Attended the HIMSS10 show last month. Good traffic in the exhibit hall. Lots of positive energy among the exhibitors. We visited with more than 100 of those exhibitors. Wall-to-wall meetings from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Information overload.

There, I’ve done my Twitter version of summarizing the event. Small tweets combining for an overall view. This could be habit forming; not having to actually complete a sentence, or leaving out all the descriptors that normally would provide a clear picture of the experience.

This was my first HIMSS, not as large as some events I’ve attended, but certainly a sufficiently large and dynamic event showcasing most of the companies providing technology solutions to the healthcare-provider industry.

The question I really enjoy hearing at these events is, "How are you enjoying the show?" I guess that’s like asking someone how they are enjoying a tooth extraction. The miles of walking from appointment to appointment, the hurried half sandwiches for meals (standing up), the information overload buzz in your head, the dodging of cell phone users in the crowd as they slow and careen just like their auto-bound brethren – all can make for a less-than-satisfactory experience. It’s work, not play.

The information gathered at all those meetings, however, and the opportunity to meet with and learn from the leaders in the industry, make the effort worthwhile. Giving out gold and silver prizes in our Gold Rush program also provided some feel-good moments (winners below).

What did we learn? Well, first, that we need to learn more. Second, that there are topics we cover editorially that need to be covered more often. Third, there seems to be a real "bounce" building in terms of healthcare technology purchasing; providers are finally being stimulated by coming HITECH Act stimulus funding, with a more-than-subtle push coming from the vendor community.

Health-information exchanges and regional health-information organizations seemed to come up in every other discussion. Mobility, of course, was a hot topic. Meaningful use was on everyone’s tongues. Electronic records are indeed gaining traction. Surprisingly, though, data/records security did not seem to be as top-of-mind as one would expect.

In this issue and in May, we are showcasing some of the new products that were introduced around HIMSS10 (see pages 30-31). In addition, this month’s Industry Watch department features the annual HIMSS trends survey and excerpted remarks from keynote speaker and HIMSS chairman Barry Chaiken.

Now, for our Gold Rush winners: Rick Wong, Henry Ford Health System, Michigan (one-ounce gold coin); Greg Moser, Naval Medical Logistics Command, Frederick, Md. ($500 in silver coins); and Yuri Campbell, CTO, U.S. Army Pacific, Haika, Hawaii ($250 in silver coins).

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