HIMSS Day 6: i got a beating

Google healthcare isn't what it is cracked up to be. Saw it in action. Privacy folks are going to go ape for a while over this development. Same with Microsoft's Health Vault. I almost got the feeling that Google's move was me-too.

Anyway, today was the wrap up of HIMSS 2008. I enjoyed this first HIMSS experience. I learned a lot. Here are my top 10 things I learned (in random order[the numbering is more for me to know when to stop]):

1. Cabbies that don't take credit cards are faking it. I am lucky to be alive.
   
2. Get a gypsy cab driver to tell you how much it costs to go someplace after you ask him how much he charges by the mile. When you argue with him on price, make sure he is not under a lot of other stress. Don't ask.
   
3. Trade shows should make a marketing pitch randomizer. Each exhibitor must scan their materials and some natural language engine can generate the 1 brochure to take home, rather than the 6" of treeware I have. Something like this would work for 90% of the companies at HIMSS08.
   
• The slogan would be: "Driving Healthcare Performance: managing data for actionable results".
  
• The positioning statement "Our EHR/PHR [electronic/personal health record] integrates with everything and can share all your data with all your systems for all your clinical activities --only if you use our integrated suite of applications."
  Now give this to a show floor model to sell as she scans your badge.
  
4. The best trade show booth displays are bars. Sadly, their selection sucks.
   
5. In Disneyworld, you can carry your beer wherever you want, even handing it to your kids.
6. The sky in Orlando is actually yellow -- unless you tilt your head up 45 degrees to see the blue bits.
7. There is no garbage on International Drive (the main conference hotel route going from Disneyworld, north past the Orange County Convention Centre. They should just extend the Disney show tunes.
   
8. Every third marketing director in the US health industry is Canadian. They no longer say 'eh'. Turncoats.
   
9. From hotel windows you can watch discrete, drive-by drug deals. Or, pimped rides are driven by people who wish to exchange a lot of family photos and polite conversation.
   
10. Don't expect enlightenment from an economist. Mild amusement maybe, but not enlightenment. Today, Levitt (Freakenomics) was the closing keynote.
11. stopping now....

Well, how did I come up with these you may ask? I paid a woman $20 to beat me up - it was a conference chair massage. I had 15 minutes to think. After 5 days of this, that I got nearly an idea per minute is pretty good performance all things considered. So, after 5 days of HIMSSing and yawning, it is time to stop typing.

Now, to pack, dine, and hit the hay. Early start tomorrow on the trek home.