The craziness that is the annual HIMSS conference is upon us, as certain already- sleep-deprived MedCity News health IT reporters have found this week with an email box full of last-minute meeting requests. (Standard response: “1,200 vendors, one of me.”)
It’s known in the Twitterverse as #HIMSSanity (or sometimes #HIMSSsanity with an extra S), and it seems to be running rampant, even though the conference doesn’t officially start until Monday. At least one HIMSS employee has already resorted to extreme measures.
Here's proof of #himsssanity: unpacking in hotel room with CSPAN running #CMS administrator confirmation hearings
— Adam Bazer, MPD (@AdamBazer) February 17, 2017
The only known treatments are an extended weekend off afterwards, a couple of nights out during the ginormous health IT event and, of course, a lot of laughter. McKesson is trying to help with the laughter part.
The vendor on Friday sent out a bunch of health IT-related cartoons (who knew that a company with $190 billion in annual revenues had a cartoonist on staff?) with an exhortation to “feel free to use them anytime.”
So we shall.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
These and other images came from MyHealthyHospital.com, a site run by McKesson’s RelayHealth Financial business, which is why they’re so heavy on billing and claims. Here’s hoping that someone on the EHR side can show us what chief medical information officers dream of at night, because that’s where hospitals need the most help.
If you’re among the more than 40,000 headed to Orlando, Florida, this weekend for HIMSS17, travel safely and sanely. There will be plenty of time for #HIMSSanity once you arrive.
Images: McKesson
