ORLANDO – With federal and state health IT initiatives being developed or fine-tuned, and hospitals, IDNs and physician practices either planning or deploying health IT projects in the last year, expect the exhibit floor to be even more crowded than ever. Indeed, our exclusive poll of HIMSS08 pre-registered attendees found that nearly seven in every 10 attendees was going to the show to “research vendors/products for upcoming IT project.”

The 850+ exhibitors – more than 175 will be exhibiting at HIMSS08 for the first time – should expect to see serious shoppers at the 2008 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition.

“We are in the process of researching an EHR for our 26-hospital system that also meets the needs of our tremendously large outpatient community,” Gerald Engel director of health services for the New York State Office of Mental Health.

HIMSS’ electronic medical record category of exhibitors has eight subcategories and more than 100 companies demonstrating their systems and components in this always popular health IT product.

 “We are beginning to plan for a core hospital system replacement and HIMSS is always an invaluable resource to see vendor products,” said Alice Cronin, administrator of information services for Nyack Hospital, a 375-bed community acute-care medical and surgical center located in Rockland County.