HIMSS26: Top 5 Takeaways from Healthcare’s Biggest Conference

Each year, the HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) annual conference brings healthcare leaders and vendors across the industry together to strategize, share ideas and generate excitement for the year to come.

But the tone in Vegas at HIMSS26 last week was different from that of years past.

For the first time in my many years attending HIMSS, the language among leadership shifted from the future potential of tech innovation to operational readiness. AI has taken the healthcare industry by storm – and we’re finally turning possibilities and roadmap projections into real change.

Across EHR vendors, cloud providers and payers, a clear pattern is emerging:

• Agentic AI is delivering real, production-level results (not just pilot programs!)
• Interoperability standards are moving from guidance to active enforcement
• Payers are reporting a sustained increase in audit activity

When observed together, these trends signal a healthcare data environment that’s becoming more technology-driven by the day.

What does this tech acceleration mean for release of information? It means access to health data is being fundamentally redefined by technology. Expectations around compliance, governance and trust are rising, and healthcare organizations must be able to respond with efficiency and accuracy.

The Five Defining Themes of HIMSS26

HIMSS26 made it clear that the industry has crossed an important threshold. The technologies shaping healthcare data access are not new, but the way they’re being used has fundamentally changed.

These five key themes at HIMSS26 stood out because they highlighted the unique intersection between technology, regulation and operational accountability – all of which shape the foundation of release of information.

1. Agentic AI Is No Longer Experimental

Artificial intelligence dominated the HIMSS show floor, but not in the abstract. The focus in 2026 was on agentic AI, which is autonomous systems capable of executing multi‑step workflows with measurable outcomes.

Major EHRs and cloud platforms showcased AI agents that are already embedded into clinical, administrative and revenue cycle operations. They are being used to:

• Retrieve data
• Submit prior authorizations
• Resolve denials
• Complete workflows

A notable development was athenahealth’s announcement of its Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, a new infrastructure layer that allows authorized AI agents to interact with patient data through standardized, authenticated access. Rather than replacing FHIR APIs, MCP abstracts their complexity, allowing AI agents to request information in natural language while maintaining governance and security controls.

This signals a broader shift in how healthcare data will be accessed going forward – and how organizations can ensure those interactions remain compliant, auditable and defensible.

What this means for release of information: As automated agents increase the efficiency of medical record release, finding a trusted release of information partner is even more critical to manage large volumes and ensure accuracy and quality.

2. Interoperability Has Entered Its Enforcement Era

ASTP & ONC: Health IT Policy and Vision Update

One of the most consequential moments of HIMSS 2026 came from federal leadership.

For the first time since the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, HHS and ONC confirmed they are actively enforcing information blocking rules, including issuing notices of potential noncompliance to certified health IT developers. Product decertification is now an explicit consequence.

Other key updates included:

• TEFCA has expanded dramatically, with 600 million documents exchanged across 75,000 connections as of January 2026.
• The Individual Access Services (IAS) use case enables patients to consolidate their complete medical records through any authorized app of their choosing.
• Over 1,500 formal information blocking complaints have been filed, the majority originating from patients.
• The Office of Inspector General is actively pursuing civil monetary penalties of up to $1 million per violation.

CMS and ASTP/ONC Fireside Chat on the Future of Interoperability

A cross‑industry panel brought together federal leaders, health systems, payers and policy experts around one shared message: interoperability can’t wait. The conversation focused on moving past legacy systems, treating digital identity as foundational, shifting fully to FHIR‑based APIs and unlocking data liquidity as a real lever for reducing healthcare costs.

This fireside chat featured the following participants:

• Ryan Howells: Leavitt Partners (moderator)
• Amy Gleason: US DOGE Service & CMS
• Dr. Tom Keane: Office of the ASTP/ONC
• Dave Dirks: Intermountain Health
• Michael Baillie: UnitedHealth Group

The speakers also highlighted the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem, a White House‑backed, voluntary interoperability initiative designed to rapidly accelerate patient‑centric interoperability by aligning the private sector around shared standards, before regulation, so patients can easily access, share and use their complete health information. Clear milestones are already in place, with an MVP targeted for March 31, 2026 and broader adoption expected by mid‑2026 – all centered on strengthening foundational interoperability and advancing patient‑focused use cases.

What this means for release of information: Federal leaders participating in the panel noted that this degree of alignment across the White House, HHS, CMS and ONC is rare – and they stressed that the industry can’t afford to let this momentum pass.

3. Digital Identity Is the Missing Foundation of Interoperability – and It’s Being Solved

Across interoperability discussions, one theme kept surfacing: most interop failures ultimately stem from identity verification issues.

Without verified digital identity, healthcare data exchange breaks down, creating friction, risk and cost. The CMS Health Tech Ecosystem initiative is addressing this head‑on by modernizing both patient and provider identity infrastructure.

Highlights included:

1. The rollout of modern identity credentials on Medicare.gov, with rapid early adoption
2. Development of a national provider directory to replace thousands of fragmented systems, representing billions in annual administrative costs
3. The rapid growth of CMS’s Health Tech Ecosystem, from 60 founding companies to over 700 participants

What this means for release of information: As access becomes faster and more automated, verified identity is what ensures requests remain secure, compliant and defensible at scale.

4. Revenue Cycle Management Is Being Rebuilt by AI

If there was one area where agentic AI adoption felt unavoidable, it was revenue cycle management.

Vendors presented autonomous agents that can manage workflows related to prior authorization, denials and audits; processes that have traditionally been slow, manual and prone to errors. Federal regulations are driving this transformation, and affected payers must implement FHIR-based prior authorization APIs by January 1, 2027. This change is expected to save providers billions in labor costs.

What this means for release of information: AI slashes administrative workloads, but this shift makes oversight, compliance obligations and risk mitigation even more important.

5. The Economic Imperative Is Not Optional

Underlying every conversation at HIMSS 2026 was an unavoidable truth: the current trajectory of U.S. healthcare spending is unsustainable.

Industry leaders highlighted projections showing healthcare costs rising from roughly 17% of GDP today to nearly 30% by 2050, driven largely by the prevalence of chronic disease management. Avoiding systemic collapse will require dramatic cost reduction.

Interoperability, AI and data liquidity are no longer “nice-to-haves” – they’re economic imperatives. But with increased automation comes increased scrutiny, along with stricter expectations around governance, compliance and trust.

What this means for release of information: In a cost‑constrained environment, release of information becomes a critical control point where technology must scale responsibly without introducing compliance risk or eroding trust.

Innovation Is Over. Execution Is in Motion

HIMSS26 marked a clear inflection point for healthcare data access and automation, with multiple platform shifts converging at once. Agent‑driven workflows, stricter interoperability enforcement and increased payer audit activity are no longer theoretical.

As access becomes faster and more automated, differentiation shifts toward:

• Compliance and regulatory expertise
• Audit defensibility
• Governance and oversight
• Trust at scale

These changes are already underway, and the organizations that stay ahead will be the ones that understand how technology, policy and operational reality intersect. At HealthMark, we’re committed to helping HIM and compliance leaders navigate what comes next with clarity and confidence.

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