Workforce

After a successful podcast series in 2025 and panels at HIMSS25 and HIMSS26, the Project Management Institute's Karla Mae Eidem says PMI and HIMSS are planning to organize local events for project professionals.

Across interviews at HIMSS26, attendees recommend comfortable shoes, as well as advising first-timers to talk to everyone, build connections and explore new technology that can solve healthcare's top challenges.

2026 Senior Executive Changemaker Awardee Kassaundra McKnight-Young says vendors must work closely with clinicians to develop reliable tools that streamline workflows and that help care teams improve patient outcomes.

HIMSS is a trusted partner that enables health IT leaders to learn how others are cultivating curiosity and innovation across their organizations, says 2026 Changemaker Awardee Ini Ekiko Thomas of Memorial Hermann Health.

Kaiser Permanente's Surya Shenoy and Jerri Westphal say that intelligent AI agents can help provide patient education and post-discharge support, but stress that nurses must guide content creation to avoid misinformation.

Anne Snowdon, HIMSS' chief scientific research officer, cautions that AI tools won't improve operations or care delivery unless the technology fits into existing workflows; clinicians and staff must also be trained in their use.

Hal Wolf, HIMSS president and CEO, says HIMSS helps leaders assess their AI readiness with the AMAM maturity model before deploying AI and offers neutral guidance on governance and implementing AI tools responsibly.

At Akron Children's Hospital, Dr. Peggy Allen says clinicians leverage technology such as smartphones, ambient listening AI and smart medication-dosing tools within EHRs to provide personalized care and build trust with patients.

HIMSS26 speaker Andrew Rubin will discuss how NYU Langone Health established a service-oriented patient interaction program in its ambulatory care centers that has improved patient satisfaction.

Pop-ups in EHR interfaces requiring extra clicks that break focus and complicate workflows may be worsening clinician burnout, according to Dr. Michael Zappa, chief clinical officer at Cape Fear Valley Health and physician advisor at Juno Health.