AZBEES_TOPTEN
AZBEES_finalist-2020

This Just In

HIMSS23 Focuses on AI in Health Care

KATHY MONTE, NEWS EDITOR
people conversing on the show floor at HIMSS 2023

CHICAGO — AI and its role in health care was an overarching theme of the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition (HIMSS23) on April 17-21 at McCormick Place in Chicago, with more than 35,000 from all walks of the global healthcare ecosystem attending from more than 90 countries. The group convened to discuss the latest advancements in health and technology. The group of 35,000 was a significant increase over 2021 and 2022 attendance numbers.  

“Let’s be honest; this is the first HIMSS where it feels like we are all back,” HIMSS President and CEO Harold (Hal) Wolf said. During the COVID pandemic, HIMSS canceled its 2020 global health conference and exhibition for the first time in 58 years.  

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, better known as the HIMSS conference, is annual. This year’s, named “Health that Connects + Tech that Cares,” included more than 1,200 exhibitors and more than 200 education sessions. Specialty Pavilions included a Patient Engagement 365 Pavilion, a Cybersecurity Command Center, a Federal Health pavilion, an Innovation Hub, a Startup Park, and Interoperability Showcase.  

A conversation between Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field during a Jan. 2, 2023, Monday Night Football broadcast, and Dr. Ryan Earnest, an acute critical surgeon at UC Health, was riveting. Hamlin was one of several high-profile speakers at the conference.  

Related. HIMSS21 Conference Is Star Attraction in Las Vegas 

Others included Dr. Vin Gupta, pulmonologist and medical analyst at NBC News; Deborah DiSanzo, President of Best Buy Health; Andrea M. Walsh, President and CEO of HealthPartners; and Tim Barry, Chair and CEO of VillageMD; Mark Zandi, Chief Economist for Moody’s Analytics and Ben Nemtin, Co-founder of The Buried Life movement.  

AI was the focus of the HIMSS23 conference’s opening keynote: Responsible AI: Prioritizing Patient Safety, Privacy and Ethical Considerations. Wolf prefaced the discussion by revealing that he had asked ChatGPT how to solve global healthcare challenges. Andrew Moore, Founder and CEO of Lovelace AI, who was part of the opening keynote panel, said, “There’s a big difference between AI development and AI deployment.” He added, “Don’t wait for a small number of experts in Silicon Valley to deploy AI for you.” 

During the panel, Christopher J. Ross, Chief Information Officer of Mayo Clinic, shared, “For millennia, we’ve sought machines with intelligence.” Another panelist Reid Blackman, Author and Chief Executive, Virtue, said, “Chat GPT-4 doesn’t diagnose — it predicts the next set of words.”  

Other hot-topic issues discussed at the conference included trends and innovations in health information and technology, cybersecurity, health equity, workforce development, policy and care delivery.  

Speakers included executives and leaders from Microsoft, Mayo Clinic, Amazon Pharmacy, Best Buy Health, VillageMD, World Health Organization – Europe, an NFL player/philanthropist and many others who inspired thousands throughout HIMSS23.  

Reach Harold Wolf at hwolf@himss.org

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

TSE Data Center