'Trump Speech' Leads to First Cancellation in 58 Years of US Largest Healthcare IT Conference

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] The HIMSS Conference, hosted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), the world's largest community in the medical IT field, has been canceled for the first time in 58 years due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). U.S. President Donald Trump was also scheduled to attend this conference.

According to the economic broadcaster CNBC, HIMSS announced the cancellation policy in an email notice sent to attendees on the 5th (local time), stating, "This decision was inevitable due to the spread of COVID-19 within the United States." The HIMSS Conference, which is attended by tens of thousands of people annually, was scheduled to be held from the 9th in Orlando, Florida.

Despite the recent wave of cancellations of large-scale conferences and events due to concerns over COVID-19 spread, HIMSS had initially planned to proceed as scheduled. However, as the number of confirmed cases and deaths in the U.S. surged this week, it appears they ultimately decided to cancel. Prior to this, about ten IT technology companies, including Amazon and Intel, had already announced their decision not to attend the conference citing the safety and health of their employees.

This is the first time in 58 years that the HIMSS event has been canceled. President Trump was originally scheduled to give a speech on healthcare technology interoperability and collaboration at this event.

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