It’s Sunday and the excitement to see old friends and hear interesting things at HIMSS 2012 is just around the corner. The #HIMSS12 hashtag is off the charts with people flying into Las Vegas and others talking about what they’re doing, seeing, hearing and expecting from HIMSS Las Vegas.

Most people on Twitter are quite excited for HIMSS (as am I), but a few have said that people won’t be missing much. I thought about it for a minute and realized that the thing I love most about HIMSS is meeting really smart people. With 37,000 people likely to attend HIMSS 2012, there are plenty of smart people to meet and connect with at HIMSS.

Justin Barnes, VP at Greenway Medical, is one of the smart people I like to talk with at HIMSS. Turns out that tonight he was sharing some of that wisdom, information and perspective on Twitter tonight. So, this EMR and Health IT Twitter roundup is the Justin Barnes edition.

Strong #MeaningfulUse progress ~ $3.1+ billion paid to 43,000+ care providers. #CMS #EHR #EMR @ONC_HealthIT @CMSGov #HealthIT #HIMSS12

— Justin Barnes (@HITAdvisor) February 20, 2012

I wish he would have broken this out into ambulatory doctors versus hospitals. $3 billion of ~$36 billion projected. I guess they’re expecting a windfall next year?

That is the billion-dollar question @theEHRGuy. There are good reasons to stay the #ICD10 course & good reasons to delay…. #HIMSS12

— Justin Barnes (@HITAdvisor) February 20, 2012

Is a billion dollars at stake in the ICD-10 delay decision? Regardless of the exact amount, it shows you the magnitude of the ICD-10 delay announcement.

Tuesday looks to be the day now when we should see the #MeaningfulUse Stage 2 proposed rule. #CMS did try to get it out on Friday. #HIMSS12

— Justin Barnes (@HITAdvisor) February 20, 2012

Someone on Twitter asked if it could be delayed past Tuesday. Neil Versel from Meaningful Healthcare IT News answered well: “Never underestimated bureaucracy.”

Good #MeaningfulUse update ~ $71M+ paid to 3,379 Nurses & Physicians Assistants under #Medicaid #EHR Program. #CMS #HIMSS12

— Justin Barnes (@HITAdvisor) February 20, 2012

That’s a little surprising to me that so many Nurses and PA’s got paid so much since they only qualify under Medicaid. I’m glad to hear it.

$412,866,000 in #EHR #MeaningfulUse incentives paid to 22,937 #Medicare Eligible Professionals. #HIMSS12 #EHRAssociation @CMSGov #EMR

— Justin Barnes (@HITAdvisor) February 20, 2012

When the number is totally written out, that’s a lot of 000′s and that’s only millions.

Looking forward to seeing many old friends and making many new friends at HIMSS this week.