HIMSS 2021 Recap

Particle traveled to HIMSS 2021 this past week in Las Vegas and it was quite different from years past: attendance was down, masks were up, but—as always—the energy and excitement around healthcare innovation was palpable. 

We’re going to make a little exception to the “what happens in Vegas, stays there” rule—and run through a few observations and takeaways from the conference:

• This was the first large healthcare conference many had attended since before the pandemic started, and although attendance was down, to us it seemed people were genuinely happy just to be back talking healthcare shop, face-to-face. And honestly, we were too. 

• There was a lot of buzz about interoperability, due in no small part to the ONC’s Final Rule (Anti-Info Blocking) rollout last year and the recent TEFCA 2022 go-live announcement, both of which we’ve posted about previously. We had a lot of great conversations with folks wanting to know what it meant for Particle, healthcare data access, and usability. The short answer… It's huge!

• At conferences, it’s usually the connections and conversations you don’t anticipate that end up having the biggest impact, and we certainly found that to be the case this year. One potential data partner in particular stopped by our booth unexpectedly, and could turn into a great new offering.

• We also officially launched our brand new brand at HIMSS! So we arrived flashy in all the right ways. 

• On Wednesday, we also had the chance to catch the keynote, given by fifteen-year-old Gitanjali Rao, Time Magazine's 2020 Kid of the Year. She gave an inspiring speech about taking action in healthcare; and we took notes!

• Finally, we did manage to have a little fun, thanks to the Cosmo craps tables, and a surprise Shaq DJ appearance. But that’s all we can put into print.

If we missed you at HIMSS this year, let’s be sure to catch each other at the next event! Contact Us right here. 

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