HIMSS 2016 conference coverage and analysis

Editor's note

This year's edition of the annual conference and exhibition hosted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society will happen on Feb. 29 through March 4, 2016, in Las Vegas. Two SearchHealthIT reporters will attend the event, sit in on educational sessions and interview a variety of industry experts on the state of the health IT industry.

Some of the topics that figure to be discussed at HIMSS 2016 include the future of the meaningful use program, audits on HIPAA covered entities and business associates, and how to promote the advancement of interoperability among health IT vendors' systems. Using technology to improve population health management and strengthen the cybersecurity of sensitive information -- such as patients' protected health information -- stored by healthcare providers are two other topics that are poised to come up during the event.

The secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, and Michael Dell, chairman and CEO of Dell, will both deliver keynote speeches at the HIMSS 2016 conference. In addition, more than 1,300 vendors are scheduled to present and demonstrate their products on the HIMSS 2016 exhibition floor. Refer to this guide page before, during and after HIMSS 2016 to stay informed of the latest developments related to this major health IT conference.