It’s hard to believe we’re almost there.

In just a few days, I’ll be heading to San Diego for the Healthcare Innovation Summit on Sept. 28 at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla. And after spending the past several weeks talking with speakers, working through session plans and getting a preview of some of the conversations we’ll have, I’m really looking forward to seeing it all come together.

If you’ve been thinking about attending but haven’t registered yet, there’s still time. And honestly, I think this is a good one to make the trip for.

This isn’t just another AI conference

AI is obviously going to be a big part of our conversation in San Diego. But one of the things I’ve appreciated most about putting this program together is that we’re not simply going to spend the day talking about what AI might do. We’re going to talk about what health systems are actually doing.

Our morning keynote with Scripps Health CIO Shane Thielman will look at what it takes to move AI beyond pilots and into real workflows. We’ll then hear from technology leaders at UC San Diego Health, San Ysidro Health and Sharp HealthCare about AI-driven automation, including use cases outside the EHR and in operational settings.

Later in the day, we’ll get into AI innovation and disruption, ambient clinical AI, and the increasingly important connection between cybersecurity, technology and patient safety.

I recently sat in on the prep discussion for our AI Innovations and Disruptors in Healthcare panel, and the conversation quickly moved beyond the usual AI talking points. We talked about ROI, governance, data silos, what is actually working and what happens when AI starts making decisions rather than simply processing information.

Another prep conversation around our Scaling Ambient Clinical AI session raised a different set of questions. How do you know whether ambient AI is actually delivering value? What happens when the technology changes the clinician-patient interaction? And how do you account for the things you’re still trying to figure out?

Those are the conversations I want to be part of.

Come for the sessions. Stay for the conversations.

One of the things I’ve always liked about these Summits is that the learning doesn’t stop when someone walks off the stage.

The agenda includes networking breaks, lunch and an afternoon networking happy hour, but the bigger point is that the day gives you a chance to sit down with people who are dealing with many of the same challenges you are.

The Summit is designed for healthcare decision-makers across provider organizations and physician practices, including CIOs, CISOs, CMIOs, CEOs, CMOs, CTOs, clinical and IT leaders, privacy and compliance professionals and others working at the intersection of healthcare and technology.

And the sessions are designed to be interactive. Our conference surveys tell us that 92% of attendees arrive with at least one organizational challenge they’re trying to solve. That’s a pretty good starting point for a day of conversation.

I’ll see you there

I’ll be wearing a few different hats that day. I’ll be opening the Summit, helping guide the program throughout the day and moderating the event. I’ll also be doing what I always try to do at these events: listening, asking questions, finding the interesting stories and talking with the people who are actually doing the work.

So if you’re coming to San Diego, please come say hello.

Seriously.

Pull me aside during a break. Find me at lunch. Come up after a session. Tell me what your organization is working on, what you’re struggling with or what you think we should be talking about more.

I’m always looking for those conversations, and some of the best ideas for Healthcare Innovation have come from talking with people in the room.

And if you’re still on the fence about joining us, there’s still time to register. We’ll be at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla on Monday, Sept. 28, starting with registration, breakfast and networking at 8 a.m. The day wraps up with a networking happy hour at 4 p.m.

I hope you’ll join us.

Come for the ideas. Stay for the conversations. And please, come find me and say hello.

Register for the Healthcare Innovation San Diego Summit