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Key opinion leaders influence important decisions in healthcare, but perhaps too little attention has been given to the ethics of this situation.

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By 2050, it's estimated that 139 million people worldwide will have dementia, but by today's standards, 60% will be undiagnosed. It's clear that there's a significant gap in dementia detection and care, but what can your organization do about it?

Get perspectives from clinical leaders and neuroscience experts about the underlying causes and consequences of these gaps, practical opportunities to address them, and a proven roadmap that shows how leading health systems have successfully transformed their dementia screening and care processes.

Closing the Dementia Care Gap: Expert Insights and Proven Strategies for Health Systems

Much of the information in health care records doesn’t appear in text.

Google Cloud has been developing new AI-powered tools to help clinicians find the information they need in charts, images and X-rays. The company touted new generative AI capabilities in Vertex AI Search for healthcare at the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas last week.

Aashima Gupta, Google Cloud’s global director of healthcare strategy & solutions, said the new improvements will allow a clinician to easily and quickly find out vital information that comes from charts or other visual images. A new “Visual Q&A” tool will also be able to analyze data in tables and provide relevant findings in searches.

Google Cloud also touted new advanced AI agents designed to help prepare patient charts and perform other administrative tasks. The company says Google’s Agentspace will make it easier for customers to build their own AI agents to do research more easily and to manage certain tasks. AI agents are designed to perform tasks autonomously.

In a conversation with Chief Healthcare Executive® at the HIMSS conference, Gupta says AI tools in the healthcare industry are maturing rapidly. She says healthcare organizations are able to adapt AI into more tasks to reduce administrative burdens and burnout of their workers.

“Healthcare used to be lagging behind on adoption of technology,” Gupta says. “This moment, in AI, is different. We are seeing Gen AI really help with some of that burnout, those administrative burdens.”

Using AI to help doctors connect with patients

AI’s use in healthcare is surging. More than half of America’s hospitals are using AI predictive models to gauge which patients could be at greater risk of complications, according to a 

 published in Health Affairs in January. 

 say they’re using AI in their practice, up from 38% in 2023, according to an American Medical Association survey.

Generative AI tools allow clinicians to quickly get summaries of research. Gupta says AI agents are going to be playing a bigger role. Basalt Health is using AI agents and other Google technologies to help medical assistants get ready for patient visits, she notes.

Hospitals can utilize AI agents to improve a number of administrative functions, including revenue cycle management, managing supply chains and scheduling surgical procedures.

“Agentic AI is able to plan for multiple steps ahead, create a goal, and be able to research it,” Gupta says. “So really, AI is a true collaborator.”

The emergence of “semantic AI” is also a noteworthy development, she says. Semantic AI tools aren’t bound by simply matching the keywords in searches. With semantic search, a clinician can look for shorthand, medical terminology and abbreviations and still be able to find the desired information.

Highmark has partnered with Google Cloud to use AI tools to improve management of claims submissions and authorization requests with Allegheny Health Network. Google Cloud has also collaborated with the Mayo Clinic to develop generative AI capabilities in clinical settings.

Mayo Clinic’s John Halamka: ‘We have to use AI’

Hospitals and healthcare organizations that are looking to acquire AI tools should consider what problems they’re trying to solve. “Not all AI products are Gen AI products, not all Gen AI products are agentic AI products,” she says.

Organizations shouldn’t be fixated on the latest shiny object. They should figure out the right use cases and “solve for that vision,” she says.

Customers that have made the most progress with AI tools have sound approaches and governance in place to examine new solutions and determine how they should be used. Health systems need to get input from across the organization in choosing and using new AI tools, and they should have mechanisms to evaluate how they’re working.

“You need a solid technology strategy guiding that transformation. And we see that with some of our forward leading customers,” she says.

Gupta says she’s hopeful that AI can be used to improve health equity and close disparities in outcomes among underserved groups. AI tools can help flag patients who are overdue for a colorectal screening or a mammogram.

Some health leaders have been concerned about 

 in health care, but Gupta says she’s optimistic that new technologies will help clinicians use the best information.

“If you think about health equity, there has been bias in the data for decades,” she says. “That data exists, but can AI be an assistive tool to help us understand bias? I see that as a promise of generative AI to help us be more cautious.”

The company launched new offerings at the HIMSS conference. In a conversation with Chief Healthcare Executive, Google Cloud’s healthcare leader talked about AI’s emergence. 

Topic

Google Cloud’s Aashima Gupta sees AI as a ‘collaborator’ in healthcare

- Hospitals across America have suffered 

the heavy costs and disruptions of cyberattacks

 in recent years, and executives say they struggle to find top cybersecurity pros.

Many industries find it difficult to attract cybersecurity talent, but hospitals and health systems have found recruiting and retaining experienced cybersecurity pros to be a particularly stubborn problem. They say cybersecurity pros often can earn more in sectors other than health care.

However, cybersecurity leaders also are pointing to another obstacle in their talent search. They said they need to get more women in the field.

John Frushour, chief information security officer for the New York-Presbyterian Hospital System, talked about the lack of women cybersecurity professionals in hospitals during a panel discussion at the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition.

“If you have a young female in IT that is interested in this field, you better sponsor her or get her some doggone training by now, because we do not have enough females in this field,” he said. “I don't know why.”

When it comes to finding women interested in cybersecurity in health care, Frushour said, “I have a hell of a hard time.”

Frushour suggested a need for more internships, shadowing programs and STEM initiatives to help encourage more women to pursue careers in cybersecurity.

“This cannot be a male-dominated field,” he said.

Jason B. Griffin, managing director of digital health strategy and cyber practice leader of Nordic Global, agreed that it’s time to get more women working in cybersecurity in the healthcare industry.

“We struggle finding folks that are wanting to actively pursue it, and women as well, minorities as well,” Griffin said in the panel discussion at HIMSS. “And we've got to find ways to open doors and provide that first level of access.”

Men hold most of the cybersecurity jobs across all industrial sectors. Women hold roughly one in four (24%) of jobs in cybersecurity in all sectors in 2024, according to a 

 by Women in Cybersecurity, a group aiming to get more women into the field.

There is some progress being made, as the group said 

only 11% of cybersecurity jobs were held by women in 2014

struggles in recruiting cybersecurity professionals

About 3 out of 4 healthcare IT professionals (74%)

 said hiring qualified cybersecurity staff remains “a significant workforce challenge,” according to a report released by HIMSS last year.

 of cybersecurity professionals in healthcare, a majority said they were investing more in cybersecurity. However, 

only about one in three cybersecurity leaders (34%) reported significant increases to staff

, the survey found. Some systems are spending more on technology, including AI solutions to beef up cybersecurity.

Lee Kim, senior principal of cybersecurity and privacy of HIMSS, said in a news briefing at the conference that some hospitals may need to look at their hiring efforts for cybersecurity roles.

“I have personal knowledge of many colleagues that are looking for work that are very experienced in healthcare,” Kim said. “Why are they not necessarily connecting with the jobs where they would be easily qualified … that's kind of puzzling to me.”

Paul M. Nakasone, a retired four-star Army general who led the U.S. Cyber Command before retiring last year, said the country needs a concerted effort to develop a group of workers trained in cybersecurity and AI. He wasn’t speaking about women specifically, but he said there needs to be a broad national effort to train the workforce that is needed in health care.

“We have to be much more aggressive in investing in our talent,” he said in 

. “I'm very hopeful that we will have some type of National Defense Education Act that looks at technology for the future in the same way that we had a Sputnik moment in the 50s, and the result was a huge number of math and science graduates.”

Health systems have struggled to recruit and retain talent, and some leaders say they need to get more women in the field. 

Hospitals need more cybersecurity pros. It's time to recruit more women.

The HIMSS 2025 Global Health Conference & Exhibition drew thousands of healthcare leaders from around the world to Las Vegas, offering an intriguing snapshot of the industry.

Want to get up to speed on the big event? Here’s a two-minute video summarizing the main themes of the HIMSS 2025 conference.

The conference drew thousands to Las Vegas to talk about AI, cybersecurity and the latest tech

HIMSS 2025: Two-minute review of the health tech conference

Hal Wolf, president and CEO of the HIMSS conference, said AI and cybersecurity would be two of the dominant topics of the health technology conference, and his assessment proved to be accurate. Many healthcare leaders expressed growing enthusiasm for AI tools to help their workforce and improve efficiency. But many executives remain gravely concerned about cyberattacks targeting hospitals and healthcare organizations.

This year’s conference took place only weeks after President Trump began his second term, and the changes in Washington are on the minds of many who came to Sin City. 

Healthcare executives, clinicians and tech leaders said they’re worried about cuts to Medicaid, the National Institutes of Health and other agencies financing medical research, and reductions in spending on research and technology.

Read more from our coverage of HIMSS 2025

HIMSS 2025 Excitement, anxiety and other takeaways

National security leader calls for new approach on cybersecurity

Creating smart hospitals, for today and the future

Thousands came to Las Vegas for the annual event. AI and cybersecurity dominated much of the conversation, but many are concerned about the changes in Washington.

 – In a way, it was appropriate that the HIMSS 2025 Global Health Conference & Exhibition took place in Las Vegas.

Reflecting a bit of the famed gambling capital, the health technology conference featured undeniable excitement, and a good amount of anxiety.

The annual event is centered on the latest innovations in health technology, but it also features hundreds of panel discussions and education sessions covering most topics.

Hal Wolf, president and CEO of HIMSS, said the final attendance is still being tabulated but he estimated that 28,000 came to the conference this year, up from 26,000 last year. He also touted an uptick in HIMSS membership as well.

Here are some of my takeaways from the conference. I’ll offer a couple of caveats. I couldn’t attend every session, since that would require a big leap in cloning technology. There are several sessions going on at any given time, so it requires picking and choosing. While I talked to plenty of those in attendance, I would be fibbing to say I chatted with everyone.

Still, I attended many sessions and interviewed or spoke with a host of healthcare leaders from a variety of organizations and professions, and heard things that were interesting, illuminating, and at times, surprising.

At the opening of the conference, Wolf jokingly challenged attendees to find a booth on the floor that didn’t mention AI. Many laughed because it was funny and true.

AI dominated many of the conversations at the conference, with solutions aimed at hospitals, payers and providers of all kinds. In a continuing trend over the last year, conversations around AI are becoming deeper and more nuanced, as organizations are seeking tools that will help them.

At a time when many health systems are still dealing with modest operating margins, even vendors acknowledge that providers aren’t going to invest in an AI solution – or any digital tool – unless they see a strong chance of a return on investment.

Hospital leaders I spoke to also said that they continue to get too many pitches from AI vendors touting technology without a clear use for some of their current problems. Note to AI companies: Do some homework and find out what your target audience needs.

Health systems continue to focus primarily on AI tools to simplify administrative tasks for their workforce. There’s growing enthusiasm for AI note-taking tools that summarize appointments with patients, easing headaches for doctors and nurses. Executives and clinicians say the tools enable better conversations, since doctors and nurses can look at patients while talking to them, as opposed to a computer screen.

There was also more discussion about agentic AI, referring to AI tools that can perform more complex tasks on their own without human supervision.

Healthcare leaders are increasingly anxious about 

the level of federal funding for health and research

, as President Trump continues cuts across the government.

The concerns over federal funding were voiced repeatedly in panel discussions and in conversations at the conference. With Congress still working on a federal spending plan, it’s unclear how much money will be available for hospitals, universities, academic medical centers and Medicare and Medicaid.

Still, some said they were unsettled by the NIH cutting funds for “indirect” costs of research. The NIH said the move is designed to trim excessive overhead costs and would save $4 billion annually, but hospitals and universities say the cuts will halt some research. A federal judge has halted the cuts for now, but the legal battle will continue.

Trump has said he won’t cut Medicare and Medicaid, but a budget plan approved by the House calls for hundreds of billions in cuts from the House committee that oversees Medicaid.

Hospitals and healthcare organizations should expect to see less federal support next year, Wolf suggested. Some academic medical centers are already looking to cut spending in anticipation of reduced spending.

There’s also concern about how staffing cuts at the FDA could potentially slow approvals for new devices and therapies. The FDA has brought back some staff that were initially ousted, but there’s likely to be some lingering delays.

One last though on this topic: most leaders said they aren’t panicking about what’s happening in Washington, since there are still so many unknowns. But I think it’s safe to say many healthcare organizations are bracing for disappointing levels of spending.

The excitement healthcare leaders have about AI matches the concern they have about cyberattacks. And it’s no wonder: hundreds of cyberattacks have targeted healthcare in recent years. And the conference comes about a year after the Change Healthcare ransomware attack, which impacted 190 million people.

HIMSS just completed its annual survey of cybersecurity pros, and three in four respondents said their organizations have suffered a cyberattack in the past 12 months.

Paul Nakasone, a retired four-star Army general, delivered a stirring call for 

a new national strategy for cybersecurity

, with greater government investments and a focus on developing more young talent to enter cybersecurity.

Many health systems say they’ve struggled to find cybersecurity pros, who can make more in other sectors. Lee Kim, senior principal of cybersecurity and privacy at HIMSS, said that may be true but also suggested some may need to revisit their searches, since she knows of experienced cybersecurity pros who are seeking jobs in the healthcare industry.

Several experts on panels at HIMSS delivered the sobering assessment that all healthcare organizations will likely suffer a breach. Jeff Tully, co-director of the University of California San Diego Center for Cybersecurity, said that all organizations are going to fail at some point when it comes to cybersecurity, but the goal should be to “fail better.”

In a positive development, more health organizations are developing solid business continuity plans to deal with breaches and a lack of access to their computer networks, a step Kim said was sorely needed.

It’s also good to see growing attention on the threats of cyberattacks 

Some hospitals and health systems have developed “virtual nursing” programs, and some good results.

With virtual nursing programs, patients interact with nurses remotely for task such as admission and getting instructions for when they leave the hospital, such as medication plans. Hospitals with these programs still have patients on the floor, a necessity for direct patient care. But the virtual nurses are reducing stress on the nurses physically in the units, giving them more time to care for patients and helping them be less rushed.

MD Anderson, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, and the Medical University of South Carolina (CHECK!) all reported encouraging results from these programs. They say patients have offered good feedback, saying they can ask more questions. Nurses on the floors have said they feel more supported as well.

Nursing leaders also say virtual nursing units offer a way to keep experienced nurses who still have much to offer, but may be weary of working 12-hour shifts on the floor.

A key to the success of these programs: Get nurses deeply involved in the design and operation of virtual nursing programs (and any initiative involving patient care.)

Building a virtual nursing program for success

The growing interest in AI, virtual nursing and other tools reflects the simple reality that many (perhaps most) hospitals and health systems continue to struggle to recruit and retain staff.

Hospitals are generally faring better than they did a few years ago, but few healthcare executives say they have all the staff that they want. Nursing continues to be a challenge, but hospitals continue to look for workers in other key roles, including technicians, security, and cybersecurity, as noted above.

Arthur C. Evans Jr., CEO of the American Psychological Association, talked about 

the need to use technology to reach out to more people

 who may need assistance. He said behavioral health providers are largely focusing on people coming to them and aren’t reaching out to those who have not been diagnosed.

Technology is essential to reach out to those who need assistance.

“The only way this can work is if you have enough clinicians,” Evans said. “We know we don’t have enough clinicians.”

The annual event brought healthcare leaders from across the world to Las Vegas. Attendees expressed enthusiasm about digital tools and anxiety about changes in Washington.

HIMSS 2025: Excitement, anxiety and other takeaways 

 – There’s been plenty of buzz and enthusiasm at the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, with thousands checking out AI technology and all the latest healthcare gear and gadgets.

However, healthcare leaders are also expressing anxiety, and even outright fear, over the prospect of the federal government reducing spending on health and scientific research. Many have been alarmed 

at spending cuts at the National Institutes of Health

, and President Trump’s administration is cutting spending and jobs across the federal government.

Leaders from hospitals and academic medical centers who came to the conference say they’re worried about the prospect of a much tougher funding environment, with some saying they’re not sure if it’s worth applying for federal aid for research. Some academic medical centers and colleges are looking at leaner budgets and are cutting spending on their own in the face of uncertain federal funding.

Hospitals are also dreading the possibility of 

reduced spending for the Medicaid program

, which offers health care for nearly 80 million Americans. The program also provides critical funding for hospitals, especially safety net hospitals and rural hospitals.

When asked about the prospect of reduced federal spending on health care and research, Hal Wolf, president and CEO of HIMSS, said, “I think we’re all concerned. If you're not concerned, I'd be almost more worried.”

“I'm not trying to overreact to what we hear, but I want to understand what we see,” Wolf said. “But am I concerned? Absolutely. How do I measure that level of concern or impact? I don't know yet. I think none of us do, right? So we'll be watching very carefully.”

Federal health research agency firings draw alarm: ‘Every American should be outraged’

There are many unknowns about the federal spending levels for agencies that support health care and scientific research. The NIH is the largest source of federal funds for medical research. 

But other agencies provide valuable support for health and science, including the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and others. The VA, which cares for the nation’s veterans, is planning to lay off 80,000 people this year, the 

Congress is working on a federal spending package, since 

a short-term budget to sustain government operations expires March 14

. It’s unclear if lawmakers will be able to broker a broad spending deal or may have to settle for another temporary extension.

If the federal government does cut back on research spending, Wolf said that it’s highly unlikely that the private sector would be able to make up the difference.

“No question that we see a lot of great research that comes out of the private sector, and we also know that's driven by quarterly results,” Wolf said. “The strength of our system has always been taking a long-term view.”

And that’s where the federal government’s support of scientific research has been valuable, in financing research and medical studies that may not have an immediate payoff.

Nonprofit organizations and foundations may end up playing a bigger role in supporting academic research, Wolf said.

“Are there foundations that can step into those models? I hope so, and I know there are,” Wolf said.

Healthcare leaders worry about reduced spending on medical and scientific studies

At HIMSS, fears loom over cuts in federal aid for research

The NIH said last month that it is capping how much it will reimburse for “indirect costs” of research. The agency said it wants to ensure money is going to the lab and to scientists and not overhead. The NIH said the policy change would save $4 billion annually.

Hospitals and universities say those indirect costs aren’t luxuries but essential parts of scientific research, including computing costs and security, among others. Critics argued the cuts would slow the progress of research and force universities and academic medical centers to cut jobs, adding economic fallout to the prospect of slowing advances and discovery.

Universities and medical schools took solace in a federal judge’s ruling Wednesday to block the NIH’s spending cuts. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley of the District Court of Massachusetts upheld a temporary injunction that prevents the Trump administration from moving forward, at least temporarily, on its plans to reduce spending on indirect costs.

The Association of American Medical Colleges issued a 

 saying that it is “heartened” by the federal court ruling.

“These unlawful cuts would slow medical progress and cost lives, and we will continue our fight to stop the implementation of this harmful action,” the organization said. “The AAMC maintains its strong support for robust NIH funding to advance cutting-edge research that benefits every person and community in America.”

Universities, medical schools and academic medical centers are still navigating a funding environment that is uncertain, at best, said Tom Leary, senior vice president and head of government relations at HIMSS.

Healthcare leaders say they’re worried about reduced spending on science and health programs that support academic medical centers, universities and colleges. 

Shereese Maynard, MS, MBA

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