Health Level 7 International (HL7) will hold its annual policy conference from Thursday, December 4 through Friday, December 5, 2014, in Washington, DC. The event will gather thought leaders in health technology and policy change for a discussion of present challenges and future opportunities. The diverse group of speakers will give presentations that examine interoperability, with a focus on both global and domestic issues.

The keynote address on the first morning of the event will be given by Diana DeGette (D-CO), member, Energy and Commerce Committee, who will discuss the 21st Century Cures initiative and how Congress can help accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of promising new treatments to patients with enabling regulatory policies.

Other sessions featured at the 2-day event will include: 

  • Ebola and the future of infectious disease, informatics and interoperability
  • Beltway crystal ball – Leading policy experts forecast what health information technology (HIT) issues will be viable in next year’s Congress? Who are the key players?
  • Incentivizing interoperability: frameworks for the future
  • Genomics and standards
  • Communicating with patients, providers and the media on interoperability
  • Lessons learned in the eHealth and HIT revolution, with a specific focus on standards and interoperability issues

Speakers include 35 thought leaders, such as Farley R. Cleghorn, MD, MPH, chief knowledge officer and global health practice leader, Futures Group; Jennifer Covich Bordernick, CEO, eHealth Initiative; Susan Dentzer, senior policy adviser, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Matthew Hein, international trade specialist, US Department of Commerce; Devin Jopp, president, WEDI; Thomas M. Leary, vice president, government relations, HIMSS; Erin McKay, associate director, health information technology programs, National Partnership for Women and Families; Mark Segal, vice president, government and industry affairs, GE Healthcare IT, and chair, eHealth Initiative Policy Steering Committee; and Sally Stansfield, MD, director, emerging markets, DeLoitte Consulting, LLP.

A complete list of speakers and more information about the HL7 policy conference is available at the HL7 website.