{"id":2923,"date":"2018-01-09T14:55:02","date_gmt":"2018-01-09T22:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/industry\/blog\/uncategorized\/announcing-microsoft-in-health-at-himss-2018\/"},"modified":"2023-05-31T16:36:36","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T23:36:36","slug":"announcing-microsoft-in-health-at-himss-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/industry\/blog\/healthcare\/2018\/01\/09\/announcing-microsoft-in-health-at-himss-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Announcing Microsoft in Health at HIMSS 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\nFocus on: Microsoft in Health Digital Transformation<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

What a difference a year makes. Once it seemed like healthcare and our digital society were diverging, with healthcare missing out on some of the most promising technologies like artificial intelligence, mixed reality, and the new capabilities afforded by cloud computing. I\u2019m pleased to say, looking back at 2017, I saw firsthand extraordinary progress in each of these fields by leading health innovators around the world. This isn\u2019t an isolated phenomenon, or a charge led by any one country. It\u2019s truly a distributed global movement of innovation, and the breadth and diversity of scenarios illustrate that this is more than a passing fad, we really are in a new era of digital health. What\u2019s most encouraging to me is that these scenarios aren\u2019t just in research, 2017 has shown innovation going mainstream, making a real difference in how we engage patients, empower care providers, and broker new models of care.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I\u2019m more excited than ever to see the universe of possibilities laid out again at the world\u2019s biggest healthcare IT conference, HIMSS 2018<\/a> in Las Vegas in March. With 45,000 attendees, the event barely needs an introduction. For those first timers however, my advice is to turn up with a game plan. The array of concurrent activities can be overwhelming. At the highest altitude, HIMSS is a way to take the pulse of the whole digital health industry. Over the last few years, we\u2019ve seen the emphasis shift from on-premises systems of record (like EHRs) to complementary solutions that unlock value from this digital asset. I think it reflects our increasing digital maturity. Last year I noticed a lot of emphasis on systems of intelligence generally, from data-aggregation and data-warehousing solutions all the way through to predictive analytics and the debut of artificial intelligence. Population health management specifically was prominent as the US health system ramped readiness for value based care.<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s a telling sign of the times that HIMSS has merged this year with Health 2.0<\/a>. If HIMSS is the event that is grounded firmly in the state of digital health today, Health 2.0 has always pushed the innovation envelope to help us envision what health will look like in the future. I think the merger illustrates that these two horizons are no longer distinct concepts, and that leading health organizations and technology providers alike need to be thinking about both together. In no particular order then, my predictions for HIMSS 2018 this year include:<\/p>\n