The 8th annual National Health IT Week — which starts Monday and runs until next Friday — will once again be a time for the healthcare industry to come together to celebrate progress made in health IT adoption and use, and share plans and best practices for moving forward.
"The week is a time for us to highlight the value of health IT and educate the public about the fact that real transformation in the healthcare system would not be possible without health IT innovation," says Thomas Leary, vice president of government relations at the Health Information Management Systems Society.
"Providers across the country will have a springboard for engaging in meaningful dialogue with their colleagues and patients about health IT, and know that HIMSS, and many other organizations dedicated to the value of health IT, will be in Washington to champion the cause of health IT and ensure that it remains a political priority," he says.
Though many of the events will be held in and around the nation's capital, Mr. Leary stresses it is a national event. "It's not only in D.C.," says Mr. Leary. "We're pleased to see a growing number of organizations conducting local events." The week features many webinars and online events as well.
A comprehensive list of events can be found at www.healthitweek.org. Some highlights include:
2013 Consumer Health IT Summit
Sept. 16, Washington, D.C.
The focus of this year's Consumer Health IT Summit will be Blue Button technology and empowering patients to manage their health. The Summit will bring together federal leadership, including Farzad Mostashari, MD, national coordinator for Health IT, Leon Rodriguez, director of the Office for Civil Rights, and Todd Park, U.S. chief technology officer.
Better Health: Everyone's Responsibility Conference
Sept. 16-17, Hartford, Conn.
The conference will be a first-of-its-kind event that will educate consumers on how to better manage their care, and educate providers on how to better engage with their patients.
Kentucky eHealth Summit
Sept. 16-17, Bowling Green, Ky.
The conference will feature speakers Judy Murphy, deputy national coordinator at ONC, and Jason McNamara, the health IT coordinator at CMS.
Update on ONC HIE Governance Activities (webinar)
Sept. 17, 3:00 p.m. EST
In this webinar, representatives from the ONC will give an update on national health information exchange governance efforts, including an overview of the ONC Governance Framework for Trusted Electronic Health Information Exchange, Exemplar grantee projects and National HIE Governance Forum activities.
HIMSS Interoperability Showcase
Sept. 17-18, Washington, D.C.
The showcase will feature products and services designed to enable major health IT initiatives, such as meaningful use and health information exchanges. The showcase is expected to draw 500 to 600 attendees from Congress, the federal government and the public.
HIMSS Policy Summit
Sept. 18-19, Washington, D.C.
The HIMSS Policy Summit is "a fly-in event for HIMSS members and others to come to Washington [D.C.] and learn about some of the public policy issues surrounding health information technology and electronic health records and the meaningful use program, and to visit Capitol Hill and to convey to their members of Congress and the Congressional staff policy issues and positions that we have carefully worked out," says Richard Hodge, senior director of congressional affairs at HIMSS.
mHIMSS Twitter Chat
Sept. 18, 3:00 p.m. EST (use hashtag #mHIMSS)
This mHIMSS chat will focus on the value of mHealth.
Accelerating Practice Transformation through Health IT (webinar)
Sept. 18, 3:30 p.m. EST
This ONC-led webinar will share how providers in Colorado improved care coordination, patient engagement and population health thanks to initiatives in the HITECH Act.
National Health IT Week Awards Reception
Sept. 18, Washington, D.C.
Several awards will be handed out during this public reception. Dr. Mostashari, who will be leaving his post this fall, will be presented with a Special Recognition Health IT Leadership Award. The Federal Health IT Leadership Award, the Congressional Health IT Leadership Award, the CHIME Award for CIO Leadership and others will be awarded.
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