HIMSS15: George W. Bush, Karen DeSalvo headline keynote speakers

In April 2004, President George W. Bush (pictured right), through an Executive Order, created the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT with a goal of widespread use of electronic health records within 10 years.

Eleven years later, thanks in part to the efforts of ONC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, healthcare providers increasingly are adopting EHRs. The agency also is spearheading a push to create a continuous, data-driven learning health system by 2024.

What is Bush's assessment of the agency's progress to date? Find out when he takes the stage as the marquee keynote speaker at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's annual conference in Chicago on Wednesday, April 15, at 4:30 p.m.

Other keynote speakers throughout the week include:

National Coordinator for Health IT Karen DeSalvo and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt: DeSalvo (pictured left) and Slavitt will serve as the morning keynote speakers for the conference's final day on Thursday, April 16, starting at 8:30. With the recent unveiling of Meaningful Use Stage 3 and the Senate's anticipated vote on a Sustainable Growth Rate bill passed by the House that could have a far-reaching impact on federal health IT efforts, these speeches should not be missed.

Humana CEO Bruce Broussard: On Tuesday, April 14, at 8:30 a.m., Broussard will talk about Humana's use of information technology to engage consumers, as well as the growing role of mobile tools and data analytics in the healthcare industry at large.

Walgreens President Alex Gourlay: On Monday, April 13, at 8 a.m., Gourlay will talk about how Walgreens takes advantage of technology to serve its customers. In December, for instance, the pharmacy retail giant and telemedicine company MDLive announced a partnership that will enable users of Walgreens' website round-the-clock access to board certified doctors through its mobile application.