ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwired - Oct 21, 2014) - The Health IT Leadership Summit will launch its first Startup Pavilion at the fifth annual event, taking place November 20 at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel. The new pavilion is supported by lead sponsorship from the Metro Atlanta Chamber and Georgia Department of Economic Development, and supporting sponsorship from Atlanta Tech Village and Justin Barnes Health IT. It will highlight the innovative contributions of more than a dozen small health IT businesses from around the region, and help to emphasize this year's theme, "Transformation of Healthcare Delivery."

"When we think about the fact that job growth is fueled by companies less than five years old, it is critical that we ensure that their voices are present at key industry events," said Molly A. Taylor, Director of Bioscience & Health IT, Metro Atlanta Chamber. "Health IT is one of the region's fastest growing technology sectors. Therefore, support of the Startup Pavilion provides a strategic opportunity to showcase the innovation and talent that these startups contribute to our health IT ecosystem."

Supported by host sponsor McKesson, the Summit will bring together more than 800 leaders and innovators representing industry, education, government and healthcare providers. It will feature a keynote presentation from athenahealth CEO Jonathan Bush, a best-selling author and known proponent of startups and disruptive innovation in healthcare. The Startup Pavilion, part of the Hall of Innovation, will give smaller tech companies an opportunity to interact with more established regional businesses.

"The state of Georgia has gained considerable attention from global health IT leaders," said Amanda Shailendra, Director of Life Sciences and Corporate Solutions at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. "Georgia's business climate offers a unique collaborative environment among the public and private sectors, making it easy for corporations to grow and startups to flourish. Our think tanks and startup community, robust R&D resources and innovative academic talent continue to work together to solve tomorrow's health IT challenges. The Health IT Leadership Summit is a primary example of this collaboration."

To learn more about the Summit and its new Startup Pavilion, including participating companies and how to join, visit http://www.HealthITLeadershipSummit.org.

About the Health IT Leadership Summit
The Health IT Leadership Summit was founded in 2010 by three organizations to support the growth of the health IT industry: the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Technology Association of Georgia's Health Society. To learn more about this year's Summit, including information regarding sponsorship and registration, visit http://www.HealthITLeadershipSummit.org.