Qualifications and Guidelines

All persons requesting media credentials for the 2012 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition, Feb. 20-24, in Las Vegas, Nev., must be currently employed by and/or on assignment for a recognized news organization. In general, credentials will be presented to media that:

• Provide relevant, unbiased and current content on topics including healthcare, health information technology and management systems.
• Have been in continuous operation for the past year or longer.
• Submit traffic/subscriber data for each publication.

HIMSS is committed to working with online journalists that reach their audience via websites or blogs and who also provide original, editorial news coverage on a regular basis.

Information for online media

• Editorial content must be independent of advertising/sponsorship.
• An editorial board must oversee the site and its contents.
• Advertising must be identified as such.
• If the website is sponsored, the site must have multiple sponsors. All sponsors must be identified as such.
• The site must appear on and be tracked by commercial media databases.
• Online media must provide links to their website and sample of recent articles.

Information for bloggers

• Blogs must have been in existence for at least one year and must have covered healthcare IT or related topics within the past six months.
• Bloggers must submit traffic data and influence rank from a recognized third party measurement company (Technorati, Compete, FeedBurner, etc.).
• Bloggers must provide a link to their blog and a sample of recent blog posts published within the last six months.

Registration is limited to a maximum of three individuals per media outlet.
After submitting a request for media credentials, HIMSS may require additional information, including:

• Current masthead with your name.
• Two articles published with your byline within the last year.
• An original letter of assignment, on the organization’s letterhead, stating you have been retained to cover the 2012 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition.

Individuals who do not qualify for media credentials

• Book authors
• Freelance writers not on assignment or employed by non-news organizations
• Non-editorial employees of news organizations (including CEOs, presidents, vice presidents, publishers, associate/assistant publishers, advertising, marketing, public relations or sales staff)
• Companies/organizations producing publications, videos and/or other items for the purpose of marketing, advertising, financial analysis or public relations
• Consultants who develop, write or edit a corporate newsletter or similar publication for their own firm or another firm
• Financial analysts and consultants
• Exhibitors

Exhibitors
Media credentials are not available to exhibitors at the conference who also want to register as a media representative. HIMSS will provide media credentials to a working journalist from a news organization who is also a member of HIMSS. However, advertising, financial analysis, marketing, public relations, publishing or sales staff members are not eligible to receive media credentials.

Broadcast crews and photographers
Photographers, television and video crews must obtain media credentials and notify News Room staff at least 24 hours before filming at the Conference.

All media credentials will be provided at the discretion of HIMSS staff members. We reserve the right to accept or deny credentials.

Questions? Contact Joyce Lofstrom or Kelly Wagner.