Dear Members of WEDI,
When we gather this May out in Scottsdale, it will be the 27
th time the healthcare industry has come together for WEDI’s annual Spring Conference. Twenty seven years later and we’re showing no signs of slowing down!
I’m proud to announce that Dr. Donald Rucker, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, will be joining us in Scottsdale as Keynote for a candid discussion on current and upcoming ONC initiatives, while also interacting with conference attendees during an open dialogue on emerging industry topics. Dr. Rucker’s combination of real-world business and clinical experience, as well as a comprehensive knowledge of health information technology makes him an exceptional addition to our Spring conference.
In addition to Dr. Rucker, conference attendees will hear from ONC Blockchain Challenge winners Erik Pupo of Accenture and Kyle Culver of Humana who will lead an informative discussion on how blockchain is no longer just hype, but rather a reality that the healthcare industry, especially payers, need to address head-on. These industry thought leaders will join an impressive lineup of health IT movers and shakers who will offer best practices, emerging trends and case studies focusing on timely topics impacting the healthcare industry including: blockchain, FHIR, all-payer claims databases, prior authorization, value based care, the 2017 CAQH Index and the new CMS Medicare Card Project.
But these topics are more than just discussion points at our Spring Conference. They are headline making issues keeping many stakeholders awake at night – myself included. Well, we’re going to hear from the editors behind those headlines as Arthur Allen, eHealth editor for
POLITICO Pro and Fred Bazzoli, editor-in-chief of
Health Data Management will join us for a special session discussing the biggest news stories impacting our health IT industry.
And we’re going to kick this entire conference off with two special pre-conference summits. One will focus on attachments and the other on privacy, security and cybersecurity during which you’ll hear from Special Agent Paul Schaaf of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who will provide attendees with an overview of the FBI’s cybersecurity initiatives. In addition to Agent Schaff’s remarks, Greg Garcia, executive director of the Cybersecurity, Healthcare Sector Coordinating Council will discuss how they work together with the National Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center, as well as what they do and how you can and must get involved. These sessions couldn’t be more timely as cybercrime continues to plague our industry.
As you can see, WEDI’s Spring Conference will bring together some of the greatest minds who are influencing and shaping the healthcare landscape each and every day. That’s why I invite you to join us this May out in Arizona for what is sure to be an outstanding start to WEDI’s 2018 educational programming!
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Charles W. Stellar, WEDI president and CEO
