If there is one key takeaway from day one of HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo, it is attendees won’t leave empty handed. And #HIMSSVirtual attendees Caryn Webb (@CarynWebb) and Dave Armstrong (@verifide) echoed this sentiment.

#HIMSSVirtual @Pivasys, @HIMSS Thanks for the RT’s! Take away is with HIT moving a break neck speed these educational events are critical!

— CarynWebb (@CarynWebb) June 6, 2012

Attending Healthcare IT virtual seminar today. Interesting content and format. #HIMSSVirtual

— Dave Armstrong (@verifide) June 6, 2012

The HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo opened today, June 6, with a healthcare leader whose organization has established a national reputation for its ability to leverage technology to improve patient care. Michael Matthews, CEO of MedVirginia, walked attendees through MedVirgina’s evolution as a health information exchange (HIE). See the Healthcare IT News recap of the opening keynote presentation, which highlights some of Matthew’s observations of the challenges and opportunities facing HIE stakeholders across the country.

Attendees highlighted their favorite takeaways from Matthews’ presentation too employing the #HIMSSVirtual hashtag:

MedVirginia’s Michael Matthews says that consumers are applying “meaningful choices” when engaging in their #healthcare. #HIMSSvirtual.

— JoAnn Klinedinst (@JoannKlinedinst) June 6, 2012

Technology has the shelf life of a banana – Scott McNealy, as quoted by Michael Matthews, opening keynote @HIMSSVirtual conference. — Online Tech (@OnlineTech) June 6, 2012

Beyond the first day’s 11 education sessions that were filled with practical advice and strategies for success, attendees enjoyed the conference’s all-digital Resource Center, which is chock full with downloadable information, whitepapers, presentations, fact sheets and more.

Drum roll please…here are the Top 10 Resources downloaded by attendees the first day of the HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo:

1. HIMSS Health IT Body of Knowledge - If you are new to healthcare and/or new to health IT, this website provides rich and useful content to help users gain knowledge around specific health IT topics or more holistic understanding of health information systems and management.
2. Single Source of Truth: Capturing Electronic Patient Consent - This document from App Design explains how electronic consent allows providers and authorized staff to update patient consent online using NwHIN standards.
3. The RSA Solution for VMware View: Securing the Virtual Desktop Environment – This whitepaper from VMware dives into the RSA and EMC security solution, which help organizations reap the security advantages of hosted virtual desktops while addressing the traditional challenges associated with securing user access and data in a desktop environment.
4. Citrix Healthcare Solution Brief – This executive briefing explains how virtual computing from Citrix provides a pathway toward cheaper, more efficient health  IT—while improving customer service and patient privacy, reducing staff workload and providing unlimited data access anytime, anywhere and on any device.
5. Dragon Medical 360: QualityAnalytics White Paper – This whitepaper describes a new system for quality and compliance analysis that leverages the combined power of dictation technologies, CLU, data mining and visualization tools to identify areas of criticality and potential quality improvement in hospitals.
6. Benefits of Intelligent Desktop Virtualization for the Healthcare Enterprise – This document from HP and Intel identifies the benefits of new client side solutions for desktop virtualization and the value it brings to employees.
7. HIMSS State IT Dashboard – This interactive dashboard provides an easy-to-read visual interface that tracks key initiatives including Regional Extension Centers, Beacon Communities, the SHARP program, HIMSS Analytics EMRAM Stage 7 recipients, HIMSS Davies Award recipients, Health Information Exchanges, State Legislation and HIMSS Chapters.
8. The State of EHR Adoption: On the Road to Improving Patient Safety – This whitepaper sponsored by VMware uncovers how organizations are overcoming obstacles to HER adoption, how they benefitting from EHR solutions, and where the industry is going next.
9. Institute of Family Medicine Story of Success Case Study – This case study provided by HIMSS showcases how the Institute of Family Medicine promoted access to services for at-risk populations through advanced use of an EHR.
10. HIMSS Career Services Fact Sheet – This document from HIMSS Career Services describes the slew of professional development offerings for recent college graduates to new health IT or seasoned professionals.

Day two of the HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo opens tomorrow, Thursday, June 7, at 8 am CT. Don’t miss this opportunity access these great resources, education sessions and more. Log-in and register at www.himssvirtual.org/?src=sm.

Attending the HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo? Innovation is worth sharing. Share your key takeaways and favorites resources via the comments below or using the #HIMSSVirtual hashtag on Twitter.