Tom Sullivan

Have you heard of the #HIMSS16 MixTape? Well, Colin Hung is the man who put that together. He also founded and moderates the Healthcare Leadership (#hlcdr) and serves as a healthcare marketing executive at Stericycle Communications Solutions in Toronto. And at HIMSS16 he’ll be among the Social Media Ambassadors credentialed to cover the conference via multiple channels. See all of our HIMSS16 previews Hung answered our questions leading up to HIMSS16. Q: What’s your top health IT prediction for 2016? A: There will still be more talk about interoperability in 2016 than action. On a more optimistic side, I think that the conversation will shift from compliance to innovation in 2016.  Q: What are you most looking forward to learning about at HIMSS16. A: I'm really excited about the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence for healthcare. I think IBM Watson and other related technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way healthcare is delivered. I'm definitely hoping to learn more about the practical applications for that Big Data + AI combination. I'm also looking forward to seeing what's next for the EHR vendors. Now that the meaningful use program is in its twilight, I'm really curious to see if one of the players decides it's time to "break-the-mold" and take their system in a completely new direction. I certainly hope someone will seize this opportunity once the meaningful use shackles come off.  Q: What inspired you to apply for the SMA program? A: Since the program started, I've made it a point to follow the SMAs during HIMSS and I have always found their tweets, posts and comments to be extremely valuable. At a conference the size of HIMSS there is a lot of noise. I find that the SMAs help cut through the babble and they somehow find a way to highlight undercurrents that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. It's exciting to be part of the SMA team doing that at #HIMSS16. Q: What in your mind are the untold benefits of social media in healthcare today? A: I think one of the most untapped uses of social media in healthcare is crowdsourcing feedback. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are amazing platforms to test ideas. There isn't another place where you can go and tap into a community of people who are passionate about improving healthcare for feedback. I'm constantly pinging friends I've met online for their opinion on ideas that I have, to clarify my understanding of a particular topic or to ask for reference materials. If I were involved in product development I'd tap into social media to solicit feedback on UX/UI designs and vet approaches to developing products. That to me is the one of the greatest uses of social media that very few are realizing.  Q: What's something that even your devout followers likely don't know about you? A: Oh this is a tough one. I think most people know about my love of all things SciFi and how I first met John Lynn (@techguy) while tweeting/texting using a phone in each hand at HIMSS12. But what people probably don't know is that I love sushi. Can't get enough of it.  Twitter: @SullyHIT This story is part of our ongoing coverage of the HIMSS16 conference. Follow our live blog for real-time updates, and visit Destination HIMSS16 for a full rundown of our reporting from the show. For a selection of some of the best social media posts of the show, visit our Trending at #HIMSS16 hub.

A leading topic or two seem to have emerged at every HIMSS Annual Conference. What do you think will lead this year?

Experts says cybercriminals favor these types of attacks because they are reasonably easy to pull off and have a big impact. 

Wen Dombrowski, MD, has been in the field of clinical informatics since the 1990’s. Back then, her work involved building diabetes databases for community health centers. Today, she’s a geriatrics physician executive at Resonate Health, a role that sees her combining technology, social media, and business solutions to help patients with complex conditions. Dombrowski is also one of only a fistful of social media influencers to sit in the top slot of the #HIT100 list. [Also: Steve Sisko: 'Healthcare literacy' surge coming soon] We reached out to Dombrowski ahead of HIMSS16 to discuss what she’s hoping to find at this year’s conference, what trends she expects to see taking hold in 2016, and what she sees as the untold benefit of social media for healthcare. Q: What’s something about you that even your devout followers likely don’t know?  A: My early days in Clinical Informatics were in the 1990's building diabetes registry Access databases for community health centers in inner-city of Chicago. As part of an IHI (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) Diabetes Learning Collaborative, I learned to track key clinical measures and use the data to identify and reach out to patients with gaps in care. Q: One health IT prediction for 2016? A: In 2016 we will see more direct-to-consumer telemedicine and other digital health services. Mainly because consumers are increasingly demanding easy-access user experience of healthcare, and also because technologies are maturing while state and federal payment policies are starting to cover telehealth. I really like this recent quote: "The digital strategy of a healthcare organization must be aligned with everyday consumer experiences in other industries," from @dchou1107. Q: What is the untold benefit of social media in healthcare today? A: Social media is not only an information-sharing tool — it catalyzes online and local conversations about what are the problems and potential solutions in healthcare. While social media is rich in content for anyone to learn about a diverse array of topics, the online interactions between individuals can be encouraging, thought provoking, and motivating people to action. See all of our HIMSS16 previews Q: What are you most looking forward to learning about at HIMSS16? A: I am looking forward to reconnecting with my Health IT colleagues from around the country and brainstorm how to accelerate healthcare innovation so that patients can truly get the best care. At the HIMSS16 conference I am planning to participate in the sessions related to Physician Informaticists, Long Term & Post Acute Care Providers, Women in Health IT, and HX360 Innovation Leaders.  Q: What inspired you to apply for the Social Media Ambassador program? A: I am already active in using social media to promote awareness of the benefits and challenges of using technology to improve health and care. I helped plan the #HIMSS16 Physician IT Symposium, so I was already planning to be at HIMSS sharing about the latest ideas and discussions happening there. Twitter: @SullyHIT This story is part of our ongoing coverage of the HIMSS16 conference. Follow our live blog for real-time updates, and visit Destination HIMSS16 for a full rundown of our reporting from the show. For a selection of some of the best social media posts of the show, visit our Trending at #HIMSS16 hub.

Tamara St. Claire is the chief innovation officer of Xerox Healthcare – and later this month at HIMSS16 she will also be among the Social Media Ambassadors credentialed to cover the conference.

Steve Sisko, aka @Shimcode on Twitter, did not originally embark down the path toward healthcare IT. His primary career choice, rather, was in the field of aviation technology.

You probably already know Bill Bunting as @WTBunting. But even his 13,800 Twitter followers might not know what fuels the HIMSS16 Social Media Ambassador’s passion for, in his words, “shifting the future of healthcare … so that we all have a voice.” The Director of Healthcare Solutions at storage giant EMC shared what he hopes to learn at this year’s HIMSS conference, why he wanted to be a Social Media Ambassador, a health IT prediction for 2016, and more. [Also: HIMSS reveals Social Media Ambassadors for HIMSS16] And in the spirit of social media, Bunting answered these questions via Twitter. Where else? Q: For starters, here, what inspired you to apply for the Social Media Ambassador program? A: The opportunity to be part of a group of like-minded individuals all out for the cause of improving the healthcare of tomorrow. While we are all friends online, we rarely use our abilities together, and the SMA program offers us the ability to help spread the message of industry change as a unified force. And I’m in it for also the ability to learn more from my peers and really put the value of social media to work in healthcare. Q: What’s something about you that even your devout followers likely don’t know? A: High functioning Aspergers often gets the best of my abilities to express points-of-view correctly, but it’s also part of why I am so passionate about shifting the future of healthcare — so that we all have a voice, we are all treated equally, and we all have the best possible care available to us. Q: What are you most looking forward to learning about at HIMSS16? A: I always look forward to the sessions and the knowledge that can be taken away from my peers. But in recent years I have found an affinity for those vendors off the beaten path on the exhibition floor. Many of them have extraordinary technology, but only a few make it to the big leagues. It’s always fun to explore what they have to offer and hear their take on the future of our industry. Q: One health IT prediction for 2016? A: Venture capital funding will slow down for digital health startups as the market consolidates and larger entrants begin to place their claim. I also feel organizational adoption of digital technologies will pick up finally as innovation accelerates and consumers become more involved, active participants in monitoring their health. Q: What is the untold benefit of social media in healthcare today? A: I hope that social media turns into a virus that healthcare avoids finding an antidote for because it holds tremendous potential for connecting providers and patients on a level once never imagined — allowing for better patient engagement and empathy. But it also holds value for patients to connect with other patients to tell their stories and share knowledge. Twitter: @SullyHIT

HIMSS revealed that HX360 is adding two speakers with national experience in healthcare issues who are not afraid of taking controversial positions.

HIMSS on Tuesday posted its eagerly anticipated lineup of Social Media Ambassadors for the upcoming HIMSS16 conference.

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