I am so pleased to announce an exciting new collaboration between AcademyHealth and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Together, our efforts will strengthen public/private partnerships in digital health, and advance policy at all levels of government to support a vibrant and interactive data ecosystem that accelerates health and health care improvement.
An important first step in our partnership with HIMSS is collaborating on the Health Datapalooza 2019 – AcademyHealth’s 10th annual convening on health data and technology. Data has always been the lifeblood of health services research and when AcademyHealth began hosting the Health Datapalooza in 2016, we did so with an eye toward building better connections between our members -- who are experts in the production and use of evidence to improve health and health care – and the delivery system leaders, frontline health care providers, policymakers and patients who make decisions from traditional, new and emerging data every day. Today, we are delighted to work with our colleagues at HIMSS to extend and support that conversation with new audiences -- at the Health Datapalooza, and year-round.
“HIMSS is proud to join AcademyHealth in the Health Datapalooza and in working together to ensure the secure and meaningful transformation of data into new capabilities that deliver innovation in health transformation”, said Hal Wolf, HIMSS President and CEO. “The critical relationship between the private and public providers, government policy, innovators and citizens/patients/consumers has always been the driver behind HIMSS’ devotion of health thought leadership and data standardization so that critical information can be seamlessly available at the point of care and knowledge management. HIMSS and AcademyHealth share this critical recognition for innovation starting with the data that we need to impact the health eco-system.”
This unique relationship brings together the best of both organizations with the goal to advance meaningful improvement through health data and evidence, catalyzed through the intersection of health information technology, policy and public-private partnerships. Through our combined voices, AcademyHealth and HIMSS will work together to expand the programming, audience and reach of the Health Datapalooza, as well as year-round programming that reaches key stakeholders in the health data ecosystem, including policymakers in Washington. We see the important opportunities that emerging technologies and information systems have to broaden our research capabilities, accelerate evidence-development, and bring improved outcomes and value to patient-centered healthcare.
We are starting with a live Tweet Chat next week to mark the shared 10th Anniversary year for both the Health Datapalooza and the HITECH Act. Experts from AcademyHealth and HIMSS will convene with leaders in the community via Twitter on Tuesday, October 16 at 1 p.m. to discuss what we’ve learned in the first decade of each, how the ‘data liberation’ movement has changed the way individuals and organizations use health data to drive change, and what to expect in the next 10 years from technology, governance, policy and patient engagement. You can join us using the hashtag #Datax10.
Because we knew we were cooking up this collaboration, we also recently extended the deadline for Health Datapalooza presentation pitches. So you now have time to send us your innovative and actionable ideas and come celebrate the 10th Anniversary with us! (The new deadline is Monday October 22, at 5 p.m.)
AcademyHealth is all about building community and learning together – so I cannot wait to learn from Hal Wolf, his team, and the broader HIMSS family and membership. Together, we will drive better data and better evidence, spur innovation, inform decisions, and ultimately achieve better health.