@ HIMSS: Finding mobility in a healthcare world

ORLANDO, Fla. — Mobility was not hard to find last week at the HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) conference. Three of the top four U.S. wireless operators were exhibiting at this year’s event.
Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility and Sprint Nextel Corp. may not have had the grand presence that each is used to at wireless conferences, but they were not hidden or relegated to the back corners of the Orange County Convention Center either. All three came to HIMSS with new partnerships to announce and ideas for growth in this space.
The mobile standouts at HIMSS went beyond the deep pockets of the carriers though. It seemed like everyone had mobile on the mind, but there are many pure technology players in the healthcare field as well. Dozens of technology companies with significant business interests in mobility and then mobile-centric companies such BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion Ltd. and Motorola Solutions Inc. were out in force at the annual health IT conference.
A record-breaking 31,225 attendees came to HIMSS 2011 and although most of them may not directly work in mobile day to day, it would be safe to say that each of them are thinking about mobility. Throughout HIMSS, mobile technology and new applications in this medium were on display as giants like Google Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. demonstrated their latest work in the healthcare vertical.
Tablets and smart phones were easy to find as well — practically every vendor is being pushed to demonstrate their tried-and-tested applications running in a new environment. Meanwhile, some are developing entirely new systems that begin with mobility right out of the gate.
Some of the companies showcasing new applications for the Apple Inc. iPad and other tablets and smart phones include GE Healthcare, FujiFilm Medical Systems U.S.A. and Practice Fusion.