Kathryn McMahon Arrigg
Vice President, Healthcare | Boston, MA
HIMSS2015: Three Questions with Health Data Management’s Joe Goedert
HIMSS2015: Three Questions with Health Data Management’s Joe Goedert
With HIMSS right around the corner, we are thrilled that Health Data Management’s News Editor Joe Goedert took time out of his busy schedule to speak with the PAN PR team about what is undoubtedly is the biggest healthcare IT conference of the year.
PAN: Joe, what issues do you think will be at the front and center of this year’s show?
JG: I believe population health management issues will be prevalent at this year’s show, as they are tied to the emerging federal and commercial insurance policies to emphasize accountable care and value-based reimbursement.
PAN: Do you think any presentations will be particularly popular at this year’s show?
JG: Since the proposed rule for Stage 3 of EHR meaningful use was just announced, presentations on the rule will be heavily sought, although probably not to the degree we saw with Stages 1 and 2. It will be interesting to see exactly how crowded session rooms on Stage 3 topics will be, as that may be a measure of less interest among providers in completing their meaningful use journey as these standards become more difficult to meet.
PAN: Are there any topics that will cause more buzz this year than they might have in the past?
JG: With recent attacks on healthcare companies such as Anthem and Premera serving as a reminder that hacking is now a severe security threat to protected health information, security technologies and sessions will be more popular than they have been in past years. Although these attacks aren’t new, their size and severity continues to grow. An interactive 8-hour workshop on April 12, the day before HIMSS15 officially starts, will walk through the practical and legal nuances of HIPAA privacy and security issues. In general, the question of how we can engage patients and use their personal information for data analysis if we can’t protect the data will be a hot topic at this year’s show.
As the PR firm for leading healthcare IT companies, PAN will be on the ground at HIMSS and would love to chat with you about your integrated communications strategies and how to help reach your business goals. We look forward to hearing from you.