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Friday, March 4, 2016

#HIMSS16 Final Day


First, I cannot believe I sat there last night at my sister-in-law's place and watched that entire junior high locker room towel-snapping competition. This is what happens to me when there's too much wine. This also happens: "Your Daily Donald™"

Just saw this over at STATnews:
Republican health care experts dismiss ‘buffoon’ Trump’s ideas
By DAVID NATHER @DavidNather

WASHINGTON — The rise of Donald Trump has been disappointing for establishment Republicans — and downright excruciating for conservatives involved in health care policy.

Even after the release of his health care plan Wednesday, Trump strikes many of them as barely familiar with the most basic conservative health care ideas in their life’s work. In interviews, some of the most influential Republican experts on the issue told STAT they’re dismayed by what they consider the GOP front-runner’s lack of understanding of health care, his inconsistent statements about what he really believes, and his embrace of populist ideas for lowering drug prices that are straight out of the Democratic playbook.

It’s not in most policy experts’ nature to lash out or lob colorful insults at a presidential candidate, the way politicians and operatives do. But thanks to Trump, these are not ordinary times...
We didn't hear anything of substance regarding federal health policy at last night's GOP political C.diff mutual insult-fest. All we got between pre-adolescent barbs was lame repetitive stuff like Ted Cruz's reflexive "I will repeal every word of ObamaCare on Day One."

Right. Harvard-trained lawyer no less. Must have been out sick the day they went over Article I.


See also "The Debate That Made America Dumber." And, HuffPo has this:


Now Mitt is on The Donald's case, too. My quick Photoshop fun with The Father of ObamnyCare last go-round.


Is this a great country, or what?

I'm basically hanging around today to see Peyton's closing Keynote (I'm a UTK grad, as is my daughter). Gonna rifle through my notes from the past few days and post more thoughts. Most of my attention went to UX/UCD topics and "interoperability" (and a bit of "analytics"). The HIMSS status update on the ICD-10 conversion was pretty interesting too. They referred to it as "largely a Y2K event." While coding productivity is down somewhat (to be expected, at least transiently), claims denials have not been all that noticeable. Onward to ICD-11...

After the closing Keynote, given that my wife is over in Japan and Okinawa for work for 10 days, I'm gonna drive down the 15 to L.A. and stay in a B&B two blocks from the Hollywood apartment where my late elder daughter (and I) lived during her illness, spend some time ambling around for feelings that may dissipate my writer's block in finishing the details of the last six month's of Sissy's life -- all part of the book I'm working on.

ERRATUM

My running joke with Health 2.0's Matthew Holt:


Kudos to HIMSS. At the Health 2.0 Conferences we get the neurotically healthy skim milk, soy milk, or rice milk. Ugh.
___

PEYTON CLOSING KEYNOTE

I'd wondered whether turnout might be relatively light. Wrong. It filled up.

Close to showtime, I got collared, first by a volunteer staffer, then by a HIMSS exec. "No photography allowed, sorry."

I pushed back with the HIMSS fellow, wondering whether I might cross a line and get tossed, HIMSS16 press pass notwithstanding. "Dude, that ship has sailed. There are 3,000 people in this room with smartphones. They'll all be taking pictures. And, I've been covering these for four years now without any problem." Showed him my HIMSS media badge. "Sorry. No photography."

Whatever. I started packing my camera bag, and thought about blowing it off and leaving the pending Keynote to get a head start on my trip to Hollywood. I'd heard down in the press room that ESPN and other press were trying to crash the party (on speculation that Peyton might announce his NFL retirement), hence the reflexive viligance, I guess. 

He came back shortly. "I apologize. I got clarification. Just no video."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. I'm not shooting video." We exchanged cards.

He's the HIMSS national COO.

Some pics...

Michael Zaroukian, MD, incoming HIMSS Chair
Dana Alexander, RN, outgoing HIMSS Chair

'eh?

"Football is a game. Revolutionizing healthcare is a mighty endeavor. I can’t even come close to doing what you do."

He gave a great speech, self-deprecating, funny, polished, sincere, and inspiring. And totally relevant to the Health IT community. Glad I stayed (though I, like a lot of attendees, left prior to his closing post-speech discussion segment.)


See MedCity's recap here.

"NO VIDEO"


Jus' sayin'...

DONE


Back in California. I know every rock and bush on the 15. Off to Hollywood for the weekend.


The Stateline Solar Park just at the foot of Mountain Pass CA is really something to behold. I loves me some solar.

Still have HIMSS16 session notes to expand on. Stay tuned.

____________

More to come...

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