Health Information Technology Advocacy Days at the Capitol

Healthcare Information Management Systems Society

Officers and members of the Florida Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) will be holding their 2016 Health Information Technology (HIT) advocacy days at the Tallahassee Community College Capitol Center on January 25 and 26.

HIMSS North America is a cause-based non-profit organization that positively reconstructs health and healthcare through the best uses of information technology in the United States and Canada.

HIMSS North America has an estimated 60,000 individual members, 600 corporate members, and more than 450 non-profit organizations.

Florida A&M University third-year healthcare management student Justin Jackson from Tampa expressed his happiness about HIMSS.

“The fact that there are organizations out here like this that are dedicated to health and health information technology are is great,” said Jackson.

The South Florida, North Florida, and Central Florida regions of HIMSS will all be gathering for two advocacy days.

On the Jan. 25 meeting date, officers, members, and the rest of the event participants will have dinner at Andrew’s 228 in downtown Tallahassee.  The speaker for the dinner will be discussing relevant information on current healthcare policies and what is going on within the state of Florida.

Tuesday, Jan. 26, there will be breakfast and a tour of the Capitol and private meetings with Florida lawmakers.  An educational conference will also be held.

Pua Cooper, chapter advocate and chair of the advocacy committee for HIMSS Florida, believes in making sure people are aware of the importance of being educated with what is happening in the healthcare industry no matter who they are.

“We’re trying to establish relationships with our legislators. We’re healthcare experts. Legislators may or may not have a background in healthcare but they’re all required to vote on bills whether or not they understand healthcare, the operations of healthcare, or healthcare technology,” Cooper indicated.  

Speakers for the advocacy days include Dr. Paul Glisson, DO, Elizabeth Dudek, Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), Dr. Peter A Pappas, MD, and Sara Richardson, CIO Naples Community Hospital.

“This event is a great chance for students interested in the health field to learn more about the industry and actually hear advice given from industry professionals,” said Rayonna Kinchen, a fourth-year pre-physical therapy student at Florida A&M University from Miami stated.

These various speakers will be discussing population health, implementations of medicine, and more.

To register for the 2016 Florida HIT days, visit http://www.eventbrite.com/e/2016-florida-hit-days-tickets-18690481734?aff=ebrowse.