The 8th annual Health IT Leadership Summit will open with a futurist’s view of the role of emerging technologies in healthcare and close with a pragmatist’s insights into public health issues. The Summit will be held on November 7, 2017, at the Crowne Plaza at Ravinia. The Summit’s theme for 2017 is:  “What’s Next in Healthcare? Initiating Collaboration and Innovation in Our Communities.”
 
Panel sessions will address the hottest topics in healthcare, including the move from fee-for-service to value-based care, the HIT workforce in the 21st Century, consumer digital health and cybersecurity.
 
Shahid Shah, publisher of Netspective Media, will open the conference with a presentation on “How the Rise of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Will Impact the Role of Clinicians.” Shah is an internationally recognized and influential healthcare IT thought leader who is known as “The Healthcare IT Guy” across the Internet. He is a technology strategy consultant to many federal agencies and winner of Federal Computer Week’s coveted “Fed 100″ award given to IT experts that have made a big impact in the government.
 
Shaw has architected and built multiple clinical solutions over his almost 22-year career. He helped design and deploy the American Red Cross’s electronic health record solution across thousands of sites; he’s built several web-based EMRs now in use by hundreds of physicians; he’s designed large groupware and collaboration sites in use by thousands; and, as an ex-CTO for a billion-dollar division of Cardinal Health he helped design advanced clinical interfaces for medical devices and hospitals. Shahid also serves as a senior technology strategy advisor to NIH’s and TATRC’s SBIR/STTR program helping small businesses commercialize their healthcare applications.
 
Chesley Richards, MD, MPH, FACP, who is the closing keynote speaker at the Summit, is the Deputy Director for Public Health Scientific Services at CDC, as well as the Director of the Office of Public Health Scientific Services. In these two roles, Dr. Richards is a key advisor to the CDC Director and oversees the National Center for Health Statistics, the MMWR and Vital Signs publications, the Epidemic Intelligence Service and other scientific training programs, the Guide to Community Preventive Services, and a broad range of cross-cutting epidemiology, public health surveillance and laboratory services.
 
Previously, Dr. Richards served CDC in a variety of roles including as the Director of the Immunization Services Division, the Office of Prevention through Healthcare, and as Deputy Director, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. Dr. Richards earned his MD from the Medical University of South Carolina, an MPH in Health Policy and Administration from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a graduate of the Epidemic Intelligence Service at CDC, the Cancer Control Education Fellowship at UNC Lineberger Cancer Center and the Program on Clinical Effectiveness at Harvard School of Public Health. He completed Internal Medicine (Medical College of Georgia), Geriatric Medicine (Emory University) and General Preventive Medicine and Public Health (UNC Chapel Hill).

Innovation Award and Sponsorships

Applications are now available for the prestigious Innovation Award. The Innovation Award recognizes health IT companies that are using technology in innovative ways, demonstrating strong clinical and financial benefits, or finding new ways to address specific disease states or improve patient health.

Four finalists will be selected and featured at the VIP Reception scheduled for November 6, with one company recognized as the top innovator. The finalists and winner will also be showcased at the Summit on November 7 and supported by promotional events and materials. Entries are due by September 27, 2017.
 
A limited number of sponsorships are also still available for companies seeking premium exposure with the “movers and shakers” in HIT.
 
The Summit ranks as one of the nation’s premier health IT events. The Summit was founded in 2010 by three organizations, all dedicated to supporting the growth of the health IT industry:  the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Metro Atlanta Chamber and Technology Association of Georgia Health.