Policymaking a Big Part of HIMSS Agenda

Nearly a dozen past and present government officials will speak during HIMSS 2011, Feb. 20-24 in Orlando, giving attendees a taste of what’s coming on the regulatory front.


Nearly a dozen past and present government officials will speak during HIMSS 2011, Feb. 20-24 in Orlando, giving attendees a taste of what's coming on the regulatory front.

The heavy hitters come out during the final two days of the conference, ensuring that plenty of folks who normally wouldn't stay for the entire show hang around this year. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and National Health I.T. Coordinator David Blumenthal, M.D., will keynote the morning of Feb. 23. Donald Berwick, M.D., administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will have his keynote on Feb. 24.

Top government techies Aneesh Chopra, chief technology officer in the Obama Administration, and Todd Park, CTO at HHS, headline events early in the conference. Chopra and Park will speak at 1:45 on Feb. 20 during the Health I.T. Venture Fair & Strategic Partner Forum; Chopra also will speak Feb. 21 at 11:00 during the HIT X.0 Beyond the Edge conference.

Other government speakers include Roger Baker, assistant secretary for information and technology in the Department of Veterans Affairs (Feb. 21 at 9:45); George Taylor, Jr., M.D., deputy assistant secretary of defense (Feb. 21 at 9:45); Vice Admiral and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, M.D. (Feb. 23 at 9:45), Peter Levin, CTO at Veterans Affairs (Feb. 21 at 12:15), Massachusetts State Sen. Richard Moore, president of the National Conference of State Legislatures (Feb. 22 at 7:00) and Former Surgeon General Antonia Novello, M.D., who will discuss HIMSS' new Latino Initiative to improve community health on Feb. 20 at 2:00.

More information is available at himssconference.org.

--Joseph Goedert