How Delaware can fit into a national rural healthcare IT scene

There is no better event that highlights the details of the ever-evolving world of Healthcare Information Technology better than the HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) annual conference and exhibition.
HIMSS has roots as advocates for the improvement of  healthcare quality through the best use of technology and management systems dating back to 1961.
This past March, hundreds of new products were on display to more than 41,000 people in attendance at the 2016 conference in Las Vegas. Las Vegas was the last place where I would think about my home in rural Southern Delaware. When you go to the City of Lights, you don’t think of “sleepy rural towns.”
After browsing a schedule of available sessions, my interest was piqued by several rural healthcare IT sessions. While in attendance, I realized that there are places all over the country much like my area where the unique challenges of limited resources like broadband internet, 4G LTE wireless networks and technology expertise can make implementing, maintaining and optimizing healthcare IT a difficult task.
I shared stories about funding opportunities, workforce issues, measures to ensure privacy of electronic health records and working with vendors to improve healthcare delivery. It was nice to meet folks who also commute to work driving past dairy farms and dirt roads while striving to bring better technologies to their small communities.
Since returning I have stayed in touch with several contacts from rural areas of Virginia, New Mexico, Maryland and Florida. We’ve been working together to find better solutions to shared issues in our communities. As Sussex County’s growing population continues to surge with retirees, the healthcare industry will grow accordingly and better access to new technology is imperative.
On Tuesday, June 14, my company SecureNetMD will host a TechTalk event with Mike Maksymow, vice president and CIO of Lewes-based Beebe Healthcare.
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Maksymow brings over 20 years of experience in HIT and will be speaking to industry representatives about the challenges, opportunities, and the future of rural healthcare IT. He has previously collaborated with SecureNetMD on a wireless business continuity fail-over solution developed by both organizations and partnered with us again to publish a whitepaper detailing the solution.
High speed broadband and telehealth are becoming more of a focus in our area. That’s why it’s so important for us to get behind, participate and lead technology initiatives in our community.