With hundreds of sessions available over a five-day span, scrolling down the HIMSS18 agenda can be a little daunting.
Push that anxiety to the side, for the time being, anyway. We’ve sifted through next week's agenda to pull out some of the can’t-miss sessions featuring telehealth, federal health IT policy and cybersecurity, to name a few topics. Here are the eight educational sessions you’ll want to carve out room for in your HIMSS schedule.
How CMS is leveraging information and technology in Medicare and Medicaid
We know that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) is intently focused on reducing physician burdens, particularly when it comes to health IT usability. In this session, CMS Administrator Seema Verma veers into slightly different waters to discuss patient ownership of health data and the ways the agency plans to use new technology for patients on government health plans.
Tuesday, March 6. 8:30-9:30 a.m. Venetian Convention Center, Pallazo K.
Chat with a doctor: On-demand, asynchronous physician advice
Kaiser Permanente is one of several large health systems investing heavily in telehealth. In this session, Ari Melmed, the medical director for Kaiser Permanente Colorado, will discuss an app they launched in November 2016 that allows patients to instantly connect with a Kaiser physician using asynchronous technology. Melmed will discuss the adoption rates of the program and explain the optimum use case for the technology.
Wednesday, March 7. 4:00-5:00 p.m. Venetian Convention Center, Pallazo E.
The Washington perspective: A fireside chat with the ONC national coordinator
For those focused on health IT regulations, policy and the direction of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, Donald Rucker’s chat will be a must-see. Expect a lot of talk about the agency’s new Trusted Exchange Framework, APIs and—as always—usability and interoperability.
Tuesday, March 6. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Venetian Convention Center, Pallazo K
Fraud and abuse compliance for the health IT industry
This one may be particularly interesting for compliance or risk officers. The speaker list features a senior counselor at HHS, plus the assistant U.S attorney from Vermont, the same office that led the investigation against eClinicalWorks and began investigating Practice Fusion last year. The pair plans to discuss how fraud and abuse laws apply to the health IT industry and tips on how to strengthen compliance.
Tuesday, March 6. 4:00-5:00 p.m. Venetian Convention Center, Marcello 4405.
Clinical and operational excellence at the Cleveland Clinic
Wondering how one of the most well-regarded health systems in the country handles analytics? System analysts from the Cleveland Clinic talk about how they use visual analytics to empower clinicians and assist with executive decision-making. They’ll also talk about ways to leverage analytics for population health initiatives.
Wednesday, March 7. 1:00-2:00 p.m. Venetian Convention Center, Lando 4301.
Leveraging HIE for disaster preparedness and response
Hurricanes in Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico have shown how important it is to have patient data accessible during and after an emergency. Health information exchanges have been critical to that effort when used effectively. Two representatives from CMS will talk about ways the federal government is including data sharing in its response efforts.
Wednesday, March 7. 2:30-3:30 p.m. Venetian Convention Center, Murano 3301.
Chief experience officer: New leaders in driving innovation to transform healthcare
With a growing focus on patient engagement and consumerism, some healthcare systems are adding a chief experience officer to the C-suite. This session features one of those executives, Sue Murphy from the University of Chicago Medicine, who will talk about what makes this emerging leadership position important and why more systems may be hiring one of their own.
Wednesday, March 7. 4:00-5:00 p.m. Venetian Convention Center, Delfino 4002.
Partnering for medical device security and patient safety
Healthcare is already facing a heightened number of cyberthreats, but few vulnerabilities are more concerning than those associated with medical devices. While manufacturers are working to establish industry guidelines and federal regulators are determining their oversight role, hospitals can take steps to help reduce the risks associated with networked devices. Executives with Stanford Children’s Health will talk about ways to strategize device security management and integrate new devices safely.
Thursday, March 8. 4:00-5:00 p.m. Venetian Convention Center, Delfino 4004.