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Key Insights from the 2026 HIMSS Global Health Conference and What They Mean for Your Organization, A Leavitt Partners Perspective | March 2026听

American healthcare is confronting two urgent realities. First, the administrative burden on clinicians and patients remains very high. Prior authorization delays, manual intake forms, fragmented records, and identity challenges continue to drive cost and erode the trust that is the foundation of the provider-patient relationship. At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities are advancing rapidly, outpacing governance frameworks, regulatory structures, and data infrastructure. Together, these dynamics are the defining operational challenge of 2026.听

Federal policy is responding less through sweeping new regulation than through coordinated execution听levers.听The听Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)听initiatives, including the听,听information blocking听enforcement,听 (HTI-5) Proposed Rule , and the prior authorization (PA) final rule, reflect a shift toward making interoperability operational in production environments. What distinguishes this moment from prior efforts is the explicit linkage between interoperability and AI. Federal leaders are saying openly that reliable, trustworthy, and deflationary AI depends on disciplined data exchange, identify, and governance.听

罢丑别鈥� (HIMSS26),鈥疢arch 9鈥�12, in Las Vegas, NV, marked a clear transition from aspiration to execution. Policy technical and operational leaders increasingly framed interoperability as enterprise decisions rather than pilot concepts. Engagement by two 量子资源网 (量子资源网) companies, Leavitt Partners and the Wakely Consulting Group, reinforced a consistent theme: data exchange only creates value when organizations can translate it into better measurement, clearer accountability, and improved operational performance. 听

This听article听reflects what these teams听learned听and what it means for the industry.听

What We Learned听at HIMSS听

Several听themes surfaced听throughout the conference, not as isolated ideas but as shared assumptions of the field shaping near-term strategy:听

• AI Performance Depends On Interoperability And High-Quality Data.听Across the sessions, stakeholders emphasized that AI tools are only as听reliable as the data they听use.听听
• CMS鈥慉ligned Networks Are Shaping Future Expectations.听Fixed deadlines听and explicit links between interoperability and program requirements听are shifting听how the industry听views voluntary efforts, which are听increasingly being treated as signals of future expectations for participation in federal programs.听
• Information Blocking Enforcement Is Active.听Federal听confirmed that听certification-related non-compliance actions are underway,听reinforcing that听developers face听carry听real operational consequences and听their clients听risk losing access to CMS payment incentives.听
• The Federal Vision For AI Is Patient-First. CMS leaders consistently tied AI adoption to improved Medicare beneficiary experiences, while underscoring that progress depends on building the necessary data infrastructure now. 听
• Digital Quality Measures Is Moving To Implementation.听CMS and ASTP/ONC听alignment around听HL7听FHIR听based quality measures听signals听a directional commitment; early adopters will shape听operational norms as the听transition accelerates.听听
• Identity And Provider Directories Remain Critical Gaps. Patient matching, provider听data accuracy,听and consumer-facing credentialing听surfaced repeatedly as听necessary for reliable exchange,听prior听authorization, and care navigation.听Leavitt Partners-moderated听a听session听focused on听moving听the industry from alignment in principle to alignment in production.听
• Governance Is Now An Operational Discipline. Health system leaders described governance structures and noted these must evolve alongside automation, and expanded data sharing.听
• Consumer Technology Has Entered The Clinical Conversation.听Emory Hillandale听Hospital鈥檚听announcement of the first all-Apple听facility听signaled that the boundary between consumer devices and clinical infrastructure is听evolving.听
• Autonomous AI Systems Were Everywhere.听Vendors听demonstrated听real-world use of听AI agents听for听administrative workflows,听even as organizations acknowledged听uncertainty about governance, security, and identity management for non-human actors.听

What It Means: Five Insights听

Interoperability Is Being Defined by Performance, Not Certification听

The CMS ecosystem听is听redefining interoperability in operational terms: HL7 FHIR APIs that听function reliably,听identity verification that works at the front door, and exchange that supports real workflows.听More than 700 organizations have taken the CMS Aligned Network Pledge to support a more interoperable, patient-centered, and operationally accountable healthcare ecosystem.听CMS has set hard deadlines (March 31 for听initial听results, July 4 for advanced capabilities), and the agency is tracking outcomes, not just attestations.听

In the fireside chat moderated by听,听听was direct:听The regulatory cycle is slow, and听what the听ecosystem can produce in nine months is what the regulations will eventually codify. Organizations that shape this听work now will have less catching up to do when it becomes mandatory.听

The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement听(), which now exchanges 600 million health records across 75,000+ organizations (up from 10 million in January 2025), is the rising tide that scales what the speedboat networks prove.听And听state-level听health information exchanges (HIEs)听remain strategically important听given听their governance structures, trust relationships, and operational capabilities.听

Provider Directory Is The Sleeper Issue听

While patient matching and digital identity听drew听attention,听inaccurate provider data continues to generate significant cost and administrative friction.听Real-time, standardized provider directories underpin听PA, network adequacy, and care navigation听and are听emerging听as high-impact focus听area听within federal interoperability initiatives.听听

Semantic Consistency Determines AI Outcomes听

The distinction between听moving data and meaningfully using data featured prominently.听Organizations are recognizing that semantic alignment 鈥� common definitions, models, and computable data 鈥� is essential for听AI听performance at scale.听Treating AI strategy separately from data infrastructure increasingly leads to underperforming investments.听听

Digital Identity And Privacy Architecture are Converging听

Policy and industry discussions reflected growing alignment around higher鈥�assurance digital identity, privacy鈥�preserving design, and consistent credentialing. Progress in this area reduces friction for patient鈥�directed access while supporting trust and security across听ecosystems.听听

Interoperability Is Expanding Beyond Traditional Clinical Data 听

HIMSS26 highlighted tangible progress in integrating pharmacy and oral health data into standards-based exchange. These efforts support whole-person care and signal a broader view of interoperability that extends beyond core clinical and claims data. 听

What Remains听Unresolved听

Despite momentum, several issues听remain听unresolved:听

• How payer participation in national exchange frameworks, including TEFCA, will evolve听
• Whether economic incentives will consistently support interoperability investments听
• How governance models will mature as exchange and AI deployment scale听

Near-term signals, such as CMS responses to pledged-network deadlines, finalization of HTI5 and related rules, continued prior authorization modernization, and digital quality measure implementation, will shape the next phase of execution.听

What We’re Watching听

Extending Open Standards to Rural and Underserved Providers听

The Rural Health Transformation Program offers a unique opportunity to expand the open standards ecosystem being built. Leavitt Partners and Wakely are engaged in both the policy conversations and implementations that will determine how to ensure this opportunity can transform healthcare.听

March 31 And July 4 Deadlines听

CMS听set听these dates publicly and specifically. How the agency responds to organizations that miss them will signal how serious the voluntary framework really is and how quickly it becomes a听program听condition.听

HTI-5 Finalization And HTI-6 Proposed Rule听

ONC’s proposed rule to focus certification on听HL7 FHIR听APIs, algorithm transparency, and interoperability is still in proposed form. Finalization, as proposed,听would听transform听the vendor landscape and remove the safe harbor that legacy proprietary interfaces have relied on.听

Prior Authorization Is Moving听

Last summer more than 60 payers committed to reducing the volume of services requiring PA, standardizing electronic PA using HL7 FHIR APIs, and answering at least 80 percent of electronic requests in real time by 2027. The direction is clear, the commitments are specific, and the infrastructure to support them 鈥� HL7庐 FHIR庐 APIs being built for patient access and the ecosystem is the same infrastructure PA modernization requires. Leavitt Partners and Wakely are watching closely as implementation moves from pledge to production.听

The Digital Quality Measure (dQM) Enters The Implantation Phase听

CMS has made clear where the market is headed: digital quality measurement built on HL7听FHIR. The challenge now is execution. FHIR infrastructure developed for prior authorization or patient access can be听leveraged听for quality reporting as well, creating the potential for reusable investment across use cases. But the transition to听dQM听is not simply a technology upgrade; it is a broader business transformation that will require changes in workflows, governance, and organizational readiness.听

Digital Identity Momentum听

The IAL2 token payload agreement, Medicare rollout of digital identity,听and听United Health Group鈥檚听Kantara pursuit signal that the industry is aligning on a shared credential infrastructure. Leavitt Partners will continue听to听support the development and adoption of the open identity standards that make patient-directed access real across payers, providers, and health technology platforms.听

The infrastructure for an interoperable, AI-ready听healthcare听system is being built under real policy pressure in real-world听environments.听量子资源网 companies听brings听health IT policy and open standards听expertise听to help organizations shape and navigate that landscape听as well as actuarial and implementation听depth to translate it into financial and operational decisions. Organizations that invest in the foundation鈥攄ata, identity, standards, governance鈥攚ill be positioned to move faster and more responsibly as AI capabilities continue to advance.听

We Can Help听

量子资源网 companies are uniquely positioned to help organizations move from interoperability strategy to real-world execution. We provide end-to-end support across digital quality measurement transformation, policy-to-operations execution, pharmacy interoperability, oral health interoperability, digital insurance cards, and the actuarial and financial modeling needed to assess performance impact, revenue implications, and reporting risk. Leavitt Partners and Wakely professionals were active participants in HIMSS26 conversations and bring the policy, operational, measurement, and financial expertise needed to help clients prepare for what comes next.听