HIMSS15 Attendees Will Compete in the 'Wellness Challenge'

The sale of wearable fitness trackers is expected to increase 34 percent by 2020, from 17 million units to 187.2 million, according to a report by Tractica. With the continuing popularity of these devices, it only makes sense that the 2015 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference would hold a competition utilizing them.

Wearables in the medical industry
There is a growing interest in self-health care, and fitness trackers and mobile applications cater to this desire. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, more than $200 million of the $2.3 billion invested in digital health in 2014 went toward wearable devices. With one in five Americans owning a fitness band, physicians can utilize this data to improve patient care.

Users can upload their medical information, from blood pressures to step counts, to patient portals and EMR software to help their doctors better examine them. Wearable devices provide nurses and physicians with accurate insight into their patients' health that cannot be gained from intermittent, manual entry, mHealth News explained. Fitness bands also aid providers with monitoring their patients' health continuously as opposed to once per year for check ups or when something is wrong.

Health care's competitive nature
Attendees at the HIMSS15 conference are invited to participate in the "Wellness Challenge," in which participants will track their activity and sleep patterns through wearable devices. Starting on Monday, April 13, competitors will use fitness trackers to monitor steps taken, calories burned and distance walked. If participants already own a wearable device, registration costs nothing. Otherwise, attendees can buy the Misfit Flash device for $39 at the conference. Over the course of three days, participants will compete for a chance to win three gift cards, each worth $300.

Even if competitors do not win one of the three prizes, each step taken earns them points toward future purchases at Walgreens, the event's sponsor. By becoming a Balance Rewards member either online or through Walgreens mobile app, users can collect 20 points for every 2,000 steps and 250 points for connecting fitness devices and apps.

Wearable devices can provide both doctors and patients with a wide range of information concerning the latter's health. Not only will they give users more insight into their own well-being, they will also allow doctors to monitor conditions more closely and consistently. HIMSS15's Wellness Challenge will provide medical professionals with the opportunity to track their own health while competing for prizes.

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Ronny Bachrach

Marketing Director at Viztek LLC

Responsible for all marketing activities including, press, advertising, trade show coordination, website management, dealer and customer communications.