HIMSS Announces the 2012 mHealth Summit

CHICAGO, Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)  announced today that the 2012 mHealth Summit will take place Dec. 3-5 at  the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Washington D.C. The theme for the fourth annual summit is "Connecting the Mobile Health Ecosystem." The mHealth Summit, a well-respected international conference, exhibition and networking event, is the largest gathering focused solely on the intersection of health and mobile information technology.

Verizon Wireless will return for the third year as the partnering sponsor of the summit and will again have a major presence on the exhibit floor. Strategic Affiliates include: Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), Anson Group (mHealth Regulatory Coalition), Ashoka, B2 Group, Center for Connected Health, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Continua Health Alliance, CTIA – The Wireless Association, GBCHealth, Medical Device Innovation, Safety and Security Consortium (MDISS), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Rock Health, StartUp Health, UN Foundation and The Wireless Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA).

The 2012 mHealth Summit will also have an expanded exhibit floor to accommodate the anticipated increase in exhibitors and themed pavilions.  The conference program continues to draw on resources and tracks developed by mHIMSS in addition to branded sessions and tracks from the event's strategic affiliates and partners. Overall, the 2012 mHealth Summit will offer attendees a comprehensive representation of the mobile technologies in healthcare looking at implementation and impact of its benefits and new opportunities that will advance health transformation through the use of mobile technologies.

HIMSS recently acquired the mHealth Summit from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH).  FNIH remains actively involved in the event as an organizing partner along with the mHealth Alliance.  In related news, the former director of the mHealth Summit, Richard Scarfo has joined HIMSS as Vice President of Vendor Events and will lead the HIMSS business unit responsible for the event and other initiatives.

The acquisition of the mHealth Summit augments HIMSS current activities in the mobile healthcare space. These include an association, a community and the website (mHIMSS.org), dedicated to creating and distributing essential information and education products that are driving the mobile and wireless healthcare industries as well as hosting a large and growing community of mobile healthcare executives.

"In an increasingly mobile environment, the mHealth Summit helps HIMSS fulfill our vision to lead healthcare transformation not only through the best use of health information and management technology in a fixed environment -- but now, as mobile health devices, sensors and apps are increasingly deployed and linked throughout the healthcare delivery system," said H. Stephen Lieber, CAE, HIMSS President and CEO.

"HIMSS resources will enable the mHealth Summit to continue to grow and strengthen its position as the seminal international event in the mobile health space," said Scarfo,  "The mHealth Summit will continue to provide the ideal environment for top decision-makers focused on advancing collaboration in the use of wireless technology to improve health outcomes in the United States and globally." 

About the mHealth Summit
The 2012 mHealth Summit presented by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), in partnership with the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) and the mHealth Alliance, is the leading conference, expo and networking event advancing cross-sector collaboration in the use of wireless technology to improve health outcomes. The 2012 mHealth Summit, to be held December 3-5 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, will connect leaders in government, private sector/industry, academia, and not-for-profit organizations to advance discussion and decision-making related to the intersection of mobile technology, health research, and policy in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.mhealthsummit.org.

About HIMSS                                                                                                                                                                                 HIMSS is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded 51 years ago, HIMSS and its related organizations are headquartered in Chicago with additional offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. HIMSS represents more than 44,000 individual members, of which more than two thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations. HIMSS also includes over 570 corporate members and more than 170 not-for-profit organizations that share our mission of transforming healthcare through the effective use of information technology and management systems. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare practices and public policy through its content expertise, professional development, research initiatives, and media vehicles designed to promote information and management systems' contributions to improving the quality, safety, access, and cost-effectiveness of patient care. To learn more about HIMSS and to find out how to join us and our members in advancing our cause, please visit our website at www.himss.org

SOURCE HIMSS