< + > How Intelligent Interoperability and AI Are Redefining Tech Equity in Healthcare at HIMSS26

The following is a guest article by Rachel Wilkes, Associate Vice President at MEDITECH

As the healthcare community converges in Las Vegas for HIMSS26, the industry’s focus has evolved from merely exchanging digital records to the far more sophisticated goal of intelligent interoperability. The core objective is to dismantle data silos and leverage advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to interpret it and ensure it is equally accessible to every clinician and patient, from urban medical centers to rural community clinics.

What is intelligent interoperability?

This year, MEDITECH is showcasing how the Expanse EHR serves as a foundation for digital success by harnessing interoperability and AI-driven innovation to transform data exchange and care delivery and empower patients to become active stewards of their health data.

Visitors to MEDITECH’s Interop+Smart Experience Pavilion, booth #12623, will learn how interoperability is more than a regulatory requirement — it’s a catalyst for change.

For patients, intelligent interoperability means empowerment. This includes more convenient access to their records, improved coordination with their care teams, and better understanding and self-management of their conditions and treatment plans — regardless of where care is received.

For clinicians, it means efficiency—with better access to longitudinal patient records, dynamic insights within their native workflows, and the guidance they need to drive measurable improvements in care.

And for health systems, it means sustainability, by removing barriers to data sharing, improving operational efficiencies, and enabling data-driven population health management.

In the Interop+Smart Experience Pavilion, MEDITECH and its partners will follow a patient journey to demonstrate how connected workflows seamlessly dissolve data silos and bridge geographic gaps among all stakeholders.

Additionally, MEDITECH and healthcare leaders will present each day at the Interop+ Smart Theater, highlighting how intelligent interoperability strengthens payer-provider partnerships, ensures rural health systems stay connected, and leverages ambient listening to boost revenue cycle efficiency — all while keeping the focus on the patient.

Finally, MEDITECH will host a series of interoperability-focused ‘Lunch & Learn’ sessions on Thursday in HIMSS booth #5031. From 12:15 p.m. – 12:35 p.m, MEDITECH Interoperability Product Manager Allison Pallatroni will join Emanate Health Corporate Director, Enterprise Applications, Tito Perez for a discussion on Intelligent Interoperability in Action. They will discuss how Emanate Health and other customers are using MEDITECH’s Traverse Exchange data exchange network to reduce clinician burden and drive coordinated, measurable patient outcomes. Then, from 1 p.m. – 1:20 p.m, MEDITECH will highlight how app developers can design patient-centered solutions that leverage MEDITECH Expanse as a platform for innovation in the session, Create, Share, Grow with Greenfield.

How is patient data turned into insight?

Data retrieval is only the first step; the real power lies in making it actionable. This is precisely where Interoperability and AI intersect to drive the future of modern care.

In HIMSS booth #5031, MEDITECH will showcase how its AI solutions are designed to elevate the entire care experience — from reducing clinician burden and actively engaging patients to supporting health system operations and revenue generation. MEDITECH’s approach ensures equitable access to sustainable, scalable AI, easing the load for clinical and operational staff while always maintaining a “human in the loop” for control over decision-making.

MEDITECH will offer a series of interactive ‘Lunch & Learn’ sessions on Tuesday, focused on successful AI use cases and development efforts. From 12:45 p.m. – 1:05 p.m, MEDITECH will present on The Intelligent Application of AI and how the Expanse platform uses AI to turn complex data into timely, actionable insight. MEDITECH Associate Vice President Rachel Wilkes and Aga Khan University Chief Data Innovation Officer Farhana Alarakhiya will discuss how Expanse empowers clinicians with automated tools that reduce documentation fatigue and support decision-making, clearing the path for improved patient care.

Then, at 1:30, MEDITECH Senior Director of Interoperability Mike Cordeiro will join Augusta Health Vice President and CIO Leigh Williams to discuss the future of MEDITECH Expanse and how it provides a foundational platform for innovation.

Wednesday Lunch & Learn sessions will also include examples of using AI to empower patients (12:15 p.m. – 12:35 p.m.) and improve clinician efficiency (1 p.m. – 1:20 p.m.).

How do you drive tech equity in rural health communities?

As rural health systems continue to experience mounting cost pressures from reimbursement cuts to resource shortages, having intelligent and interoperable solutions can provide a path to fiscal sustainability and help them maintain independence. By breaking down data exchange barriers with larger tertiary facilities and referral partners, rural health facilities attain a more complete, longitudinal patient record. This empowers them to effectively manage patients’ chronic conditions and prioritize community wellness. MEDITECH is committed to providing equitable access to advanced AI solutions, similar to those used by large integrated delivery networks, to help rural health systems overcome staffing shortages. By automating mundane tasks, AI empowers clinicians to focus on practicing at the top of their license while equipping operational and financial staff with powerful tools to efficiently reallocate staffing and maximize revenue.

As a leading EHR for rural health systems, MEDITECH customers continue to leverage data-driven strategies to improve outcomes, with several rural health customers sharing their successes through HIMSS educational sessions. These include:

• Bridging Disparities through Case Management on Tuesday at 2:15 p.m., Level 5 – Palazzo C. Bothwell Regional Health Center will showcase how it leveraged data-driven, community-based strategies to successfully reduce disparities and create sustainable pathways for healthier, more resilient communities.
• Prescription for Wellness: Strategies to Retain, Recruit, and Support Nurses on Tuesday at 2:15 p.m., Level 3 – San Polo 3404. Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers developed a robust wellness program that focuses on employees’ health inside and outside the workplace, significantly reducing turnover rates.
• Rural Population Health: Data Insights Drive Enhanced Outcomes and Cost Savings: on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., Level 5 – Palazzo D. Bingham Healthcare demonstrates that rural challenges — often characterized by limited resources — can be overcome with patient-centered, data-driven strategies that enable expanded preventive care and strong financial performance.
• Short Message Service Text Reminders Improve Medication Adherence for High-Risk Patients on Thursday at 8:45 a.m., Level 5 – Palazzo D. Magnolia Regional Health Center shares how it uses post-discharge interactive SMS reminders through the DrFirst prescription engagement solution to significantly improve medication adherence in high-risk populations, thereby reducing hospital readmissions.
• Healthcare Innovations Can’t Be Borrowed, They Need to Be Built on Thursday at 10:15 a.m., Level 3 – Murano 3304. The Aga Khan University Centre shares how they are redefining innovation in East Africa through locally sourced, context-rich, real-time data to drive equitable and transformative care.
• A Rural Health System’s Leapfrog Improvement Using Smarter Medication Guidance on Thursday at 2 p.m., Level 3 – San Polo 3404. Mary’s Healthcare provides a case study in clinical excellence, showcasing the strategy that improved their CPOE performance and Leapfrog Safety Grade while simultaneously reducing alert fatigue.

The future of healthcare depends on intelligent connectivity — where AI, interoperability, and human-centered design come together. By visiting MEDITECH’s booth #5031 and the Interop+Smart Experience Pavilion booth #12623, attendees can witness how these tools are finally converging to ensure that data truly works for everyone.

Visit MEDITECH’s HIMSS26 event page for the latest updates and session times.

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