Advice for HIMSS: Put patients and their caregivers at the center of your universe

Two decades ago, my personal and professional lives collided when my wife was diagnosed with cancer. Together we experienced the lack of transparency and synchronization across the health care continuum. That changed the lens through which I viewed my role in the health care technology community from profession to purpose.

While our story has a happy ending, many others like it do not. I’ve since dedicated my career to striving for innovations in health care to ensure that the health of the ones we hold close isn’t threatened by a lack of visible and actionable information.

This week, I and tens of thousands of people like me who are interested in the latest in health care technology are in Orlando, Fla., attending the 2019 Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference. Its theme, “Champions of Health Unite,” seems fitting as the industry reaches a tipping point where consumers are demanding that the health care industry works to make their journeys to health and wellness more like finding a mobile app for any need imaginable.