A Preview of AFCEA HITS24: A Focus on Citizen Care

This year's Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association (AFCEA) Health IT Summit (HITS24)—Bethesda, Maryland, January 30–31, 2024—revolves around a compelling theme: "Strengthening the Citizen Care Experience: What Now? What Next?" With a focus on improving the customer experience (CX) across government, the summit spotlights the need for human- and data-centered healthcare and services and, given the escalating sophistication of attacks targeting the healthcare sector, the imperative of prioritizing cybersecurity.

The journey to reshape the U.S. healthcare system into a provider of quality care, unparalleled results, and enhanced CX for millions is an ongoing commitment for both the nation and federal agencies. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant deficiencies in the healthcare system, driving stakeholders across the sector to implement new technologies and protocols. Now, as we transition into a post-Covid era, healthcare stakeholders grapple with those fundamental questions: What Now? What Next?

In the realm of competitive federal health IT, where organizations compete for funding, contracts, and market influence, our united aim remains the enhancement of health outcomes for all. Bixal proudly aligns with our HITS24 sponsorship peers, jointly bolstering public-private partnerships. Acknowledging that our combined efforts wield more power than individual endeavors, it is this collaborative approach within the federal health market that drives advancements in public health.

The AFCEA Health IT Summit will bring together these collaborators—agency leads, experts, and innovators—to help shape a future where healthcare is improved for millions of individuals.

Why Attend?

Bixal is sponsoring this event because it’s important to us and our mission. Most likely, it’s important to your mission and your agency or organization as well.

At Bixal, our mission extends beyond delivering exceptional products and solutions— it is about positively impacting people everywhere. We envision a future where governments and organizations embrace data, technology, and human-centered practices to improve the lives of the people they serve. Our depth of experience supporting health IT, strategic communication, and digital services provides our organization with an unmatched understanding for how to ensure best-in-class management and to set a benchmark for health system transformation.

Our focus on human-centered design (HCD), usability/accessibility, change management, and high-quality IT products and services ensures our work is delivered in a way that supports stakeholders, engages audiences, and disseminates vital information.

While Bixal’s capabilities, personnel, and experiences set us apart, we acknowledge that we share client relationships, mission focus, and growth targets with many of our health IT peers. We also face many of the same challenges as our peer group.

Participating in events like HITS24 is invaluable for fostering connections. We look forward to connecting and networking with people from organizations and federal agencies that are undertaking similar impactful work. These interactions provide us with the opportunity to learn from federal health experts, share ideas, and explore potential partnerships, all with a collective emphasis on enhancing the citizen care experience.

You have clients/projects with many of the agencies represented at the summit

Bixal delivers products and solutions across the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), with services including strategic communications, digital transformation, data analytics, web development, and evaluation and research. Some of our current clients include the Center for Medicaid & Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Services (CMCS), the Administration for Children & Families (ACF), and the National Library of Medicine (NLM). HITS24 will have representation from those domain areas and federal agencies, and so much more, presenting an invaluable opportunity for attendees to network with key agency players.

The event will host keynote speakers, expert panels, and engagement opportunities designed to connect participants with leaders from significant government agencies, including the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Additionally, representatives from the Defense Health Agency (DHA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH) Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC), and Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization (FEHRM) office will be present. This unique gathering promises insightful discussions on hot topics such as generative AI, human-centered design (HCD), and telehealth, making it an enriching experience for all involved.

The work of Federal agencies in the health IT sector will be highlighted.

Our federal partners are transforming the U.S. healthcare system, and their work will be highlighted at the summit. This is a crucial and ongoing endeavor, with a focus on delivering quality care, achieving world-class results, and enhancing CX for millions of individuals. Attendees can hear firsthand from agency representatives from across the health IT sector, including:

• CMS is dedicated to advancing health equity, expanding coverage, and improving health outcomes for all beneficiaries, and partners with the healthcare community on initiatives like the Framework for Health Equity. CMS’s breakout session, “Innovating with Speed and Agility to Empower New Initiatives,” will delve into how the agency is enhancing user experiences and making informed policy decisions through ongoing priorities such as the Inflation Reduction Act, No Surprises Act, and Consolidated Appropriation Act ("Unwinding").
• In their session, “Reimagining Digital Transformation of Food and Drug Programs to Improve Citizen Care,” leaders from FDA will share insights into their plans and challenges, emphasizing the role of data and technology in modernization initiatives, citizen experience improvement, interagency collaboration, cloud migration, and efforts to strengthen cybersecurity and privacy for enhanced public health outcomes.
• With a primary focus on ensuring equitable access to high-caliber and affordable healthcare, HHS is in the early stages of its 2022–2026 Strategic Plan. By leveraging data-driven technology, the agency aims to enhance health equity, reduce costs, and improve the quality of healthcare services. HHS leaders will discuss their initiatives in making high-quality, usable data more accessible and reliable, aiming to improve citizen satisfaction and health outcomes securely, in their session, “Ensuring Equitable Access to Healthcare with Data and Data-Driven Technology.”

Other topics covered include data modernization, cybersecurity, HCD, generative AI in public health, and more.

It’s free for government employees and active-duty members of the military.

If you’re a government employee or an active military member, you can register for the health summit for free! All you have to do is sign up: https://bethesdaevents.afceachapters.org/hits24/Home

Sign Up Now!

Seize the opportunity to be at the forefront of transformative discussions shaping the future of healthcare at the HITS24 conference. As the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the underlying issues in the American healthcare system, federal agencies and stakeholders are now at a pivotal juncture, adopting and implementing new technologies and protocols. Your attendance and participation in the summit will help us all move toward answering the question, “What’s Next?”

Don't miss out—register before January 26 to secure your spot. We look forward to connecting with our peers in the health IT sector, engaging in thought-provoking discussions, and taking part in the numerous enriching sessions the conference has in store. Join us in driving positive transformations and shaping the future landscape of healthcare. See you at HITS24!

For more information and to register for the AFCEA Health IT Summit: https://bethesdaevents.afceachapters.org/hits24/Home

Content manager, Ewa Beaujon, contributed to the writing of this article.