HealthCare Business News recently spoke with Denise Hines, DHA, PMP, FHIMSS, chairwoman, HIMSS North America Board of Directors, in advance of the HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition for a sense of what to expect during this year’s event as well as some updates on what the society has been working on over the past year and its plans for the future.

HCB News: What are a few of the topics that you expect to dominate conversations among attendees at HIMSS18?

Denise Hines: Cybersecurity is definitely at the top of the list, followed by artificial intelligence, precision medicine, interoperability and investment in new technology and startups. Emerging technologies, such as virtual reality (VR) and blockchain, will be popular as well. And, of course, there’s plenty to talk about how information and technology can positively address the impending economic crisis facing health care in nations around the world. HIMSS18 will offer over 500 educational sessions, most of which are applicable to attendees from around the world. Our approach is to host an event that equips professionals globally with the education, networking and access to suppliers and consultants to meet their needs.

HCB News: Going back to VR for a moment, how is that expected to move into health care?

DH: There’s potential for a number of uses. Patients can use virtual reality for physical therapy, and surgical procedures are also being planned and practiced using VR.

HCB News: Recapping 2017, what were some of the landmark events for HIMSS or for health IT?

DH: For health IT in general, I think it was the introduction and focus on newer technology, with interoperability being better recognized as an important function for health care. In the U.S., legislation was enacted, The Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act of 2017, that promoted the use of telehealth in ways we hadn’t seen before. On the regional side, states, provinces and regions are taking a more aggressive approach to accommodate and understand the role health IT can play in improving health.

The government’s focus on information and technology increased. For example, in the U.S., the VA is exploring a new EHR system and the FDA is exploring new ways to bring safe medical devices to market. In 2017, many providers continued to work on meaningful use and care measures, and increasingly focused on better understanding the user’s experience.

For HIMSS17, recognizing the contributions of women in health IT and bringing millennials into our field were two big areas of focus. HIMSS18 expands that focus.

HCB News: In a HIMSS survey from last year, two-thirds of respondents reported a "significant" cybersecurity incident. In what ways is HIMSS responding to the uptick in hackers targeting health care?

DH: HIMSS hosted a hackathon to address cybersecurity threats and supported numerous readiness initiatives that included collateral, tip sheets, webinars and leaders of various types coming together to talk through best practices. In 2017, HIMSS got in touch with our full membership and worked in partnership with related federal agencies to talk through education, strategy and prevention. Our cybersecurity call to action includes strategies and a tool kit. We worked in partnership with organizations that set standards for technical security measures, and provided feedback and access to those types of measures for health care providers.

HCB News: What are some of the presentations or events taking place at HIMSS18 that you’re most excited about?

DH: I’m looking forward to the Magic Johnson session and all of the keynote speakers. And, I can’t really describe how phenomenal the networking is. All of the networking events will be wonderful. All my vendors will be there. All my colleagues will be there. New people will be there.

HCB News: There is a noticeable gap between the cutting-edge solutions showcased at HIMSS and the day-to-day health IT reality of most facilities. What role does HIMSS play in making these innovations an actual component of patient care?

DH: While I represent the board of HIMSS North America, HIMSS as an organization focuses on innovation, thought leadership and community building globally. I see innovation at the core of HIMSS’ global quest to transform health. HIMSS is shaping the foundation of a worldwide ecosystem where information and technology-driven innovation powers the transformation of health.

To actually implement and integrate innovation into patient care, HIMSS advises global leaders, executives, government entities and others of best practices in health information and technology to improve patient care by having the right information at the right time to make the right decisions. We create the opportunities to discuss technology, to allow innovators to talk to clinicians, executives and providers using systems every day, and to connect the dots on workflow.

HCB News: Turning the focus more to your role, what are some of your goals as HIMSS chair?

DH: I would like to encourage more minorities and women to pick a career in health care technology. As part of that, we are promoting HIMSS’ vision of better health through information and technology in school systems and colleges. Many times, young people don’t know about careers in our field. HIMSS is here to change that.

HCB News: Thinking about the next five to 10 years, what will be some of the biggest changes in health IT?

DH: I think we’re starting to see where interoperability can be useful, having our systems implemented and extracting data and getting that to providers. Bringing together the whole community of providers for one patient is where health care is headed.

We’ll see new technology integrated into our day-to-day health interactions. And then, we’ll have the ability to make sure everyone is included in health care. It won’t be just the large health systems, but the personal care home run by a mom and dad taking care of several people in the community, too.

Health care will be much more personalized by incorporating digitized medicine. We’ll have a better ability to develop the treatment path for a particular disease in a particular person. There will also be more work done regarding population health. We’ll see that a zip code might be predisposed to certain diseases due to pollution in the water, for example, and use that to identify issues like Flint, Mich., experienced. Information will be created to see how we can prevent population health crises in the next five to 10 years. Work will be done bringing in our federal agencies and getting them the information they need to accomplish their jobs. There will also be the challenge to increase clinical information in order to prevent outbreaks.