COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA

Location

Hilton Columbia Center
924 Senate Street Columbia, SC 29205

 

DISCOUNTED ROOM RATES FOR ATTENDEES AT THIS LINK AND USE CODE 90S IF IT DOES NOT DEFAULT VIA TO THAT VIA THE LINK

https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/caecchf-90s-b6616689-a945-4f06-9242-d424a4ade505/

or call the hotel at (803) 744-7800

 

Date / Time

April 16th, 2025 | 8:00am - 5:00pm

Cost

• SCHIMSS members $75.00 (early bird $50 - deadline is Jan 30 2025)
• Students $50.00 (early bird $25 - deadline is Jan 30 2025)
• Provider Organization non-members $125.00 (early bird $75 - deadline is Jan 30 2025)
• Vendor non-members $200.00 (early bird $125 - deadline is Jan 30 2025)

 

AGENDA

HIMSS South Carolina Annual Conference Agenda
7:30 - 8:00 am	Registration
8:00 - 8:50 am	Breakfast and Sponsor Booths
8:55 - 9:00 am	Kickoff and Welcome	Jim Beinlich, SCHMISS President
9:00 – 9:30am	SC Statehouse Address	Senator Daniel Verdin – Chairman of Medical Affairs Committee
9:30 - 10:30 am	Opening Keynote	Tim Connor CSP – Author
10:30 -11:30 am	Leadership Panel Session	Will Johnson - CIO, Tidelands Health Health System Matt Reich – CIO, McLeod Health Jason Cherry - Executive Director, IS Technology Services - Lexington Medical Center Mark Daniels PhD CTO Medical University of South Carolina Dr Justin Collier - Healthcare CTO of Lenovo North America
11:30 am-12:15 pm	Health Information Exchange in South Carolina	Ken Deans DHA, MBA – CEO Health Sciences of SC
12:15 - 1:00 pm	Provider Roundtable	Invitation Only
12:15 – 1:00 pm	Lunch and Exhibit Booths	Exhibit Booth Review + Ideas Generator corner with Tim Connor
1:00 - 1:45 pm	Streamlining Care Coordination: Tidelands Journey to Cloud Fax	Sheila Ellison CPDHTS – Manager of IT Innovations and Operations Tidelands Health Marlanne Soucy Operations Consultant Consensus Cloud Solutions
1:45 - 2:30 pm	Digital Health Session	Dr. Anne Snowdon - Chief Scientific Research Officer – HIMSS
2:30 - 2:45 pm	BREAK	Sponsor Booths
2:45 - 3:30 pm	Informatics Panel Session	Coming Soon…
3:45 - 4:15 pm	South Carolina Cancer Surveillance for Population Health Research and Outreach Tool	Kalyani Sonawane (PhD) Hollings Cancer Center, MUSC
4:15 - 5:00 pm	Closing Keynote Driving Change, Inspiring Transformation – A Leadership Blueprint for Digital Healthcare Success	Crystal Broj CPDHTS - Enterprise Chief Digital Transformation Officer, MUSC
5:00 p.m.	Closeout & Conclusion	SCHIMSS President

 

MEET OUR SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS

Opening Keynote

Tim Connor

International Inspiring Coach, Speaker & Trainer 4000+ presentations in 29 countries. Global bestselling author of over 75 books including two 'Million Sellers'.

-Two free ebooks for each meeting participant

- He offers participants follow-up telephone coaching sessions for up to four weeks after the conference

 

Closing Keynote

Crystal Broj - Enterprise Chief Digital Transformation Officer, MUSC

As the day’s discussions have shown, the future of healthcare technology is bright, but navigating its complexities requires visionary leadership and a commitment to change. In this engaging 45-minute closing keynote, Crystal Broj – CPDHTS, Chief Digital Transformation Officer at MUSC will reflect on the key insights shared throughout the event, tying together themes of innovation, collaboration, and cultural alignment in the digital age.

 This keynote will spotlight the critical role of change management as the foundation for successful digital transformation. Through real-world case studies and candid stories from their experiences, the speakers will illustrate how aligning organizational culture, engaging stakeholders, and promoting continuous improvement can drive seamless software integration. From proven strategies to overcome resistance to embracing pilot projects with cutting-edge solutions, attendees will leave inspired and equipped to take bold steps toward modernization.

 Key takeaways will include:

• Practical frameworks for navigating resistance and fostering alignment across teams.

• Insights into leveraging lessons from mature technologies and early-stage pilots.

• Actionable strategies to future-proof your digital initiatives and position your organization at the forefront of healthcare innovation.

Join us for this inspiring and insightful keynote, where you’ll gain the tools and mindset to turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities. Let’s close the day with a shared commitment to lead transformative change and shape the future of healthcare together.

 

Leadership Panelists & Speakers

Will Johnson - CIO, Tidelands Health

Will Johnson is a visionary technology and operations executive with over 30 years of experience driving digital transformation, operational effectiveness and enterprise growth in the healthcare and several Fortune 50 organizations.    As a proven leader in information technology and business strategy, he has consistently positioned organizations to achieve unprecedented performance. With deep expertise in aligning technology initiatives with strategic business objectives, Johnson has led large-scale digital health transformations that optimize performance, enhance patient outcomes, and improve operational effectiveness.  His ability to leverage emerging technologies, streamline enterprise systems, and drive high-impact change has resulted in sustained growth and market leadership for the organizations he has served. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University and a MBA from Johns Hopkins University. Johnson also serves as the President Elect of the South Carolina HIMSS Chapter where he is instrumental in serving the South Carolina healthcare community.   

 

 

Jason Cherry - Executive Director of IS Technical Services for Lexington Medical Center

Jason H. Cherry is the Executive Director of IS Technical Services for Lexington Medical Center, where he
has worked for nearly 8 years. In this role, Jason’s teams have responsibility for all datacenter
technologies for the hospital, all end user technologies, and the Project Management Office (PMO). He
is passionate about continual improvement and the ways that technology can improve patient care.
Jason was named as One to Watch by CIO Magazine in 2019. Prior to moving to South Carolina, Jason
worked over 10 years for the University of Chicago Medicine. Before moving into Healthcare, Jason’s
first IT experience came in the Financial Services Industry working for the Board of Trade Clearing
Corporation, which was later acquired by the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in Atlanta. He has over 15
years of experience in Healthcare IT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt Reich - CIO, McLeod Health

Matt oversees the Information Technology and Biomedical divisions of McLeod Health.  McLeod Health
is a seven-hospital system serving communities of North and South Carolina.  Initially joining McLeod in
2010, he has served in technical and leadership roles for IT Operations and Telehealth before being
named Chief Information Officer in 2018.  With over 24 years of experience in technology management,
he is passionate about the combination of healthcare and technology to benefit patients and clinicians. 
Prior to joining McLeod, he managed technology teams supporting a variety of industries including
healthcare, manufacturing, legal, and education.  He earned a BBA in Management of Information
Systems from Francis Marion University and an MHA from the Medical University of South Carolina.

 

 

 

 

Mark S. Daniels, PhD

Dr. Justin Collier

Dr. Justin Collier is a Clinical Informatics physician who recently joined Lenovo as Healthcare Vertical CTO where he brings his clinical and technology backgrounds together to help advance clinical outcomes and patient experience.  Prior to joining Lenovo he served for nearly 6 years as the Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry Practice manager at WWT, supporting their healthcare ecosystem clients nationwide. Before that, he served HCA Healthcare as their TriStar Division CMIO for over 7 years tackling initiatives in EHR, data and analytics, telemedicine, and clinician mobility solutions.

 

 

 

 

Ken Deans

Ken Deans, Jr. is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the nation’s first statewide health research organization that includes South Carolina’s largest research universities and health systems. Deans joined HSSC from Chesapeake Regional Healthcare.  His most recent role with Chesapeake was serving as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Dr. Deans brings a tremendous background of over 27 years of workplace experience, with over 20 specifically focused on advancing healthcare IT in research-oriented as well as traditional health systems, over half of which has been in "c-level" roles in complex marketplaces.  He has a successful record in leading collaborations with other health systems.  Deans, in his role, was a constant collaborator with researchers.

 

 

Senator Daniel B. "Danny" Verdin III

Senator Verdin was Born May 9, 1964 at England Air Force Base in Alexandria, Louisiana and is the son of Daniel B. Verdin, Jr. and Eloise Watts Verdin. He attended Bob Jones University, B.A., 1986 and in September 26, 1987 married Kimberlee Diane Owens, 4 children, Annemarie, Daniel, Whitson, and Caroline. Senator Verdin was Agriculture and Natural Resources Advisor, Governor Office, 1987-1989, Chairman, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee 2007-2018, Chairman, Medical Affairs Committee, 2018-Present, Majority Whip for Senate Republican Caucus, 2011-13, Division Commander Sons of Confederate Veterans, 1998-00 Senator Verdin is a member of Laurens County Cattlemens Association, Hickory Tavern Young Farmers, Mountville Grange, the Joanna Lions Club, 2006 Friend of SCAV, South Carolina Association of Veterinarians. He was named Legislator of the Year, South Carolina Farm Bureau, 2006 Legislator of the Year, South Carolina Veterinarians Association, 2007, Legislator of the Year, Palmetto Cycling Coalition 2008, Senate Legislative Champion, Palmetto Family Council 2007-2008, South Carolina Quality of Life Award, South Carolina Realtors Association 2008, Friend of the Taxpayer Award 2008, South Carolina Taxpayers Association. He received an Honorary State FFA Degree, 2009 and was awarded the John W. Parris Agricultural Leadership Award 2009, by the South Carolina Agricultural Educators Association.

 

Sheila Ellison - Tidelands Health

Sheila Ellison is an accomplished healthcare IT leader with more than two decades of experience leading transformative technology initiatives in complex environments. She is known for her strategic leadership, operational excellence, and passion for leveraging technology to enhance patient care, streamline operations, and foster innovation. At Tidelands Health, Sheila plays a pivotal role in driving digital transformation, overseeing enterprise-level technology initiatives, and managing innovation strategies that align with the organization’s mission to improve community health. Her focus areas include emerging technologies, cloud optimization, and digital health solutions that improve both the patient and provider experience.

 

 

 

 

Marianne Soucy, Operations Solutions Consultant at Consensus Cloud Solutions

Marianne received her degree from Brown University and has worked in Healthcare, and specifically Business Process Improvement, for nearly 20 years. She has broad experience in automating clinical processes using tools like AI, OCR, BI and Robotic Process Automation to analyze broken workflows and make them more efficient. She has worked in implementation, training and sales engineering for products such as Summit Healthcare HL7 engine, and Summit Scripting Toolkit, Hospital IQ/LeanTaas Surgical Scheduling AI tools, and now works in GTM Solutions for Consensus Cloud Solution's Clarity AI, helping healthcare customers bring fax into the Interoperability sphere

 

 

 

 

Kalyani Sonawane, PhD - Associate Professor, MUSC

Kalyani (Kelly) Sonawane, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and a member of the Hollings Cancer Center. Dr. Sonawane is a trained pharmacist and a health services researcher. Her research focuses on analyzing high-dimensional healthcare data to study cancer prevention and treatment strategies and to evaluate their downstream impact on population health outcomes. Her primary interest is in examining the landscape of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and HPV-associated in the United States, particularly understanding the epidemiology of HPV infection and HPV-associated cancers, barriers to HPV vaccination, and the prevention and treatment of HPV-associated cancers among marginalized groups. Dr. Sonawane has published in prestigious clinical journals including the Lancet Public Health, Annals of Internal Medicine, JAMA Pediatrics, JAMA Network Open, and Pediatrics. Her research has been featured in media outlets including CNN, TIME, Forbes, NPR News, NBC News, and CNBC. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Department of Health and Human Services