NASHVILLE, TN – Chalk one up for the HIMSS Interoperability Showcase. Come 2013, the showcase, a popular draw at the Health Information and Management Systems Society's annual conference, will be on display and working on all things interoperable year-round in a new showroom in Nashville.

"It's a great opportunity for us to take something we can do only once a year, and do it year-round," said H. Stephen Lieber, president and CEO of HIMSS. "The concept here is that it gives us the ability to reach an audience we wouldn't ordinarily reach."

The Chicago-based membership organization announced at the end of April that it would take an anchor spot in the new Nashville Medical Trade Center, which is being billed as "a global headquarters for healthcare events."

The center is slated to open in early 2013.

Lieber said HIMSS would establish a home for the Interoperability Showcase on the healthcare information technology floor of the trade center. The showcase is an interactive demonstration showing how health IT applications share patient data across a range of healthcare settings.

Lieber, who called the decision "a cornerstone," envisions small regional interoperability showcases around the country and around the world.

More than 70 clinical information systems were presented in the most recent temporary 2010 Interoperability Showcase at HIMSS10 in Atlanta. The new showcase in Nashville will augment the successful annual HIMSS Conference and Exhibition, Lieber said.

Health IT destination

"A permanent, year-round destination for HIT activity and innovation would only be possible inside this groundbreaking marketplace," Lieber said. "By joining the trade center we are able to reach more participants, demonstrate meaningful use more completely and offer more flexibility than ever before."

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, who was on hand for the announcement, agreed.

"I believe this announcement by the Nashville Medical Trade Center and HIMSS will be seen as a defining moment in the movement to drive efficiency in the healthcare system through interoperability and data sharing," he said. "As a long-time advocate for e-health, I'm sure the presence of HIMSS in Nashville, which is well recognized as one of the country's leading healthcare communities, will go a long way toward fostering innovation."

The developer of the medical trade center said having HIMSS as anchor tenant would attract other prime healthcare IT entities because, as a known leader in the industry, HIMSS creates a following. With HIMSS as committed anchor, said Bill Winsor, president and CEO of Market Center Management Company, which manages trade centers and trade events around the world, he and his team would now work their target list of prospects – one that includes well known healthcare companies, not only in information technology, but also hospital furniture, diagnostics and imaging.

Winsor estimates the trade center will accommodate 300 to 350 companies when fully occupied. The 1.5 million square trade center will feature three components: more than 600 permanent showrooms for healthcare product manufacturers, distributors and information technology companies; more than 150,000 square feet of temporary trade show space; and state-of-the-art conference facilities to accommodate a full annual calendar of trade events, education and training.

"HIMSS' presence at the Nashville Medical Trade Center makes this project a world showcase for the latest trends in medical care," said Commissioner Matt Kisber of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.