One Way to Obtain Good HIMSS Conference-related Information via Twitter

Each year, more and more people and companies are sharing their health information technology conference-related insight, experiences, facts and opinions before, during and after the event. Whether you're able to attend the 2017 HIMSS Conference or not, following along virtually via industry newsfeeds, LinkedIn Group discussions, and social media platforms like Twitter can be a good way to maximize the informational value of the conference.

For the past five years, I've been curating, creating and sharing HIMSS-related conference 'content' via my primary Twitter account known as @ShimCode, accounts like @HIMSS12, @HIMSS13 & @HIMSS14 and also  @HITConfGuy - a "health information technology conference-only" companion account to this blog.

For 2017, I expect I'll be using a combination of the above three approaches to share with my followers.

Why Follow @HITConfGuy?

Quite simply, to get 'good' HIMSS conference-related content without having to sift through all the advertisements, spam, stale and repetitious tweets. 

Note: The official HIMSS hashtag for the 2017 HIMSS Conference is #HIMSS17 and I'm already seeing an increase in the amount of spam, and what I think many would agree are useless tweets, containing the #HIMSS17 hashtag. 

What this Account Will Do

1. Only share information related to the HIMSS conference and relevant healthcare IT topics. With some occasional deviation, the focus will be on sharing information about the following topics

#ACO – Accountable Care Organizations and programs in bundled payment, episodes of care-shared savings, and growing participant base

#consumerism - improving member’s overall well-being – medical, social, financial, and environmental

#cybersecurity - protecting the privacy and security of consumer information

#digitalhealth – digital health and connected health

#mhealth – mobile health for improving disease management, member engagement, and data collection/distribution

#pharmacy –pharma costs vs benefits to quality of care and total medical costs

#telemedicine – telehealth and telemedicine for acute and chronic care needs

#interoperability - interoperability and integration topics

2. Monitor alternative sources of information other than Twitter such as blogs, news releases to health industry media sources, content made available to me by followers, and various search mechanisms I've developed over the years.

3. Accept good information and content from others and share it out. Send info to shimcode@gmail.com.

4. Include links to supplemental content and resources associated with certain tweets.

5. Share select vendor info (whitepapers, surveys, content, offers, etc) that are not clearly a sales pitches. Veiled sales pitches may be passed along at my discretion.

6. Verify that all embedded links and embedded content can be accessed, warn about need to login to access content, and other practical considerations.

7. Spare you the excess of the “over-tweeters”

8. Share select info on "booth-bling," tweet-ups, parties and contests.

9. Keep an eye out for the off-beat, intriguing and humorous - and the edgy stuff you'll rarely see others share. 

What This Account Won't Do

1. Overuse the #HIMSS17 hash tag

The #HIMSS17 tag is already being used by spammers and way over-used by certain people who should really know better. This account will strive for judicious use of the #HIMSS17 tag.

2. Share the same tweet more than once. 

Except for periodic “public service tweets” calling attention to administrative, logistical and general information itemsal service this account provides.

3. Like and re-tweet every tweet mentioning this account.

4. Repeat the same tweet over and over and over and over and over

Good #HIMSS17 Information - Before, During & After 

So if you're planning on attending the HIMSS Conference in Orlando or want to follow along virtually, be sure to follow @HitConfGuy on Twitter and consider subscribing to this blog.

Summary of Today's #HITMC Tweetchat - Tuesday, April 21, 2015

I missed the #HITMC tweetchat hosted by HIT Marketing and PR (@HITMarketingPR) this morning so I grabbed the tweets and culled out all the responses. Here they're for those who also may have missed it:

Here's @Symplur's analytics on the #HITMC Tweetchat.

T1: How does healthcare buyer engagement differ from sales and marketing in other industries? #HITMC 

@billians	T1: Security and compliance are a bigger priority in healthcare; Patients = very precious cargo buyers entrusted with! #HITMC
@jslentzclifton	T1 Wide array of stakeholders, very busy professionals w/ limited desk time - need new creative ways to engage. #HITMC
@ehrandhit	T1: One major difference from many (although not all) industries is how regulated healthcare is. #HITMC
@cnluken	T1: differs in the buyer dynamics... doctors, boards, C-levels & some floor staff all may have influence #HITMC
@porterresearch	T1: Credibility, while important in all industries, is especially of concern to potential buyers in the healthcare industry. #HITMC
@dz45tr	#HITMC T1: I think the complications come from the complexity of the systems. Many stakeholders get to say "no."
@askjoyrios	T1: Healthcare buyers want to avoid the services vs. other industries where they're actively looking to use products/services. #HITMC
@billians	T1: Security concerns in the healthcare industry too are very important whereas other industries may not need to worry about this #hitmc
@nateksu	T1: peer influence seems to be of greater importance than anything else #HITMC
@ehrandhit	Docs trust docs more. Med school bonds people. RT @NateKSU: T1: peer influence seems to be of greater importance than anything else #HITMC
@shilling_brian	RT @ehrandhit: Docs trust docs more. Med school bonds people.  RT @NateKSU: T1: peer influence seems to be of greater importance than anyth…
@dz45tr	#HITMC T1: It's more than #providers, though. Many systems have to consider #Patient, #Peer, #Payer, #Purchaser = different messages.
@porterresearch1	@HealthcareScene @dz45tr T1 HIT specifically is a very complex arena, often w/ multi-org impact; longer sales cycles. #HITMC

T2: What are effective ways to succinctly present complex healthcare solutions in marketing? (videos, case studies, etc) #HITMC 

@porterresearch	T2 A brief client story w/ clear benefit/outcome as bottom line required to snare initial attention #HITMC
@billians	T2: case studies, to me, seem to be the best way to showcase solutions. Good to learn from a been-there-done-that situation. #hitmc
@jslentzclifton	T2 Personally a visual learner; Into diagrams, charts, drawings more than video (maybe an age thing?) #HITMC
@ehrandhit	T2: A well done video can do an amazing job at describing complex solutions. Doing it well is a major challenge though. #HITMC
@nateksu	T2:well placed video for a high level hook followed by case study #HITMC
@dz45tr	#HITMC T2: key to any marketing is understanding and planning for audience. Match the channel to the receiver. Good planning = success.
@dz45tr	#HITMC T2: writing out your key points in your messaging plan helps provide framework for how you channel.
@cnluken	T2: We demonstrate subjectmater expertise; when they want2 no more-weLISTEN 2their issues&make specific plan #HITMC #IfYouBuildItTheyWillCome
@ehrandhit	T2: Regardless of the method you use to tell your story, you have to invest in the distribution of the story as well. #HITMC

T3: In your experience, what’s been the single best marketing resource for building trust with healthcare providers? #HITMC

@porterresearch	T3: This is a really good question. I'm excited for the answers! #HITMC
@nursenadeen	T3 Word of mouth references from THEIR peers plus caring about end user feedback #HITMC @billians
@jslentzclifton	T3 Market education; Studies that bring trends, adoption benchmarks to light. Providers largely in uncharted territory! Want insight #HITMC
@porterresearch	T3 Our clients report success validating solution #ROI w/ objective 3rd party & using that to establish trust from word go. #HITMC
@cnluken	T3: Setting expectations & Meeting/Exceeding them. #HITMC
@billians	T3: Providing thought leadership too can be important, you need to show you KNOW what you're talking about. #hitmc
@dz45tr	#HITMC T3: Definitely word of mouth, but finding your champions and getting them to your audience is key. & getting over barrier to change.
@porterresearch1	@PorterResearch T3 Clients report success validating solution ROI w/ objective 3rd party & using that to establish trust from word go #HITMC

T4: How important is it for companies to quantify solution ROI with hard numbers in marketing collateral? #HITMC

@billians	T4: Very important. #ROI can justify a marketing expense. #hitmc
@jslentzclifton	T4 People love stats, numbers. Quick way to cut through the healthcare sales & marketing noise, IMHO. #HITMC
@nateksu	T4: Suspicious buyers poke holes in ROI alone, they need to want to believe… then the ROI collateral is just confirmation #HITMC
@bryan_pasaribu	#KCA #VoteJKT48ID dz45tr: Not to mention #HealthIT is developing so quickly, by the time you get to market, you're probably too late. #HITMC
@porterresearch	T4 Sellers will be cautious re: over-promising, but ROI (transactional & otherwise) should always be part of the pitch. #HITMC
@dz45tr	#HITMC T4: I think some ROI numbers are fine, but better to anticipate ROI for prospect can be more powerful
@cnluken	T4: Quantifying ROI is key. Putting it in different terms is good too tho, like increased efficiency by X, #clicks, hours, etc. #HITMC
@shilling_brian	T4: Buyers gravitate to ROI numbers. ROI calculators are a great asset and marketing tool. #HITMC

T5: What marketing initiatives offer the best channels for building brand credibility? (blogs, research, testimonials, etc) #HITMC

@porterresearch	T5: providing thought leadership via blog or other source where you can showcase knowledge in concise, but thoughtful manner. #HITMC
@ehrandhit	T5: I'm somewhat partial to blogs ;-) Although, look for blogs tied to a solid email list, social reach, and SEO profile. #HITMC
@jslentzclifton	T5 Horns are louder when someone else is tooting them ;) Client endorsements, research citations stand out. #HITMC
@nateksu	T5: Well written blogs develop brands over time #HITMC
@nursenadeen	T5 #HITMC Strategic partnerships, research blogs, bulletin board focus groups @billians
@cnluken	T5: Weve been seeing gr8 results from educational webinars (showcases expertise). Going 2start blogging (this month fingers crossed) #HITMC
@ehrandhit	Too many people miss the "over time" part and fall short. RT @NateKSU: T5: Well written blogs develop brands over time #HITMC