Quality attended the HIMSS14 Annual Conference & Exhibition.  It was also attended by close to 38,000 healthcare professionals and 1,200 exhibitors. The conference took place in Orlando and focused on patient safety, care quality, access and affordability.

Aetna CEO, Mark T. Bertolini, opened the conference by focusing on the connected patient which set the stage for the entire conference.  Throughout the week long event,  focus was on the individual and their responsibility for their own healthcare.  From patient education, to patient portals, to incentive programs, consumer engagement is and will be the focus of our healthcare providers in the coming years. Former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton drew a large crowd and focused her speech on evidence based policy decisions and closing keynote speaker Erik Weihenmayer led the audience to tears with his emotional journey into blindness and how he has overcome his disability to be the first blind man to reach the summit of Mount Everest.  Mr. Weihenmayer now is board vice president of No Barrriers, USA, a nonprofit organization that works with disabled persons to overcome obstacles in their lives through their adventure programs.

Education sessions held during the conference focused on:

•    Clinical & Business Intelligence
•    ICD-10
•    Interoperability
•    Meaningful Use
•    Mobile Health
•    Patient Engagement
•    Value of Health IT