Alliance of Companies Will Help Accelerate $50 Billion in Rural Health Programs
Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) has launched the Alliance for Advancing Rural Healthcare (AARH), uniting seven partners—including Arcadia, Castlight Health, Covista, Mission Mobile Medical, Telemedicine.com, TruBridge and Walgreens—to execute the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation program. The alliance will bolster the rural clinical workforce, modernize health‑IT, and create patient‑centric platforms, while SAIC contributes AI, data management, network infrastructure and cybersecurity. Each member brings a specific capability, from analytics and digital navigation to mobile care, telemedicine and pharmacy services. The initiative aligns with recent CMS funding awards aimed at offsetting Medicaid cuts in rural areas.
Health Systems Must Connect with Patients in More Meaningful Ways
Health systems are accelerating digital transformation post‑COVID, with HIMSS research showing that hospitals possessing advanced digital maturity are 3.25 times more likely to earn higher safety grades and experience lower infection and adverse event rates. The pandemic also shifted patients from...
How One Health System Attained a Patient Safety Milestone: Zero CAUTI Infections
North Country Healthcare, an alliance of three critical‑access hospitals in New Hampshire, launched the staff‑driven "Lines and Drains" project using its Meditech Expanse EHR to standardize catheter documentation and create real‑time performance dashboards. By redesigning workflows, linking orders to worklists,...
Leveraging AI to Predict Patient Deterioration
Dr. Michael Spaeder will present at HIMSS26 on using AI‑enabled analysis of continuous bedside cardiorespiratory monitoring to detect patient deterioration earlier than traditional electronic health record methods. He will contrast predictive insights from live physiologic data with retrospective EHR analytics,...
HIMSS26: AdventHealth CEO to Give Keynote Address at the Executive Summit
AdventHealth President and CEO David Banks will deliver the opening keynote at HIMSS26’s Executive Summit in Las Vegas, titled “Leading Through Healthcare’s Perfect Storm.” He will frame the current systemic headwinds as an opportunity to shift from episodic, diagnosis‑centric care to...
HIMSSCast: 2026 Could Be the Most Challenging Year yet for Medicare Advantage Payers
Medicare Advantage insurers are confronting a perfect storm of rising medical costs and a flat payment increase of less than 1% announced by CMS for 2026. The new risk‑adjustment formula and stagnant reimbursement fall below the medical‑cost trend, compressing margins...
Prime Healthcare Pits Two Virtual Sitter Vendors Against One Another – Who Won?
Prime Healthcare conducted a nine‑month, 13‑hospital trial of two virtual sitter models—an integrated turnkey vendor and a split‑component approach—to enhance patient safety in Phase 2 of its virtual care strategy. The integrated model, which supplies hardware, software, and remote observers, outperformed...
AI Agents for Patient Engagement: A Conversation with Sutter Health and Sierra
Interoperability and AI: Industry Perspectives and Best Practices
On February 17, 2026, HIMSS will host a 30‑minute panel featuring IBM Consulting’s Cathy Reese and Snowflake’s Jesse Cugliotta to explore the intersection of interoperability and artificial intelligence in healthcare. The discussion will assess current AI maturity, outline best practices for constructing...
Akron Children's Uses Epic and Real-Time Analytics to Reduce Waste Anesthesia Gases
Akron Children’s Hospital leveraged its Epic EHR and real‑time analytics to dramatically cut waste anesthesia gases, a source of 5‑10% of its greenhouse‑gas emissions. By introducing low‑flow reminders in Epic and on anesthesia machines, the team achieved an initial 5%...