HIMSS 2026: Focused on AI, cybersecurity, digital health and unified communications

Healthcare technology leaders worldwide have known for over a decade that modern infrastructure is a foundational element of healthcare. At this year’s HIMSS conference, they focused on how to reimagine healthcare through the lens of technology. Some key areas of interest were how today’s infrastructures provide security and connectivity, AI-optimization, and meet the bandwidth demands of electronic health records (EHR) and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT).

The IoMT is critical to connect various medical devices, like smart implants and drug delivery systems, and then monitoring that equipment to collect real-time data. It enables hospital-at-home treatment to avoid hospital admission. This method of delivering care can save costs, improve health outcomes, and deliver a better experience for patients.

Regarding the demands of this technology infrastructure: “You just have to make sure you have the horsepower to run it,” cautioned Sara Meinke, Senior Director of Enterprise Business Systems at Baptist Health System. “If you’re not making enough of the critical investment to elevate the foundational aspects of your infrastructure, you’re not going to be successful.”

Automating administration

Heathcare organizations (HCO) are using AI to automate administrative tasks, from medical record-keeping to billing, in an effort to streamline processes and reduce human error. AI-driven solutions may also help reduce healthcare costs by predicting resource needs, preventing both overstaffing and understaffing, and driving cost-efficiencies. However, governance of AI in healthcare raises challenges surrounding decision-making, safety, and strategic adoption.

Governance of AI is a major concern for HCOs. As we are adopting this technology at a dizzying pace, the majority aren't putting enough funding into AI governance heading into 2026, according to a new report from Black Book Research.

As AI continued to dominate both the signage and conversations in the exhibit hall, the importance of safely and responsibly adopting it emerged front and center. While the discovery of AI's potential in healthcare is exciting, there’s no room for risk‑taking when patient trust and clinical operations are at stake.

The median 2026 budget share for AI governance and safety is 4.2%, and only 22% of hospitals report high confidence that they could deliver a complete, auditable AI explanation within 30 days, the data showed.

Cybersecurity concerns

One obvious byproduct of increased digital activity in any given industry is a corresponding rise in cybersecurity risk. Efforts must be undertaken to implement robust encryption protocols to protect sensitive patient data from unauthorized access.

Healthcare is still among the most targeted sector for cyberattacks, with the average cost of a data breach the highest across industries. Cybersecurity is a key consideration when supporting increased connectivity of added users, devices and technologies.  And leaders know that increased reliance on AI can expand the attack surface.  AI solutions only work when deployed with strong governance and a dependable foundation beneath it. Without that, AI can easily become a liability instead of an accelerator.

Stealing protected health information (PHI) can be a big moneymaker for cybercriminals, as just one medical record can be sold for $1,000 on the dark web. This underscores the fact that while modernizing connectivity and infrastructure, HCOs must focus on reliable, secure data exchange between medical devices, providers and patients.

Digital health expansion

Virtual care is anticipated to continue within hospitals and clinics despite financial headwinds. New technologies, like AI adoption, along with mobile and remote technologies, are converging into applications, workflows, and policies to support digital delivery of care. A core objective of HCOs across the country is leveraging IT investments to support clinical initiatives while realizing improved operational efficiency. And with HCOs adding both physical and virtual capabilities to their networks every day, it must happen quickly, correctly and cost effectively. Hospitals and health systems looking to maximize their investment in remote patient monitoring and telehealth technology for real time care, analysis and improved outcomes could help achieve these goals by deploying a modernized infrastructure. 

Particularly important in virtual care, dedicated internet service ensures the bandwidth capacity that an HCO chooses is always available to them. A dedicated connection is not shared with others, and should be delivered over a reliable, advanced fiber network. These services send data over a dedicated high-capacity private network designed to avoid oversubscription or competition for network bandwidth. HCOs should have the option to support current and future bandwidth needs with a range of symmetrical speeds up to 100 Gbps.

Managing complexity with unified communications

Unified communication solutions address hospitals and health systems increasing complexity: multi‑site networks, expanding device footprints, expanded digital care, rising cybersecurity risks, and heavy EHR bandwidth needs.

An evolved version of unified communications, Unified Customer Experience (CX) solutions can lower the costs and complexity of managing multiple communication platforms while increasing the workflow flexibility and scalability of the cloud-based solution. Simply put, such solutions allow HCOs to reduce the number of technology partners they work with, enhance patient experience, and promote better outcomes.

Proponents of Unified Customer Experience say that by employing the technology they have increased efficiency, improved customer experience, and reduced operational expenses. Forrester reports that managed services can help reduce IT costs by 30% and increase operational efficiency by 50%. 

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We understand and fully support that the enduring goal of healthcare professionals is to improve outcomes and clinical and patient experiences. We collaborate with your team to achieve your goals with a customizable, scalable, network infrastructure. Find out why we’ve partnered with more than 90% of US HCOs to provide secure connectivity and communications solutions.