HIMSS AsiaPac15: A Look Back

HIMSS AsiaPac15: A Look Back

As many of you know, HIMSS AsiaPac15 recently wrapped up in Singapore. There were two main sections of the conference, the courses held in separate rooms and the Exhibit floor. Our blog will focus on the great content we observed at HIMSS. If you have any additional ideas or items you saw, please feel free to comment on this blog! There was too much to see and do, so we limited this blog to only two exhibits and three courses we attended.

The Exhibit Hall:

The Exhibit Hall itself was small, but efficient and very open. Ascend had excellent conversations with a number of vendors and consultants operating the booths. In particular, we enjoyed speaking with two companies on the HIMSS exhibit hall floor: EMC Corporation and Mulesoft.

  • EMC Corporation designed a Healthcare Analytics dashboard application allowing users to view large data sets. Underlying the technology is the use of Hadoop, an open-source framework used for the processing of large data sets across one or a cluster of computers.
  • Mulesoft was another interesting company we spoke to, a company centering its products and services on enabling mobile healthcare and healthcare interoperability. Their platform integrates SaaS / cloud based software with on premise software, driving mobile innovation in healthcare.

The Conference Courses:

There were a number of excellent courses offered by HIMSS and sponsored by multiple corporations and organizations.  While there were many, we thought the following three courses resonated with our values and our business line.

  • The Mobile Clinician (presented by Dr. George Margelis): This was an excellent overview for the need of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) and mobile capabilities. One of the main issues Dr. Margelis covered was the lack of mobility around EHRs as they are currently implemented (e.g. large battery powered desktop computers sitting atop a movable cart). Mobile EHRs must be designed with the doctor in mind: allowing them to use technology without disrupting their workflows.
  • HL7 FHIR (presented by Grahame Grieve): Grahame from HL7 International provided an overview of the upcoming HL7 FHIR specification (due out this week). FHIR will be used to enable not only mobile but also desktop EHR interoperability by using the best aspects of HL7 2 and HL7 3, CDA and DICOM.
  • Detalytics (presented by Dr. Florence Jennings): Detalytics provided an interesting perspective on human resource management specifically around providers. Specifically, they spoke to how to manage your aging and increasingly stressed healthcare employees.

There were a number of other courses and exhibits omitted here, but overall HIMSS AsiaPac15 was an excellent conference, and we look forward to HIMSS North America in Las Vegas.

Let us know your thoughts on HIMSS AsiaPac15!

Co-Authored by Mike Brown & Ben Dickshinski

The Startup DNA – Startups, Leadership and Culture Change

The Startup DNA – Startups, Leadership and Culture Change

Here at Ascend we traditionally blog about Health IT, Agile, and SCRUM. However, we felt that since we are still in the startup phase and growing, we could share some of our insights. Everyday many new startups emerge in technology, e-commerce, engineering, etc. As a company who has gone through some growing pains, we hope that our advice and guidance can be useful to companies of all sizes and industries.

What do Startups do Differently?

The importance of the word “startup” is that eventually it either transitions into a failed business or a stable enterprise. When they transition into a successful organization, today’s startups are revolutionizing the leadership and communication inside organizations of any size, industry or profitability. As a leader, you must trust your employees and trust yourself that you have communicated your mission and company values clearly, so that there is no disconnect.

Why Does Culture Matter?

The millennial generation (age 18-34) is now the largest workforce in the United States at 53.5 million. Further, hiring managers claim that 58% of millennials will leave their job within 3 years. What does this tell us? That our current method of creating a satisfactory company culture has failed. Startups offer the perfect opportunity to test oneself and work on new ideas and projects, inspiring individuals to create and innovate amongst their peers.

Founders-What exactly do they do?

Good founders have an idea; great founders have an idea and passion. Founder(s) articulate the company’s vision and values and to establish a solid foundation on which the company can grow. Without a solid foundation on which to build and innovate, an idea is only worth the paper it is written on.

The Board of Advisors

The Board of Advisors should be those who have little to no financial interest in the company, rather they serve to help guide the vision of the founder(s). The board should act as an independent advising group and advise on things such as management, accounting, finances, and development of the vision.

Conclusion

We’ve outlined multiple factors that have been influential in the success of our own startup as well as observations from the ever-changing startup environment. Foundational leadership, the concept of culture and the role of your board all play a critical role in your new business venture. We will discuss each topic in detail over the coming months, starting with “What Startups do Differently.”

Co-Authored by Mike Brown & Ben Dickshinski