Whatever your reason is for attending the HIMSS annual conference each year, there is never a shortage of education sessions, technology demonstrations, social networking, and meetings on meaningful topics specifically suited to your own tastes. This year was no exception for the variety of curriculum available and everyone I spoke with seemed collectively pleased at the educational and social diversity of the show, expressing key takeaways that stuck in their heads above any other experiences.

To be honest, it’s easy to get swept up in the pageantry of the conference, especially when you snake your way through the exhibit hall and witness the vendor grandeur that fills the senses with excitement and awe at the cornucopia of solutions and strategies that exist to help keep the industry moving forward through innovation and collaboration. The conference may seem overwhelming at times, but chances are you had an agenda prior to arrival and were able to successfully seek out the education sessions, vendor booths, and social conversations that were on your checklist.  

There are probably a host of takeaways from this year’s conference for some (maybe even too long of a list to fathom) and for others just a few key points that stuck. I had the pleasure of attending a few post conference meetups and while I was there, I asked some industry professionals this question: “If you could define what your one key takeaway from this conference was, what would it be?”

Here is a recap of what they told me:

1. Mel Smith Jones (@MelSmithJones) – “There is something magical when you bring like minds together. It’s like landing on a planet and finding yourself. (HIMMS 2013) made me smarter, stronger and more informed of the key issues. It elevates my own ideas in a way I couldn’t have done on my own. This is how innovation happens.”
2. Mark Bradley (@amramp) – “My key takeaway from this year’s conference was to actually be able to see and experience interoperability and interfacing between devices. We are jumping from a life of concept to a life of reality. The younger generation are in a position to take advantage of technologies we (older generation) only dreamed of and move it forward in a direction never thought of. My only worry is that technology doesn’t overrun the human factor and ruin the quality of life. I also see less competition, and more collaboration between vendors.”
3. Jennifer Dennard (@SmyrnaGirl) – “My key takeaway was patient engagement, which everyone seems to be trying to figure out. Employers are increasingly seeking new ways to establish employee accountability for their own healthcare and the industry seems to constantly crave new tools to keep patients engaged in their own care.”
4. Don Seamonds (@donseamons) – “One point that stuck in my head was that you can have the best healthcare model in town, but if you can’t get patients on board, it won’t work. In addition, from a vendor perspective, the key to HIMSS is getting their message out in front of the right people. At times, it’s like stepping in front of a speeding bullet to get in front of those people, but it’s essential to reap success from the conference.”
5. Janice McCallum (@janicemccallum) – “With all the talk of patient centered care, this is the first time we see signs of it. Giving patients equal access to data benefits everyone.”
6. John Lynn (@ehrandhit) – “During HIMSS, I heard Ed Marx, CIO of Texas Health Resources say that "Social Media is the currency of healthcare."  A very interesting way to look at social media.  Plus, there are a lot in healthcare who are pretty poor when it comes to use of social media.”
7. Dr. Joseph Kim (@DrJosephKim) – “My biggest takeaway from this year’s HIMSS conference was the emphasis on mobile healthcare. Mobile health is advancing rapidly to promote patient engagement as well as to improve clinical workflow efficiency. (The need of) mobility for doctors and nurses spurs innovative tools on many different levels. A lot of these tools may not last but the emphasis on mobility and its definition is evolving every year. The lines between mhealth mobility and telehealth are getting more and more blurred.”
8. Ken Congdon (@KenOnHIT) – “This year’s conference has taught me that I need to structure more of my editorial content on how healthcare can better manage risk. It’s all about providing real world examples of how health facilities are managing their own risk. One other impression I get is that people don’t want to hear as much about meaningful use as much as they do on how to manage the risks associated with compliance, etc.”
9. Don Fluckinger (@DonFluckinger) – “What I found interesting that the CIOs that I talked to out on the floor and some of the health data standards people I speak with are seeing the CommonWell Health Alliance as similar to the Betamax vs. VHS format argument.”
10. Dr. Wen Dombrowski (@healthcareWen) – “The three things that I think are my most important takeaways are number one that more people are focused on usability, demonstrated by my discussions with some vendors and health IT leadership that are passionate about it and at least trying to make their products more user friendly and intuitive. Number two, I think anyone who is a stakeholder in health IT or healthcare should look at current competitors, current products, and best practices and start with that as the baseline for solution development. Number three, even though HIMSS is largely focused on technology, it’s important for me to meet and connect with colleagues and stakeholders in my field and have the opportunity to get other people’s opinions on new trends, challenges, and solutions.”

My HIMSS 2013 key takeaway? It would have to be how social media is continually evolving as a key communication tool that helps patients, providers, vendors, and stakeholders engage and promote accountability for their own healthcare.