President Donald Trump is slated to speak on healthcare interoperability and innovation at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's annual health information and technology conference, HIMSS spokeswoman Karen Groppe confirmed to Modern Healthcare.
Trump will deliver his remarks on Monday, March 9, according to a statement from the White House.
March 9 comprises optional pre-conference events and an opening reception for HIMSS20, which runs March 9-13 in Orlando, Fla. The conference's opening keynote is March 10 morning.
Trump is anticipated to speak March 9 afternoon at 4 p.m. ET, with the White House sharing additional remarks after his speech, HIMSS said in a statement.
"Please be advised that this time can change due to the nature of the situation of having a current president in the same building with attendees," HIMSS said. "This is a situation with many moving parts."
HIMSS20 is one of the largest gatherings of health IT professionals in the nation, typically drawing in more than 40,000 attendees.
Last year, officials from HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and the CMS released their long-awaited companion proposals on information-blocking and interoperability during the conference.
The ONC and the CMS have yet to publish final versions of the controversial rules, with some predicting that they'll release final versions at HIMSS20.
Trump isn't the only government official slated to speak at the conference.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar is scheduled to speak March 10. ONC chief Dr. Don Rucker and CMS Administrator Seema Verma are scheduled to speak March 11.
While a handful of technology conferences have announced plans to cancel or postpone their events in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, HIMSS20 is planning to proceed as scheduled, Groppe said on a call with reporters Monday. HIMSS last week said cancellations for the conference were an estimated 0.6%.
HIMSS on Monday assembled a medical panel to work with the trade group's leadership to evaluate on-site preparedness regarding the coronavirus disease, Groppe said.
