I have never been to HIMSS.  I wanted to go this year but I couldn't get the patient schedules aligned.  Please tell me what I am missing.  Are there things for small clinics and rural facilities, or is it all for the large urban center hospitals and medical centers?

HIMSS really covers a wide swath of healthcare and HIT (healthcare information technology).  Just speaking on the big annual event, I think there are opportunities for large and small providers, both individual and institutions, and lately even payers. 

The event, including the conference sessions, can be quite good and targeted.  The exhibit floor can be a bit overwhelming, but it really depends on why you go - if it's to network and discover some technology options, you really need to focus and have a plan on how to attack the exhibit halls; but if you're really there for the educational conference session, you may want to limit your time on the exhibit floors.

Overall, I think a small clinic or rural facility could discover a lot there, from networking with similar institutions or the bigger players, to really getting a broad sense of what's happening with the industry and where HIT is heading.

Let me know if you want to get specific on your area of interest.