HIMSS is a bellwether for where healthcare technology is headed. In 2026, one signal is unmistakable: AI has moved from possibility to expectation. Interoperability alone is no longer a strategy. The real constraint is no longer access to data or availability of technology, but whether organizations are truly ready to operate with their data at scale. 

Bold claims, rapid innovation, and competing visions of AI transformation will be prevalent. What matters most beneath the noise is a quieter, more practical question we hear leaders already asking: what does it actually take to make these technologies work reliably, responsibly, and across real healthcare environments? 

HIMSS26 is an opportunity to connect themes that are often discussed separately but are deeply interdependent in practice. AI adoption, data quality, governance, and interoperability are not always discussed as parallel initiatives. Progress in one without the others often leads to stalled pilots and limited adoption. 

From Interoperability to Enterprise Data Readiness 

We’re hearing consistently that interoperability has been treated as a milestone to achieve rather than a foundation to build on. Yet as digital transformation efforts mature, it’s increasingly clear that data exchange alone does not create usable intelligence. 

To support care transformation, population health, and AI-enabled decision-making, data must be unified, governed, and operationally accessible across systems and settings. This challenge is especially visible when organizations move beyond the boundaries of a single platform and attempt to make data work across care teams, partners, and programs. 

In discussions with health systems and organizations managing risk we see a clear trend emerging: fragmented data is a major roadblock. Fragmented data isn’t just a technical issue. It directly limits care coordination, complicates patient identification, and slows action across teams responsible for managing risk and outcomes. At Orion Health, platforms like Amadeus AI are designed to unify fragmented data into governed, longitudinal foundations that support analytics and AI use without sacrificing trust or transparency. Analytics and AI tools, no matter how advanced, struggle to deliver value when the underlying data lacks consistency, context, or trust. 

AI Momentum Meets Operational Reality 

AI will dominate the HIMSS26 agenda, but the most meaningful conversations will not be about models or features. We’ll be looking for more concrete conversations about data readiness for AI. 

Health care leaders are increasingly focused on practical concerns: 

  • Can we trust the data feeding these systems?  
  • Is the AI engine clinically validated and how (internally and externally)? 
  • How do we govern AI use across clinical, operational, and population health contexts? 
  • How do we scale responsibly without creating new silos or compliance exposure? 

These questions reflect a broader industry realization we hear: AI success depends far more on data foundations and governance than on algorithms alone. Without accountability, transparency, and longitudinal data, even promising initiatives remain confined to pilots. 

Orion Health’s perspective on AI has consistently emphasized trust, accountability, and integration into real-world workflows. HIMSS26 reinforces why these principles are no longer optional, but essential. 

What We’re Watching at HIMSS26 

At the conference, we’ll be paying close attention to how organizations are approaching: 

  • The shift from interoperability compliance to enterprise data enablement 
  • Governance models that support responsible, validated AI use at scale 
  • Efforts to make data usable across organizations, systems, and care settings 
  • How leaders are balancing AI ambition with operational and regulatory reality 

These themes reflect where momentum is building and where friction remains as AI moves from experimentation to expectation. 

Orion Health looks forward to engaging in conversations about what it will actually takes to connect AI innovation with trusted, scalable data foundations, and where organizations are still encountering friction as they try to do so. 

Get in touch to schedule time with our team at HIMSS26 and explore how to build trusted, AI-ready data foundations.