The Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Metro Atlanta Chamber will leverage the state's position as the nation's largest segment of health information technology companies by sponsoring 13 key thought leaders for a first-of-its-kind speaker series. As the only state with a pavilion during the conference, Georgia is using this global stage to showcase the concentration, diversity and innovation of the leaders and companies in the state's healthcare ecosystem.

The Georgia speakers offer a broad range of expertise in topics impacting the health IT sector today, ranging from rural healthcare and FHIR to telehealth and EMR. The key influencers from across Georgia and metro Atlanta's health IT sector who will be sharing their expertise include:

• Alexander Anthony, chief operating and strategy officer, Four Season Healthcare Consultants
• Baha Zeidan, CEO, Azalea Health
• Justin Pierce, vice president of sales, Azalea Health
• Justin Barnes, chief growth officer, iHealth
• Jon Duke, M.D., director of health data analytics, Georgia Tech Research Institute
• Sidney P. Smith, M.D., president and CEO, Anagen Systems
• Theo Harvey, CEO, SynsorMed
• Michael Trader, president and co-founder, RightPatient™
• Lucie Ide, M.D./PhD., president and CEO, Rimidi
• Dee Cantrell, president, Georgia HIMSS Board of Directors
• Jim Bowling, co-founder and COO, PREMEDEX
• Van Willis, co-founder and CEO, PREMEDEX
• David Sides, CEO, Streamline Health

"Georgia leads the nation with more than 225 HIT companies, and we are committed to the healthcare and life sciences industry through continuous investment in its people and resources," said EJane Caraway, Georgia Department of Economic Development's director of Life Sciences and Corporate Solutions. "HIMSS is the perfect platform for the state, and our partners joining us, to show industry leaders Georgia's ability to attract and retain health IT companies and keep them competitive. We look forward to the future opportunities this conference will afford us."

"Because Georgia's health IT sector is the largest in the nation, we have the talent to drive the latest trends and technology across the industry," said Kornelius Bankston, MAC's director of Bioscience Ecosystem Expansion. "With our delegation's strong presence at HIMSS, we can demonstrate why metro Atlanta is among the top 10 best healthcare cities and a top 10 tech talent market."

Today's global digital health market is valued at over $55 billion and is expected to grow by 21 percent by 2020. With its rich concentration of health IT companies, Georgia has solidified its position as a leader across every subsector in the healthcare ecosystem. A few examples include:

• McKesson: recognized as a 2016 Elite 100 by InformationWeek for technology innovation in scalable business intelligence solutions
• Azalea Health: established as a leader in EHR and PM solutions with security software; selected by Georgia State University for education tool for health informatics students; provider of rural healthcare solutions across the Southeast
• SynsorMed: telehealth innovators producing wearable technology for patient monitoring and virtual consultations
• Piedmont Innovation Center: partnership between Piedmont Healthcare and Global Center for Medical Innovation; advancing delivery of medical technology; first of its kind in Southeast
• Healthcare Innovation Program: partnership between Emory University and Georgia Tech; interactive network of healthcare providers supporting and enhancing innovation around topics like quality, cost and access to health services
• eICU Remote Care Program: telemedicine program at Emory Healthcare; provides around the clock care for ICU patients by partnering with healthcare facility in Sydney, Australia; has potential for the development of a global eICU network