Tag Archives: HIMSS

HIMSS24 from a distance

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I haven’t been to a national HIMSS conference since 2019. We all remember how the early days of the pandemic led to a last minute cancelled HIMSS20. Since then, there has been a multi-year transition in the conference approach. It was back to what appeared to be a pre-pandemic level of attendance at HIMSS24 this week. I sat it out again this year but watched from afar on social media.

On social media I saw the key vendor announcements, session highlights, and got a glimpse of the oh so valuable in person networking as many people shared pictures of reconnecting with one another.

Bill Russell’s This Week Health Newsday episode on March 8 – “HIMSS , Yes or No?” – asked are you going to HIMSS, should you be going? He aptly named national conferences like HIMSS as “carnival” type events. With over 1,000 vendors exhibiting at HIMSS, the description fits. But, if you are looking to meet with your vendors or research new vendors to solve real problems, the exhibit hall was the place to be. He also refers to “relationship” events – smaller conferences and events where there is an emphasis on the peer-to-peer connection we all value. That’s where I am putting my focus given my current work.

At any conference, networking is key. There are benefits to you and your organization as you build relationships and learn from your peers. It is not just about your own career journey which is often what people think about networking. In the past four years we’ve become accustomed to virtual connections and events, but I agree that there is nothing like in-person events for networking and renewing relationships.

Did I have FOMO this week? Maybe a little. But am I continuing to build new and nurture old relationships with colleagues and clients every day? Yes.

I look forward to reading the HIMSS24 recaps in industry publications and from attendees on their social media accounts to learn even more. Here are a few to start: Continue reading →

Navigating the AI landscape in healthcare: HIMSS23 recaps and more

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Last week I jumped in on the hot topic of AI with my post, “AI in healthcare – is 2023 the breakout year?”. HIMSS23 was just wrapping up so I was waiting to hear overall recaps and especially updates on AI and ChatGPT.

Those recaps came as expected. Here’s a short compilation of several I found:

And finally, a resource to keep watching and listening to is Bill Russell’s This Week Health. His most recent Newsday show was “Today: Deploying Chat-GPT in your setting”. He references an article by Jonathan Balaban, a data scientist, and emphasizes the need for governance and security. Bill sees a lot of potential for ChatGPT but argues organizations need boundaries. As my favorite television news anchor likes to say, “watch this space”.

The use of AI in healthcare is evolving quickly. Every vendor seems to be an AI vendor in some form, or so they say. CIOs need to stay current, leverage their current vendor partners, carefully assess the new niche players and their claims, develop AI skills within their teams, and find ways to experiment that make the most sense for their organization.

If you have AI stories to share, please do. I may use them in future posts.

HIMSS as a networking event

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For those of you attending HIMSS23 in Chicago next week, it will be a mix of education, vendors, and networking. Let’s face it, while education and the exhibit hall are what our organizations are willing to invest in, networking is what we all look forward to each year. Seeing colleagues we’ve known for years, finally meeting in person people we’ve only known on zoom, and making new connections. Especially after a few years of virtual only conferences.

I won’t be attending this year. But that doesn’t stop me from giving some advice on the networking front.

Whether you are in transition and looking to make connections for your next opportunity or you are focused on learning from your peers and sharing success (and failure) stories from your own work, effective networking is critical to your work and your career.

Here’s some general networking advice:

Network extensions – Everyone you know knows a few more people who could potentially be helpful. Proactively and respectfully work your network.

Professionalism – Always present yourself as the consummate professional whether at work, online, or in business interactions after hours.

Two-way street – Figure out what you need from a connection and what you can offer to them.

Diligent follow-up – If you commit to provide a reference, make an introduction, or something else, be sure to do it in a timely manner.

Networking is one of the greatest values of the annual HIMSS conference and HIMSS provides many ways to find people with similar interests as yours. Here’s some slightly modified advice specific to HIMSS from previous years posts: Continue reading →

Health IT conference season via podcast

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I didn’t attend either of the two big March in-person health IT industry events – ViVE (CHIME+HLTH) and HIMSS22. But I’ve heard a lot of positives about both events from colleagues. Just seeing people in person after two years was a highlight for many. I admit, I miss the in-person connections as well! And I do look forward to attending the CHIME Fall Forum this year celebrating CHIME’s 30th anniversary.

Like my blog post in November after the CHIME Fall Forum, I’m going to point you to what I consider one of the best resources to hear what health IT leaders from provider organizations and vendors had to say about the conferences and what’s on their mind these days.

Bill Russell has continued his Today in Health IT podcast series he calls “Interviews in Action” – interviewing 50 health IT leaders at ViVE and HIMSS22.  Each interview is no more than 10-15 minutes long. After having family in town visiting this week, I’m behind on my daily dog walk podcast listening but I’ve heard almost all the ones that had been dropped through last week. That includes these CIOs among others: Michael Pfeffer at Stanford Medicine, Cara Babachicos at South Shore Health, Cletis Earle at Penn State Health, Andrew Rosenberg at Michigan Medicine, Nassar Nizami at Jefferson Health, Andy Crowder at Atrium Health, and Jamie Nelson at Hospital for Special Surgery. While there are common themes such as staffing and talent, clinician burnout, and cybersecurity, you will also learn about the top focus areas for each organization. You can hear from these CIOs and many other IT leaders and vendors on the Newsroom channel.

Whether you attended these events or not, you’ll find the interviews insightful. And if you are looking for more ways to learn and keep current, check out the other new channels that Bill and his team at This Week in Health IT launched as of January – Academy, Community, and Conference which includes both keynotes and solution showcase podcasts.

You may also want to check out the podcast series from CHIME, HealthsystemCIO.com, and CIO Podcast by Healthcare IT Today.

Happy listening!

Related Posts:

#InternationalPodcastDay

More podcast recommendations – going beyond HIT

 

 

 

HIMSS21 – ready or not

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According to HIMSS there are over 18,000 people registered for the big event next week – either in-person in Las Vegas or virtual/digital. It’s not clear what the split looks like. With the current surge in COVID cases, I assume many registrants may decide to convert to virtual and not travel to Vegas in the next few days. I saw last week some people calling for HIMSS21 to be cancelled. I remember well the days leading up to the HIMSS20 cancellation in March last year. Who would have thought we’d be here again 17 months later? HIMSS appears to be taking all the necessary precautions with vaccine proof required of attendees and now adding a mask requirement while there.

I decided months ago to forego in person HIMSS this year. HIMSS20 registrants did not receive refunds but could apply it to HIMSS21. The conversion value from a full registration to a digital one was not a good one given the significant price difference but there wasn’t another choice as far as I knew.

In past years, I’ve written tips on attending HIMSS and how to make the most of it. Those general tips on education, networking, and vendors still hold true whether in-person or virtual. The education opportunities are probably what digital attendees can get the most from though I’m hoping there are also opportunities to learn about new vendors from a distance.

I’m usually a last-minute planner when it comes to HIMSS. I don’t usually look closely at the schedule and make my specific plans until close to the event. As a digital attendee, I tried to keep my calendar flexible next week so I could attend as many digital sessions as possible. But as busy as I am these days, that didn’t work out so well.

So, I’m down to spending some time this weekend figuring out what is available for the digital attendees, deciding what is of most value to me given my current work and focus, and what’s even possible given my calendar. I’m open to any recommendations on digital sessions from those among you who have mapped out your plans. And any general tips on making the most of a digital registration.

Bill Russell has an interesting plan for his HIMSS time next week which will be virtual after he recently assessed his own personal risk level. Continue reading →

HIMSS20 – are you ready?

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If you work in health IT, you know that the annual HIMSS conference is the biggest industry event each year whether you are headed to Orlando in three weeks or not. The number of emails, blog posts, social media posts, and articles providing guidance and recommendations on HIMSS20 grows with each passing day.

In the next two weeks I’m wrapping up my current interim CTO engagement at University of Vermont Health Network and handing off to the new CTO. If like me you are super busy at work, making your game plan for HIMSS20 is probably low on your priority list. With so much info out there, I decided to pull together some resources that might help in your preparation.

Whether you are attending in person or following the happenings from a distance, the Official HIMSS20 Hashtag Guide will help you focus in on your areas of interest. My top picks this year are #WomenInHIT, #HealthcareStartup, #HealthcareInnovation, and #PatientEngagement. And of course, you’ll want to follow all the HIMSS digital influencers. You can follow and engage with them using hashtag #BeTheChange. If you’re looking for who the 2020 social media ambassadors are, the digital influencers have replaced them with a new and more expansive program.

Several recent blog posts are worth checking out for more previews and tips:

With my focus on developing women leaders in health IT, I’m looking forward to the Women in Healthcare and Tech: Closing the Gap to Strategic Leadership session on March 10 from 10:30AM-11:30AM. A panel of trailblazers with backgrounds in healthcare and technology will discuss empowering women and closing the gap to strategic leadership. Continue reading →

IT matters – why I work in healthcare

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42,000 steps later and HIMSS19 is behind me. Heard insightful and moving speakers at the CHIME CIO Forum. Co-presented with Pam Arora on the relationship between IT and HTM. Sponsored the networking breakfast at the career fair. Facilitated a roundtable at the mentor meetup. Interviewed by Bill Russell for his This Week in Health IT podcast HIMSS series. Walked the exhibit hall. Had many great conversations with new and old colleagues. And promoted our new StarBridge Advisors service, C-change, receiving lot of positive feedback and enthusiasm.

Did I meet my HIMSS19 goals? Yes. Now it’s time for all the follow-up.

In the first two days I was reminded numerous times why I work in healthcare. The CIO Forum planning committee made some bold speaker decisions this year and I applaud them for it. The day included some very personal and touching stories. Continue reading →

#HIMSS19 – are you ready?

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If you work in health IT, you know that the annual HIMSS conference is the biggest annual industry event whether you are headed to Orlando in two weeks or not. The number of emails, blog posts, social media image001 (003) HIMSS19posts, and articles providing guidance and recommendations on HIMSS19 grows with each passing day. And to this year’s theme – yes, we are all champions transforming healthcare through technology!

With so much info out there and so many scheduling choices to make, here are a few more resources and recommendations that might help in your final preparation.

Whether you are attending in person or following the happenings from a distance, the Official HIMSS19 Hashtag Guide will help you focus in on your areas of interest. And of course, you’ll want to follow all the social media ambassadors.

Check out the StarBridge Advisors blog post from principal, David Muntz – “Prepare to visit HIMSS2019 – Health IT’s Magic Kingdom”. David gives his advice for optimal prep and shares our principals’ top picks for this year – mine are #WomenInHIT, #HITventure and #Engage4Health.

At the Career Development Seminar on February 11, David will be presenting “Opportunities in the Rapidly Changing HIT Environment” at Session #4 from 1:00PM-2:00PM and hosting a mentor roundtable on “Future of the Industry” at 3:15PM.

The career fair on Wednesday from 8:30AM-3:30PM is something to consider checking out if you are early in your HIT career, looking for a change, or just want to get some tips from the experts. There is no fee, but separate registration is required.

I’m looking forward to hearing the panel at the #WomeninHIT Meetup – Changing the Scales to #BalanceforBetter on February 12 from 3:00PM-3:45PM at the HIMSS Spot. StarBridge Advisors will be launching a new initiative focused on developing women leaders prior to HIMSS19 – more on this in an upcoming blog. Continue reading →

Guide to HIMSS18 – onsite or remote

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If you work in health IT, you know that the annual HIMSS conference is the biggest annual industry event whether you are headed to Las Vegas next week or not. The number of emails, blog posts, social media HIMSS Blog Imageposts, and articles providing guidance and recommendations on HIMSS18 continues to grow with just a few more days before it all begins.

With so much info out there, I decided to pull together a few more resources that might help in your final preparation:

Here’s the good news! You don’t have to attend to benefit from all that’s happening there. HIMSS TV will be launched for the first time ever. There will be live coverage from the conference. You can also follow on Twitter using #HIMSS18 or specific hashtags for your area of interest.

Whether you are attending in person or following the happenings from a distance, the “Official HIMSS18 hashtag guide” will help you focus in on your areas of interest. And of course you’ll want to follow all the social media ambassadors.

Check out “HIMSS – are you ready?” from StarBridge Advisors to see our principals’ top picks for this year – mine are #WomenInHIT, #HITventure and #Connect2Health.

If you are still trying to pick your education sessions, the topical guides provided by HealthITNews as “Don’t Miss Education Sessions” may be helpful to review.

HealthSystemCIO.com has a special HIMSS18 Preview aimed at CIOs and health IT leaders you’ll want to check out.

Are you an introvert? Continue reading →

Find your voice, a mentor, and be bold

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The week started with #Oprah2020 trending on Twitter. If you missed Oprah’s inspirational speech at the Golden Globes on Sunday night you can find it on YouTube. Who doesn’t love Oprah? But, should we canstockphoto13471338 (002) mentorelect another president who lacks government experience?

But these aren’t the questions I want to address. A Slate article by Dahlia Lithwick got my attention on Monday. She said the real message of Oprah’s speech wasn’t about her but about us. Do we feel empowered enough to act. She focused on women running for office at all levels. And that led me to think more about empowerment.

While that buzz was happening on Monday, I was in a daylong meeting with a small group of women leaders from various industries. We had been brought together by the first female president of a large, national organization to discuss the challenges women in leadership face. It was an insightful discussion as stories were shared, dissected, and analyzed.

As I bring this back to health IT, I’m not going to rehash the stories and lessons from my experience as a female IT leader over the years. I’ve shared some of them in previous posts. Rather, I want to again encourage you to take steps to own your career and find ways to develop yourself. Find your voice and speak up. Find the mentors you need to help you. And be bold.

HIMSS18 is less than 2 months away. To get the most out of the annual conference you need to make choices and plan your time there carefully. There are many ways to invest in “you” while there, including education and networking.

I’ve had the opportunity to present at many previous HIMSS conferences on a range of topics. This year, I was asked to support the Career Fair and the Women in HIT sessions. I’m committed to developing the next generation of leaders, so I gladly said yes! Continue reading →