2 Star Speakers

The 2006 HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition concluded today with three keynote addresses. The morning session brought Dr. Craig Barrett, Chairman of the Board of Intel Corp. The 2nd speaker was Gov. Mark R. Warner, the Commonwealth's former governor. Most people were relatively surprised by the knowledge Gov. Warner held about healthcare information technology. While he is well known around the beltway and in Virginia, Mark Warner is still gaining name recognition in other areas of the country. It wasn't his best performance that I've seen, but I think he affirmed his position on how technology can help to improve healthcare. As a bonus, he highlighted many of Virginia's efforts - including many of our Medicaid programs. My school even got a shout-out during the speech.

The conference ended with a spectacular performance by Dana Carvey. I had no idea how funny Dana Carvey actually was - I'd seen his performances on SNL and of course, in Wayne's World, but hadn't really seen much of his standup. He was perfect for the crowd and got great responses everytime he intentionally mispronounced HIMSS. I didn't know this either, but Carvey underwent a very unfortunate series of events when doctors discovered he had severe arterial blockages. So anyway, he was able to put on a terrific performance while still being able to relate to the healthcare industry.