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To ensure new AI products support nursing workflows rather than force nurses to adapt to the technology, include nurses in the development process, Kaiser Permanente's Surya Shenoy and Jerri Westphal advise.

AI-augmented clinicians could soon be the expected norm, said the Mayo Clinic health IT pioneer. But there will always be plenty of other challenges to solve. "And that doesn't mean we're going to need fewer radiation oncologists."

Healthcare leaders must ensure tech investments are paired with organizational changes that enable new workflows, Hal Wolf said at HIMSS26. He added nurses are likely to play an important role in shaping how digital tools evolve.

Predictive analytics boost AI tools and help patients and clinicians connect. However, HIMSS Chief Scientific Research Officer Anne Snowdon says that, globally, only about 30% of analytics capacity has been realized.

At HIMSS26, the EHR vendor is unveiling technology that brings conversational AI to the point of care, an AI-powered companion to portals, a denial agent to claims, and more. The COO discusses the tech and the potential benefits.

Artificial intelligence is no longer science fiction. And if healthcare can ensure empathy and compassion in patient care and clinical AI, it will also integrate more deeply into nursing practice, says Holly Wei of Texas Tech University.  

Some of the healthcare organizations that could most benefit from artificial intelligence don't have the resources to take advantage of it. At HIMSS26, ideas were explored to help level the playing field for community and critical access hospitals.

Some providers are still in the very early stages. Others are spending big on shiny objects. Still others are well off to the races, with mature deployments enabling robust ROI. Where are we in the AI hype cycle? It depends, said panelists at HIMSS26.

Hospital preparedness programs are craving cyber components. At HIMSS26, a panel dispelled some of the confusion over resource sharing programs and explained how to get involved in coalitions.

All HIMSS events offer education, networking and innovation. But each gathering tailors content to regional policy and topics concerning the host country's healthcare ecosystem, explains HIMSS CEO Hal Wolf.