HIMSS17 Federal Health IT Solutions Pavilion to put population health, interoperability, value-based care on display
The show floor at HIMSS17 will be a vast ocean of booths showcasing healthcare technology solutions being developed by commercial vendors and implemented by providers. Another big part of the healthcare technology story is the ongoing effort by government agencies to provide resources, funding and information designed to promote interoperability, value-based care, population health management and medical research.
Fortunately, attendees interested in the latest federal efforts toward enabling the use of technology to improve healthcare won’t have to roam far and wide in the Orlando County Convention Center. Instead they can visit the Federal Health IT Solutions Pavilion at Booth 230 in Hall A to see federal resources and products on display and attend any of 22 educational sessions in the pavilion’s theater.
Agencies such as the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the Defense Health Agency, Federal Health Architecture, and the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) will have representatives on hand at the pavilion to provide information to attendees on programs and resources offered.
“This is a chance for attendees to learn about the issues federal health agencies are working on, as well as grant opportunities and guidance regarding recent regulations,” says Jeff Coughlin, senior director of federal and state affairs at HIMSS.
ONC, for example, offers resources to support electronic clinical quality improvement, EHR implementation guidelines, a health IT certification program, and funding to advance healthcare technology, while HRSA has an extensive grants program and offers scholarships and loans for providers and healthcare students.
Education sessions are scheduled from Monday morning through Wednesday afternoon in the pavilion’s theater. Among the topics of the 30-minute sessions are: streamlining the IT acquisition process, validation of interoperable medical device data, healthcare cyber threat intelligence information sharing, FDA’s Final Postmarket Cybersecurity Guidance and Rural Technical Assistance for Telehealth.
Coughlin said he hopes the Federal Health IT Solutions Pavilion raises awareness among attendees of the resources and assistance available to them.
“I want them to walk away with a greater understanding of the issues these agencies work on, as well as how these agencies can help the community continue to transform healthcare,” he said.
HIMSS17 runs from Feb. 19-23, 2017 at the Orange County Convention Center.
This article is part of our ongoing coverage of HIMSS17. Visit Destination HIMSS17 for previews, reporting live from the show floor and after the conference.
