Recommendations for HIMSS 12: my favorite activities

Attendees to HIMSS 12 in Las Vegas, NV in February should do some advanced planning in order to garner the most benefit from the conference. A good place to start is the dynamic HIMSS 12 brochure. For comprehensive information refer to the conference website. This post will cover my personal favorites based on attending the last few national meetings.



This year HIMSS takes place from Monday, February 20 through Friday, February 24. Monday is devoted to preconference Workshops and Symposia (Nursing Informatics Symposium is on Sunday afternoon.) I have found it very worthwhile to attend one of these sessions. Subject areas cover a wide field in health IT so everyone should be able to find one that is apropos. My difficulty has always been narrowing the choices. For example, this year I would love to attend: Physician's IT Symposium, HIE Symposium, Privacy and Security Workshop and Secondary Use of Data Symposium. I wish HIMSS would record (video and audio) these sessions and make them available for a reasonable charge after the conference. The full meeting gets underway on Tuesday.


Each day's activities kickoff with Keynote speakers taking the floor in the largest meeting room. HIMSS often makes a big production of these early morning sessions. Consider bringing earplugs or some cotton to preserve your hearing. This year's speakers will include innovators, government officials (the National Coordinator for Health IT, Dr. Mostashari), and other talented individuals. I think it's worth braving the crowds to attend these informative and entertaining sessions. Following this I usually head for one of the many educational sessions that run throughout the mornings and afternoons. I look for sessions with acclaimed experts in a field. This is a good chance to match a face with one of the names you have seen in print or heard on a webinar. Continuing education credits are available for most professionals and CPHIMS participants. You can claim your credits and print certificates at one of the computer kiosks spread around the convention corridors. Another way to build up CE credits is to stop off and listen to a few of the eSessions. The presentations are often less than 30 minutes. I take advantage of these vignettes to multitask- learn something new while resting my feet after standing and walking a bit too much. Of course, no convention would be complete without a visit to the trade show.


You can spend hours walking the floors of the exhibit floor, learning about the latest and greatest vendor offerings for health IT. You will have to be efficient because the exhibit floor will only be open for two and a half days this year. One area I never miss is the Interoperability Showcase. Each year it gets bigger and better. This is the place to see the potential of HIT actually working in real life use case demos. Most of us just imagine the possibilities. If you are interested in health information exchange, interoperability, privacy and security, IT enabled patient care devices, or the various federal health initiatives, plan to spend at least an hour here. The Interoperability Showcase is usually located somewhat off the beaten path at one extreme end of the exhibit hall but is absolutely worth the time and effort it takes to visit.


Not all activities are carefully organized. I like to spend some time in the HIMSS Bookstore, looking through indices and scanning chapters before I decide to buy a publication. The Bookstore is easy to find as it is always located in a high traffic area. If you are looking for a job or considering career advancement in health IT then visit HIMSS JobMine, University Row, and the Career Services Center for information, contacts, and ideas. Topic-focused knowledge centers are new this year. These should be worthwhile checking out. I am especially interested in dropping in on the Mobile Health knowledge center. I am predicting that this will be one of the busier sites at HIMSS 12. We don't seem to be able to get enough of mHealth at this point.


Last but not least, there are networking and socializing opportunities. I look forward to the Physician Community breakfast and Arizona HIMSS Chapter reception. If you register for HIMSS 12 you can go to the opening reception. This is a great way to launch your week at the convention and meet some new friends. So, make you plans now, leave some flex time for extemporaneous activities, and see you in Las Vegas.