I appreciate the new and approved medical terminology for my daughter who is "increasingly fussy" (and has been since she…
From HIMSS with Dr. Jayne 3/12/24
Tuesday was a busy day at HIMSS. As much as I thought the humidity was absent yesterday, it returned in full force this morning as I walked the ¾ mile from my hotel to the convention center.
I didn’t hear much commentary on the keynote speaker, which was supposed to be about harnessing AI to improve the patient experience. I didn’t make it to the session due to some breakfast meetings I had scheduled, and it didn’t feel like too many people were enthusiastic about the speech. When I arrived at the convention center well before the keynote was scheduled to end, there were plenty of people milling around and not attending the session. From what I’ve heard, it was lightly attended.
The exhibit hall opened at 10 a.m. and several people were killing time at the Slack vending machine outside the first entrance to the hall. Attendees could scan their badges for a chance to win prizes, including a reusable utensil kit, which is what I ended up with. I usually carry a set of utensils in my consulting bag because you never know when a take-out order will be missing them, so the set was much appreciated.
The exhibit hall was hopping from the moment it opened until the moment it closed, which made it feel like the boat-show style HIMSS of old. Hornet Security (booth 1220) had an excellent spokesperson engaging passers-by with this crazy pull-out banner inside his jacket. He wasn’t just a speaker, though, he knew all about the product and was able to answer questions about cybersecurity threats without handing them off to colleagues.
In general, booth staffers were attentive and warm in greeting those walking by. Of course, that is likely to fade as the week wears on. After a brief session of stalking the lower numbered aisles in the exhibit hall, I headed to some educational sessions so that I could at least earn enough Continuing Medical Education credits to make this trip worthwhile.
Connection (booth 1449) was filling bags for the Palm Beach VA hospital. I was glad to help, and they were good at gently redirecting people who just wanted to take a pack of tissues and didn’t understand that it was a “fill the backpack” event. They have a lofty goal of backpacks that they’d like filled before the end of the conference, so be sure to stop by and help them out.
The best shoes of the day were spotted at First Databank (booth 1747). Kudos to the ladies who chose comfort and style.
First Databank also wound up on the HIMSS naughty list with their carnival game. I arrived just as their sledgehammer prop was being hidden away, having been shut down by HIMSS officials because the noise of the bell exceeded HIMSS noise standards. Kudos to their rep who was tasked to run the game and but ended up with nothing to do, but who engaged the crowd nevertheless. I suggested a quick run to Costco for the indoor axe throwing set I saw there recently, so we’ll have to see if they have a replacement for tomorrow.
I did my annual booth crawl with Nordic CMO Craig Joseph, which was fun as usual. We decided to award Tierpoint (booth 3075) with the “best swag” award for handing out Tide pens. The booth staff were also engaging and kept up the energy level throughout the day, which is an achievement in itself.
Parlance (booth 5183) had wonderful chocolate chip cookies and promised another delivery for Wednesday and leftovers on Thursday, so be sure to check them out. I was grateful to have a snack at the end of the day, since the lunch promised by my noon focus group was never delivered.
I saw this fantastic suit several times.
Several exhibitors had happy hours at the end of the day, including Cox Health, Intelligent Medical Objects, and the Patient Experience pavilion. From there I headed to events hosted by Evergreen Healthcare Partners and Clearsense, which were both fun and great for networking.
The CommonWell Health Alliance party at Icebar had drinks powered by dry ice in the indoor bar area, sponsored by Ellkay. Those electing to don jackets and gloves were treated to cocktails served in ice mugs. Thanks to both for sponsoring the coldest part of the night.
After that, I was ready to head to my hotel and crash. It’s been 14 years since my first HIMSS and I’m definitely less of a night owl than I used to be. Kudos to the next generation who is keeping the wild nightlife vibes alive.
What has been your favorite part of HIMSS so far? Leave a comment or email me.
Email Dr. Jayne.
It is 30 years since my first HIMSS and I’m happy to be partaking vicariously. I’ll be interested in your assessment, particularly a good comparison with VIVE. Educational substance, provider attendance (espially senior leadership and docs), hyped vendor announcements, networking, extracurricular activity, etc.. If you have to choose one, which will bring the greater value? If only one were to survive, which are you rooting for?
I’ve been ot the last 2 VIVEs but not HIMSS for a few years. Maybe next year in Vegas.
Thanks!
I go for the learning and networking and to get those CE credits. This year felt better organized and the APP was a bonus. HIMSS needs to add more coffee and water stations next year. There really is no comparison to VIVE — seems like more of a vendor be seen show than HIMSS which is more academic with deep industry focus. Depends on what you want but my preference is to go where the substance flows.