On April 28, the West Wireless Health Institute (WWHI) will host its second Health Care Innovation Day (HCI-DC). I found last year’s event, which was very well attended, very helpful. I think WWHI’s events are quite useful because they let you meet the government officials involved in setting policy and rules for our industry. More then ever, what we do in healthcare IT and medical device development is dependent on the government so understanding their role and knowing the officials is crucial. This year’s event, “A Discussion with the FDA,” will highlight recent developments in the regulatory space and regulatory issues that remain to be tackled for wireless health, mHealth, and mobility in general. As you may know, the FDA is considering regulating mHealth apps, future EHR systems, and various other safety-critical solutions that we’re all working on. Having an open and candid discussion with the FDA and other regulators, even for a few minutes, can save you weeks or months of development work. WWHI is a non-profit organization whose mission is very unique: accelerate low cost health care solutions specifically through innovation. WWHI is trying to convince anyone that will listen (especially at the government) that the way to lower cost and increase quality of care is through technology and related business model innovations. They’re doing a terrific job bringing the parties together to help socialize important concepts and cut through red tape to keep new ideas and technology flowing. HCI-DC will focus on bridging the gap between industry and government to build a thriving ecosystem that enables, not inhibits, health care innovation. The day will be comprised of a series of keynotes, panels, chats and roundtable discussions. HCI-DC includes speakers from the FDA and FCC, as well as a panel with bipartisan Congressional staff (Committee counsel) discussing relevant priorities for this year, including their thoughts on issues impacting the FDA, innovation, and the wireless health sector