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AI features, EHR integration in the HIMSS26 spotlight
EHR vendors and tech companies unveiled new AI tools, expanded interoperability features and announced strategic partnerships at the Las Vegas conference.
Healthcare technology companies introduced new capabilities and announced partnerships at HIMSS26, the global health conference in Las Vegas.
Every year, tens of thousands of healthcare stakeholders spanning the industry gather at the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition to discuss the latest in health technology, share best practices and explore care innovation strategies. It is also a platform for technology vendors to highlight advancements, and this year, those advancements centered around AI and integration.
Here is a snapshot of announcements from the conference this week:
MEDITECH announces new AI capabilities
EHR vendor MEDITECH is expanding its Expanse AI portfolio with the addition of ambient intelligence solutions for physicians and nurses. The solutions, available in the Expanse Now mobile app for physicians and the Expanse Point of Care app for nurses, aim to mitigate clinical documentation burdens by capturing clinician-patient interactions and generating clinic notes and inpatient assessments in real time. They also provide suggestions for next steps in the clinical workflow.
"MEDITECH has been strategic in its application of artificial intelligence, focusing on areas where it can improve care delivery most," MEDITECH Chief Nursing Executive Cathy Turner said in a press release.
In addition, the company debuted AI-powered claim denial agents that can research the denial and propose action plans for appeals; an AI-powered assistant integrated into the MyHealth patient portal; and an AI-powered tool that allows clinicians to explore patients' health records for clinical or administrative purposes.
Samsung, b.well partner to expand data access
Samsung Electronics and b.well Connected Health announced a partnership that will allow Samsung Galaxy smartphone users to access their health records from the Samsung Health app.
Not only will patients be able to access their health records, but they can also ask questions about diagnoses and medications to a conversational AI tool, which will provide answers in plain language. Additionally, they can share their health information with participating providers.
"This is about making healthcare simple by reducing friction for consumers to easily access, manage, and share their medical records," said Hon Pak, M.D., senior vice president and head of digital health team, Mobile Experience Business at Samsung Electronics, in a press release.
"Samsung will combine lifelog data, including health metrics (sleep, exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness) with medical records, and then make it easily sharable to their doctors. Our partnership with b.well shows how mobile technology can connect people, providers, and health records at a national scale."
The partnership aligns with the goals of the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem initiative. Enhancing healthcare interoperability is at the heart of the initiative. Both Samsung and b.well signed the pledge to "Kill the Clipboard," and instead allow patients to access their health records from CMS Aligned Networks or personal health record apps, as well as share them with providers.
Zoom expands EHR integration
Zoom announced new healthcare-focused features, including the availability of the Zoom Contact Center in the Epic Toolbox. The integration will allow users to access Zoom functionality within Epic. The new features available within Epic include an embedded call bar to manage calls without switching apps, click-to-call and direct dial from patient profiles and the ability to surface patient records for incoming calls.
Additionally, Zoom announced an Epic integration for Clinical Note that allows clinicians to capture and review AI‑generated clinical notes without leaving Epic Haiku or Hyperspace, as well as the integration of Zoom Virtual Agent into Epic, which will enable healthcare organizations to automate routine patient inquiries.
"At Zoom, we are building on our market leadership in telehealth by expanding how Zoom's broader platform supports personalized clinical and operational workflows, helping healthcare organizations deliver smarter, more connected care at scale," said Jeff Smith, head of product – workplace AI, meetings and spaces at Zoom, in a press release.
Heidi, R1 partner to integrate AI scribing, RCM tech
AI scribe developer Heidi and healthcare revenue cycle management company R1 announced a partnership to combine AI-driven clinician documentation and reimbursement processes.
The Heidi AI scribe captures clinical interactions and creates clinical notes for review. The partnership will integrate the AI scribe into R1's Phare Revenue Operating System, allowing greater visibility into payer policy, prior authorization rules and insurance eligibility information at the point of care. Further, the system will improve clinical notes to ensure accurate coding and billing, as well as reduce the risk of down-coding and medical necessity denials.
"Revenue management companies have historically had limited integration with clinicians, while scribe companies have lacked system-level payer data. This important partnership changes that," said Thomas Kelly, M.D., co-founder and CEO of Heidi, in a press release.
"By connecting R1's payer intelligence directly with Heidi's platform at the point of care, we can deliver real-time billing and authorization guidance the moment it matters. Together we can close a gap that costs the whole system billions."
Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers the virtual healthcare landscape, including telehealth, remote patient monitoring and digital therapeutics.
