Top Takeaways from #HIMSS18
A contingency of the 10Pearls team took a trip to Vegas for HIMSS18 last week to talk to likeminded companies about how we can transform health care through intelligent digital experiences. 50,000 technologists, doctors, consultants, and marketing gurus descended upon the Venetian to attend educational sessions and walk the busy exhibition halls. For those who were unable to attend and witness the organized chaos firsthand, here are our top takeaways:
Everyone wants in on AI
People are no longer talking theoretically about how AI could be used in the health tech space – people are ready to see it in action. Many companies boasted of their product’s AI capabilities, and those that had use cases saw the most traffic. While we did notice that a few companies branded themselves incorrectly as having AI capabilities (more on marketing later), we had a number of conversations with companies interested in leveraging AI technologies like Natural Language Processing, image recognition, and automation to truly transform patient experience.
Next year it will be blockchain
Blockchain is where the AI discussion was a couple of years ago. People are interested in it, realize it has potential, but aren’t quite sure how to apply it to their own business models. It can be confusing to fully grasp the complexity of blockchain technology, and this understanding is imperative to proper implementation. Right now, health tech specialists are going through the learning process, so we predict that by this time next year, the number of booths exclaiming they use blockchain will double.
But what about security?
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention what was a bit lacking – discussions surrounding security. We get it, no one likes to get into the doom and gloom of security discussions when you’re living it up in Sin City, but considering the current threat landscape, it’s imperative that security stays top of mind. In 2017 alone, 5.6 million Americans had their patient records stolen or exposed in healthcare breaches, which is why health tech companies must stay vigilant and have the tough conversations. We’d love to see even more focus on security next year.
Marketing, Marketing, Marketing
From the sounds that purposefully tempt you to the slots to the scents that are proven to entice you to the black jack table, Vegas visitors are surrounded by advertising. Within the confines of the conference, the marketing tactics were slightly more subdued, but still noteworthy. As mentioned earlier, messaging was key. With so many people milling around, displaying the right keywords on your booth was imperative to attracting attention, as long as you weren’t falsely advertising. Marketing teams clearly had a fun time designing booths – a few fan favorites included candy dispensers, t-shirt press stations, in-booth dining, life-size jenga sets, and second story meeting rooms.
Overall, we were impressed with all that the HIMSS conference had to offer. We met a number of trailblazers in the industry, shared our case studies, and attended fascinating sessions. We’re already counting down to HIMSS19!
