From May 14th to 17th, the nation's telehealth/telemedicine industry will converge in Minneapolis for the 2016 American Telemedicine Association (ATA) Annual Conference and Tradeshow, a four-day gathering packed with sessions, experts, educational and networking opportunities, policy-making discussions, and lots more.

Founded in 1993, the American Telemedicine Association is the "leading international resource and advocate promoting the use of advanced remote medical technologies," as the organization describes itself. The non-profit association operates with the goal of fully integrating telemedicine into healthcare systems worldwide, in an effort to improve the quality, access, equity and affordability of important health services.

"ATA is recognized throughout the world as the primary authority about telemedicine and actively works with Congress, the administration as well as with other governmental bodies to eliminate barriers to the use of telemedicine," the ATA's website states.

The annual ATA trade show and conference is a centerpiece of this campaign, providing a forum for experienced telehealth professionals and leaders, as well as groups and individuals new to the world of telemedicine. It's "the world's largest scientific meeting and exposition focusing exclusively on telemedicine with hundreds of presentations, posters and workshops."

And with this year's historic legislation seeking to expand telemedicine coverage and accessibility making its way through Congress, there's more focus than ever before on the benefits of technology like remote patient management (RPM) and its potential to improve operational efficiencies and quality of care throughout the U.S. healthcare industry.

ATA 2016 Expands Offerings, Broadens Scope

If this year's ATA conference is destined to receive more attention than ever before, then, event organizers have certainly done their share to meet those expectations. This year's schedule has been significantly expanded — or, in the words of its promoters, the ATA conference has "amped up our offerings" to include:

• More Time: "All tracks and concurrent sessions begin on Sunday at noon this year"
• More Experts: Twice as many "thought leaders" will be on hand for ATA 2016
• More Topics: "Expanded educational programs" include Direct to Consumer, Acute Care, Chronic Care, Clinical Services, Mental Health, Pediatrics, Operations and Policy and Legal
• More Interaction: This year's "Lunch with the Mentors" program offers the chance for personal interactions "with some of the industry's most distinguished experts"
• 'Play to Win' Prizes: Complimentary registrations to ATA 2017 are among the treats up for grabs

The ATA 2016 conference is also looking to maximize its social impact by launching the ATA Experience Zone, a new networking and communications hub for attendees. "Enjoy breaks and downtime at the Experience Zone while meeting up with colleagues, exchanging great ideas, and relaxing," event organizers explain. "There will also be a Media Wall where attendees can stay up-to-date on conference changes and reminders, participate in e-poster presentations and even see your tweets and social posts with the hashtag #ATA2016!"

Also scheduled is a new ATA Startup Zone and Innovation Spotlight, offering the chance to see "some of the hottest start-ups" in the telehealth sphere present their innovations in technology and business development.

Visit Care Innovations® at ATA 2016

Care Innovations® will be attending and exhibiting at the ATA 2016 Conference, and we'd love to see you there. Please contact us if you'd like to arrange a meeting in advance. You can register for ATA 2016 here.

Can't make it to ATA 2016? You can find us at these 2016 conferences, too:

• LTC 100, Laguna Niguel, CA. May 8-11
• Argentum (ALFA) Senior Living Executive Conference, (Denver, CO) May 9-12
• Case Managers Association of America (CMSA) 2016 Annual Conference & Expo, Long Beach, CA. June 21-23
• Connected Health Summit, San Diego, CA. August 30-September 1
• Health 2.0 Annual Fall Conference, Santa Clara, CA. September 25-28
• Hospital 100, Austin, TX. October 16-18
• Leading Age Annual Meeting & Expo, Indianapolis, IN. October 30-November 2
• Aging 2.0 Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA. October 12-14