What we’re looking for at HIMSS 2023

Every year since 1962 (well, except for 2020, because…you know) healthcare professionals have gathered at one of the largest healthcare conferences in the US, held by the nonprofit organization Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, or HIMSS.

The 2023 Global Health Conference and Exhibition, which will be held in Chicago April 17–21, is expected to draw more than 40,000 people, including 500 healthcare CEOs, to talk all things healthcare information technology.

“We have a very active community who are laser-focused on substantive topics around achieving global health equity,” Christine Buck, chief marketing officer for HIMSS, said in a statement sent to Healthcare Brew. “We’re offering more sessions around digital innovation with refreshed sessions on topics from AI and data ethics to patient care and an even more robust CXO experience.”

Healthcare industry leaders—like Amazon Pharmacy Chief Medical Officer Vin Gupta, VillageMD CEO Tim Barry, and Peter Lee, corporate VP of research and incubation at Microsoft—are scheduled to speak on topics including how providers can responsibly use AI and how technology can lessen healthcare inequities.

Healthcare Brew is headed to HIMSS to learn about all the latest tech and trends in the healthcare information technology space. Some trends we’re looking out for:

Cybersecurity: Ransomware attacks targeting healthcare organizations doubled between 2016 and 2021, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, making cybersecurity top of mind for healthcare execs. A series of sessions with topics like understanding healthcare-specific cybersecurity threats, which healthcare workers cybercriminals are targeting, and the cost of a data breach, will be available to attendees.

Interoperability: The ability for different doctors and computer systems to share patient information easily for streamlined patient care (and cost savings) has been a goal for the healthcare industry for years. But it’s not easy. Sessions at the conference promise to detail new efforts to increase interoperability and give insight into the future of interoperability in healthcare.

Machine learning and AI: Artificial intelligence has a range of applications for the healthcare industry, such as drug development and recruiting for clinical trials. Sessions will focus on how AI and machine learning can be used to optimize staffing, triage patients, and to conduct cancer research.

Innovation: It’s been all the rage in healthcare for the last decade or so, with more health systems creating in-house innovation centers to try to find the next great idea that will improve care, cut costs, and maybe even generate some revenue along the way. Sessions at the conference plan to cover topics including innovation in behavioral health, and an innovation hub plans to show off the latest innovations in remote patient technology, interactive data monitoring, and more.