On Monday, September 24, HIMSS president and CEO Hal Wolf will present at the Canada-U.S. Roundtable on Strategies to Combat the Opioid Crisis in Washington, D.C. Wolf will kick off the roundtable’s leadership forum on U.S. perspectives, presenting the Honorable Mary Taylor, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and the Honorable Margaret Hassan, Senator of New Hampshire, who are on the front lines of fighting the epidemic in their respective states.
Reported opioid drug overdoses have killed more than 42,000 Americans in 2016 and nearly 48,000 in 2017. As the crisis has continued to grow more urgent, HIMSS has actively championed the role information and technology plays in combatting this public health issue. Recently, HIMSS applauded CMS’ commitment to using 21st century healthcare solutions to address the opioid crisis. Further, HIMSS hosted a series of webinars with state Health Information Exchanges (HIEs), federal agencies and state health departments to explore mitigation options.