What does economic stimulus mean for the healthcare industry?

By Patty Enrado, Editor

CHICAGO — Now that President Obama has signed into law the $787 billion economic stimulus package, which includes $19.2 billion for healthcare IT, the obvious next question is: What next?

“Economic stimulus legislation is the most impactful legislation (for the healthcare industry) since the passage of HIPAA in the mid-1990s,” said Carla Smith, executive vice president of HIMSS. “It is crucial for HIMSS to educate our attendees on developments of this magnitude so that all are equipped to understand, prepare and act.”

HIMSS09 will feature a series of 10 education sessions in its Economic Stimulus Package (ESP) spread throughout the four days of the conference. Multiple areas will be addressed, including the need for decision makers to address the ramifications from the perspective of strategic planning and the nuances and implications that come with the large amount of funding involved.

Smith hopes that by going to as many ESP sessions attendees will “understand the fundamentals of economic stimulus and know where to turn within HIMSS to become as knowledgeable as necessary.”

Economic Stimulus Package (ESP) Sessions:

• “The Goal of Economic Stimulus: A Democrat/Republican Panel” (ESP-1) on Sunday, April, 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM
• “Funding in Economic Stimulus: The Scope of the Opportunity” (ESP-2) on Monday April 6, 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM
• “A Strategic Approach to Managing Opportunities and Risks for Health IT in Economic Stimulus” (ESP-3) on Monday, April 6, 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM
• “Optimizing the Opportunities in Economic Stimulus for Rural and Community Health” (ESP-4) on Monday April 6, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
• “Optimizing the Opportunities in Economic Stimulus for the Physician Practice” (ESP-5) on Monday April 6, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
• “The Meaning of Economic Stimulus for Healthcare Enterprises: Bracing for Impact” (ESP-6) on Tuesday, April 7, 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
• “Achieving Health Information Interoperability by Leveraging Economic Stimulus” (ESP-7) on Tuesday April 7, 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM
• “The Effect of Economic Stimulus on State HIT Projects” (ESP-8) on Tuesday, April 7, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
• “ONC’s Plans for Its Economic Stimulus Funding” (ESP-9) on Tuesday April 7, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
• “Developing a Plan to Operationalize the Results of Economic Stimulus” (ESP-10) on Wednesday, April 8, 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM

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