Takeaways from #HIMMS23

Earlier this month, several members of the MiHIN team convened in Chicago for the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) 2023 global conference. We spent five days connecting and collaborating with 35,000 of our closest friends and colleagues about what’s working in health IT, what’s not and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Here are our main takeaways:

Health equity was front and center at HIMSS?

Health equity was a cornerstone of conversation at HIMSS — and rightfully so. Conversations focused on health disparities, underserved populations — including Native American and Indigenous people. In 2023, HIMSS designated Native American and Indigenous Peoples a community for the first time, thanks in part to advocacy efforts by Krystal Schramm, MiHIN’s Director of Native American Engagement. Krystal participated in the inaugural Native American & Indigenous Health Community Roundtable, speaking about disparities that Native Americans face when accessing healthcare, and solutions to address these issues moving forward.

Krystal has been instrumental in onboarding tribes to the MiHIN network. This week, we announced that the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi had officially onboarded and begun sharing bi-directional data from tribal and non-tribal providers. To date, MiHIN has onboarded nine of Michigan’s 12 federally recognized tribes and an Urban Indian Health Center.

Learn more about MiHIN’s Native American engagement efforts here.

Interoperability is evergreen

From TEFCA to the Information Blocking Rule, interoperability was a hot topic at HIMSS (as it has been for the better part of the past decade). Now, the conversation has evolved from beyond the four walls of a hospital and involves how we shift data from an asset to a utility to ensure that it is useable for patients, providers and payers.

Dr. Tim Pletcher, Brandon Neiswinder, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of CRISP Shared Services, and Ryan Argentieri, Deputy Director, Office of Technology at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology discussed just that during the panel, “Interoperability and HIE Forum: Mergers, Partnerships, and the Evolving Healthcare Market.”

Using synthetic data to boost efficiency and streamline innovation

Highly realistic digital simulation platforms using synthetic data to implement relevant standards (e.g., HL7? FHIR?) are critical to health informatics research and innovation. By simulating a highly realistic healthcare ecosystem—they can expedite early software development without the risk of exposing protected health information. Moreover, these platforms are essential in training current and next-generation professionals to ensure they understand the structure and content of various healthcare data (e.g., USCDI, clinical, claims, social determinants of health) as well as the infrastructure needed to share interoperable data across disparate systems.

?To address these challenges, and safely and reliably foster broader collaboration, the Interop.Community brought together leaders from across the field (academic, nonprofit, government, and industry) to develop a common open-source simulation platform―MELD―that can safely and reliably foster broader collaboration, optimize valuable organizational resources, and advance health informatics research and education.

Dr. Tim Pletcher, Mary-Sara Jones, Sr Business Development Exec, Health & Human Services, and Jim St. Clair, Customer Innovation Advisor at the Interoperability Institute, discussed MELD and outlined the best practices and benefits of a public domain, open-source simulation platform for stakeholders across the health sector during the session, “Advancing Interoperability Through Open-Source Simulation Environments.” Learn more here.

Prioritizing the whole person: Social Determinants of Health & Cross-Sector Data Sharing?

One of the biggest issues in healthcare today is the ability to share meaningful health data between various stakeholders — including social care data. We were excited — and encouraged — by the various sessions that took place about social determinants of health and cross-sector data sharing. From interoperability, including integrating social care data into an EMR, to AI, streamlining information so that we collectively are better able to more easily identify and address patients needs was a recurring theme.

?Our Cross-Sector Data Sharing team is hard at work in Michigan doing just that. From the inception of our Interoperable Referrals Pledge to the ensuing Community of Practice, we are convening partners to break down data siloes, therefore making it easier for healthcare providers to identify those needs, refer patients to social services, and track patient data.

Final Thoughts

We had a great few days at HIMSS – attending keynotes and sessions, exploring the exhibit floor, meeting with clients and colleagues, attending receptions, dinners and events – and doing our best to get a pulse on the latest happenings in healthcare IT.

?We left Chicago feeling energized, inspired and excited about where MiHIN sits in the healthcare ecosystem, the work we are doing to address the challenges facing the industry and where we’re headed next.

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