Activities for Health Information Technology Week

National Health Information Technology Week started in 2005 as a collaborative forum of vendors, pharmaceutical companies, government agencies, research foundations and public health organizations coming together during a designated week to discuss issues in healthcare, especially in the area of technology. Activities, forums and workshops were organized and created to disseminate information on everything from the advancement of health information systems and public policy-related matters to patient healthcare and administration.

eHealth Initiatives

• The eHealth initiative typically features industry leaders in the health information services field discussing new technologies and advances in the use of technology. Forums are conducted with the participation of members from Congress, federal and state health department agencies, and major health organizations and industry firms. eHealth sessions address challenges, strategies, objectives and goals related to providing a delivery service for patients' healthcare through the use of technology.

Healthcare Policy

• Healthcare policy is a major topic addressing the concerns of American citizens regarding access to healthcare services. Policy forums are typically conducted between key members of the healthcare profession, congressional leaders from the Senate and House of Representatives, and non-profit health advocate groups. Forums are generally think tank sessions that address issues concerning healthcare services, deployment of technology related to patient histories and insurance concerns.

New Technologies

• Vendors get a chance to display new technologies in the field of health information systems during Health Information Technology Week. Activities include the demonstration of new hardware and software technologies in healthcare administration, bio-informatics, records management, community healthcare systems and dynamic enterprise systems that are shared between hospitals within the same network as healthcare providers. Web-based programs used to develop online knowledge base systems for patients to conduct research on diseases and symptoms are also presented.

Research and Development

• Federal and state health organizations, non-profits, and private industry conduct forums during the week to inform the public concerning the latest breakthroughs in disease control and treatment. Knowledge and new methods are exchanged in areas of infectious and chronic diseases, traumatic injuries, and surgical methods such as ultra-ray and laser-assisted. New medicines and vaccines are also reviewed by medical experts in presentation form, focusing on cures and the effect they have on the human body.