HIMSS conference happening place

CONFERENCES, announcements, hospitals and provider practices rose to the top of the list as places where something important in the healthcare industry occurred in 2008, according to Healthcare IT News readers.

Leading the way in the category of conferences was HIMSS08 in Orlando. “HIMSS conference continues to be the industry-leading event where all forces in healthcare IT come together,” one respondent said.

“HIMSS Annual Conference & Expo is the place for sharing and providing information about industry trends and new technology,” said another.

Many respondents listed major announcements, such as the Microsoft and Google PHRs, and regular features, such as the Interoperability Showcase, as the reason for choosing HIMSS08.

“Eric Schmidt’s announcement of the Google Health Initiative at HIMSS08 was the most significant and important event of the year,” said one respondent. “The Google endorsement for health IT more than anything else that happened this year truly excited the public interest and furthered acceptance that health IT is coming soon.”

The Medical Group Management Association’s annual conference was also cited. One respondent said this year’s conference was notable because it highlighted vendors for e-prescribing, which the respondent said “will be (the) single most significant change in the next year.”

The Allscripts-Misys merger was selected by many as “one of the biggest occurrences of the year.” Although the merger isn’t a place, one respondent noted that between the two vendors, “one in three physicians and one in five hospitals have their products.”

“This merger with Allscripts Misys has to be a beginning of all good things,” said one respondent.

“Anywhere where the EHR is becoming reality,” another respondent said. That thinking accounted for votes for such health systems as the Cleveland Clinic and Children’s Hospital in Boston.

There were several votes for respondents’ own practices. “I am trying to assist the hospital in using a platform such that it can be directly connected to my EMR system so that my dictations and patient data can be entered directly into my server and allow quick access,” one respondent said.

“My own hospital,” another respondent said. “We are a small critical access hospital in Illinois and are in the beginning stages of implementing an EHR. So far – so good!”

Finally, some respondents paid homage to the Internet. “With Microsoft’s HealthVault and Google’s forays into health information, the Internet seems to be the place where all health information will someday live and, therefore, be discoverable by any hacker worth his salt,” wrote one respondent.