Despite the debates and delays that s surround healthcare legislation in Washington, D.C., the optimistic theme for the 10th annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference in Atlanta this week is “Change Is Everywhere...Opportunity Is Here.”

 

With nearly 900 exhibitors and more than 300 educational sessions and panel presentations, HIMSS exemplifies the central role of IT and Information Management in healthcare. As more and more connected health devices and mobile applications come to market, it is a challenge for all industry participants to keep up with the rapid changes in technology and turn these advances into higher quality, more effective outcomes for patients.

 

One visible change in healthcare trends highlighted in the HIMSS program and exhibitor lineup is the growing emphasis on mobile and wireless health solutions. To underscore the new emphasis on mobile health, Sprint Nextel’s (News - Alert) Dan Hesse became the first CEO of a national wireless carrier to speak at HIMSS. Hesse positioned wireless solutions and applications as a major force for healthcare innovation and transformation in the next few years.

 

SPEC columnists and health technology consultants Ed Daniels and Robin Wright are attending HIMSS and will be reporting on leading health innovations and trends from the exhibit floor and major presentations. In advance of HIMSS, Daniels reports on one change that is unlikely to be welcomed by many conference participants; the potential for FDA regulation of new areas in healthcare technology. Statements by FDA officials are fueling concerns about broader FDA regulation of healthcare IT, including HIT software, mobile health applications and even electronic health records – areas that have not previously been subject to the types of review, certification and regulation as medical devices.

 

Wright reports on examples of patient-lead healthcare innovation that were presented last month at a Healthcare Conference sponsored by the Hass School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, and discusses the importance of empowering consumers to manage chronic health conditions – a topic that is also a focus of HIMSS.