With the healthcare industry looking to IT solutions to improve patient care, IT industry association CompTIA has decided to include healthcare-specific sessions to its CompTIA Breakaway 2011 lineup. The sessions will help VARs focus on implementing IT solutions for the healthcare market.
CompTIA Breakaway is scheduled for Aug. 1 through Aug. 4 in Washington, D.C. More than 1,100 attendees are expected.
According to CompTIA, industry estimates value the healthcare IT market at $34 billion this year. Moreover, the organization’s Second Annual Healthcare IT Insights & Opportunities study found that about half of all healthcare practices surveyed expect to increase IT expenditures in the next year.
It’s for these reasons that the leaders at CompTIA decided to expand its emphasis on serving healthcare organizations and institutions.
“From the business basics of computers and printers to advanced solutions such as electronic health records systems, healthcare providers have clear objectives for their IT investments,” explains Kelly Ricker, CompTIA’s vice president of education and events. “They’re looking to reduce costs, save time, improve productivity and, most importantly, improve patient care.”
According to Ricker, a healthcare IT track is part of the inaugural CompTIA Tech Summit, which is to be co-located with Breakaway 2011. It is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 4.
Keynote & Panels
Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is scheduled to deliver the opening keynote for the healthcare IT program at 9 a.m. on Aug. 4.
At 10 a.m. on Aug. 4 a panel of experts will discuss the critical role for IT solution providers in implementation of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, which authorized more than $20 billion in federal stimulus spending to promote the adoption and use of electronic health records technologies. Scheduled panelists include:
- Scott Afzal, Program Director for the Chesapeake Regional Information System for Our Patients
- Bethany M. Gilboard, Director of Health Technologies, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
- Tony Landauer, Assistant Vice President of Channels, NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc.
A second healthcare IT panel, set for 11 a.m. on Aug. 4, will examine the current state of collaboration between government and the private sector in the move toward greater usage of electronic health records as a modernized method of healthcare delivery. Speakers will include:
- Mike Jones, CEO, ETG
- Sery E. Kim, Counsel, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives †
- Charles Jarvis, Assistant Vice President of Healthcare Industry Services & Government Relations, NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc.
Both panels will be moderated by Brett Coughlin, health care reporter for POLITICO Pro.
Training Session
Also at Breakaway 2011, on Wednesday, Aug. 3, a channel company training session will examine “Consultative Selling to the HIT Market.” Set for 10 a.m., the session will prepare technology solution providers for face-to-face encounters with healthcare professionals and to gain HIT consultative selling skills through practice.
Conference registration is free for CompTIA members and $250 for non-members.