HiMSS 2020 cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns

The Orlando Convention Center, site of HiMSS 2020 was empty as a
result of the cancellation of HiMSS 2020

PARCA eNews – March 5, 2020 – The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society citing the Covid-19 concerns cancelled its massive HiMSS 2020 conference and exhibition that had been scheduled for March 9 to March 13 in Orlando Florida.


“In coordination with an external advisory panel of medical professionals to support evidence-based decision making, it is clear that it would be an unacceptable risk to bring so many thousands of people together in Orlando next week,” explained HIMSS in a statement issued on March 5.

The show usually attracts 40,000 healthcare IT and informatics professionals from all over the world. Consequently, following guidance from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control, the organization decided to cancel the live meeting for the first time in the conference’s 58 year history. They will go ahead with online offerings of many of the conference presentations.

In the organization press release, they noted that the WHO and CDC guidance not only highlighted the risks of bringing so many people together from so many locations, but also the risks of displacing medical professionals at a time when they are likely needed at their institutions to deal with the spread and prevention of the disease.

Source: HiMSS press release