Circles is an attempt to create curated communities that help conference goers tailor their experience to their areas of interest at the global conference.
The nine communities include non-IT executives, clinical executives, IT executives, security executives, entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, pharma, biomedicine and nurse informaticists. HIMSS plans to expand the number of communities for 2020, but if you join one of these Circles now, you’ll experience pre-event informational webinars, an on-site welcome event, receive information about recommended education sessions, tours of exhibition areas and post conference follow ups.
“We welcome over 45,000 of what I call our friends and family, from over 90 different countries,” says Kerry Amato, Director of Professional Development for HIMSS. “It’s a big show and it’s easy to get lost. So we wanted to make the global conference more navigable, make it easier to find your tribe so to speak. We want you to find people that are facing the same challenges you are. Circles is a chance for attendees to find those people and connect.”
Learning Lounge
If you get tired of running between sessions and trying to keep diligent notes, you can now take a break in the learning lounge. The goal is to provide a variety of conference educational programming across 10 jumbo screens and allow you to learn at your own pace. Simply pick up a pair of headphones before kicking back and catching up on things you may have missed. HIMSS is curating content to be featured in the space in order to cultivate an engaging learning environment which will include HIMSS TV and live programming. Sponsors and conference attendees will have the opportunity to collaborate in the lounge, which is open on Tuesday-Thursday in the Valencia ballroom.
Innovation Areas
Three different live innovation areas will be located throughout the exhibit hall floor, each dedicated to its own specialized area. They are as follows:
- Innovation Live- shows current capabilities in blockchain, augmented and virtual reality, biometrics and artificial intelligence.
- The Future of Healthcare- looks closer at where trends are taking the industry from a clinical perspective as well as retail and pharma.
- Emerging Technologies- shows the possibilities surrounding robotics and electronic devices.
New Topic Categories
Like any other year, topics are ever evolving for HIMSS19. Some are expected and relevant to the shifting healthcare landscape as we see it unfold, things like “Consumerization of Health” or “Healthy Aging and Technology” due to the aging baby boomer population. Others include:
- Disruptive Care Models
- Clinically Integrated Supply Chain
- Grand Societal Challenges
- Healthcare Applications and Technologies Enabling Care Delivery
- Health Information Exchange, Interoperability, Data Integration and Standards
- Safe Information and Technology Practices for Patient Care
For a full list of session categories at HIMSS19, visit the session search feature on the conference site and filter by topic.
The NextGen Talent Pipeline
Identifying and educating the next generation of health IT professionals is core goal of HIMSS and as usual, there will be plenty of optional education events at the global conference to help them do just that. From the complementary career fair to career development seminars, the Student Case Competition and CAHIMS review courses, the global conference has no shortage of talent development opportunities.
“Workforce is an extremely important issue in healthcare right now and a very hot topic,” Amato said. “I read a stat the other day that if we change nothing related to healthcare, we’ll be short somewhere between 15,000 and 50,000 doctors by 2030. Workforce is definitely an issue that HIMSS is focused on and that you will see featured heavily at the conference.”
