After spending last week at the HIMSS (Healthcare and Information Management Systems Society) conference in Atlanta, I came away with some good information and some interesting observations.

Unlike most vendors who work with hospitals, I was not there to exhibit. I was an attendee, and I go to get the latest information regarding healthcare IT and security. Some of the topics in the education sessions are more important to me than others, but that's the great thing about this conference - you get to pick what classes you go to and there's a wide variety.

Most attendees upon learning I was not exhibiting would ask "Why are you attending?" My answer is an emphatic "The real question is, why are your other vendors NOT attending?" If you are going to manage terabytes of healthcare information, I believe this conference is a must. They cover everything from "Meaningful Use" (which I'm not as interested in) to "HITECH Security" which everyone should be interested in.