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Despite general economic conditions that might suggest otherwise, early registration for the 2009 Annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Conference & Exhibition (HIMSS 2009) is running ahead of the 2008 trend, which ended with a record 29,174 attendees.

Total registration for the conference, which will be held in Chicago in April, stands at 5 percent over this same period of time last year, with non-exhibitor attendance showing an almost 3 percent increase.

A combination of employment growth in the healthcare sector and the likelihood of billions of dollars in new federal funding likely being pumped into U.S. hospitals and physician practices this year for health IT, as well as Chicago's central location, seem to be driving strong attendance numbers for the event. 

"Healthcare organizations and physician practices have heard President Obama's call for computerized health records for all Americans in the next five years, and they recognize the likelihood of billions of dollars in investments coming from the federal government for the acquisition and implementation of health IT," said H. Stephen Lieber, CAE, HIMSS president and CEO. "Hospitals and physician practices will be aggressively pursuing the acquisition of electronic medical record applications this year and will be in search of IT solutions providers, consultants and all other ancillary services necessary for them to be eligible to receive the federal funding Congress is posed to enact."

Recent additions to the HIMSS 2009 educational program are sessions that will address the healthcare IT provisions in the proposed economic stimulus package. Current plans call for a $20 billion investment in the industry, primarily to encourage hospitals and physician offices to begin using electronic health records. 

HIMSS 2009 also implemented new events, engaged new audiences and expanded educational options for this year's conference. Among them:

Introducing weekend-only registration for the first time, allowing professionals to attend the conference during non-business hours. 
Expanding education sessions and events to help clinician attendees understand the healthcare IT provisions included in the economic stimulus package. 
Encouraging HIMSS 2009 chapters in the Central U.S. to organize delegations, and in some cases, bus or train transportation to Chicago. 
Engaging its Web-savvy audience by expanding its information and updates to popular social media outlets, including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, outreach that contributed to the 15 percent increase in traffic to the conference's Web site. 

These new event and education options, coupled with the recognized lineup of keynote speakers addressing industry issues of patient safety, healthcare costs, and privacy and security, offer attendees quality educational and networking opportunities designed for their schedules and budgets. Keynote speakers include: Dennis Quaid, award-winning actor and director and president of the Quaid Foundation for Patient Safety; George C. Halvorson, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals; Alan Greenspan, economist and former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors; and Jerry M. Linenger, MD, MSSM, MPH, PhD, Captain, Medical Corps, USN (Ret.), NASA astronaut and NBC News space analyst. 

With about nine weeks until the conference opens, conference planners point to Chicago's central location and proximity to many healthcare organizations and corporate headquarters as still another factor contributing to increased preliminary registration. The HIMSS Analytics database shows more than 10,300 healthcare organizations (hospitals, physician offices, ambulatory surgery centers, etc.) are within driving distance or a short flight to Chicago, keeping travel costs low for these organizations. 

Healthcare professionals can register for HIMSS09 at www.himssconference.org/registration on the HIMSS 2009 Web site.

Source: healthnewsdigest.com