Health equity
By Nicole Ramage, HIMSS
This study explores the strategies and technology being used to advance health equity. There’s a big focus on the challenges that organizations are facing (like insurance gaps and staffing), as well as the role of community partnerships. The research also explores the role of health education, telehealth, and local partnerships in making healthcare more equitable for all.
A few things you’ll learn here:
- How insurance coverage gaps, staffing shortages, and funding issues are a major obstacle
- The impact of mobile health apps on equitable healthcare delivery
- The crucial role community partnerships play in supporting underserved communities
View the A Blueprint for Ensuring Equitable Healthcare Access webinar
© 2025 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Inc. (HIMSS). All rights reserved.
This report is a proprietary benefit of HIMSS membership and is intended solely for the personal and internal use of authorized recipients. This report may not be reproduced, republished, posted online, or distributed in any form, electronically or otherwise, without the prior written consent of HIMSS.
If referencing this report, please credit “HIMSS Market Insights” and include the full report title or a direct URL link. Unauthorized sharing or public posting of the full report is strictly prohibited and may violate copyright laws.
Latest news & Resources What’s new in digital health
Keep your finger on the pulse of the industry's latest trends, technologies and discoveries.
Featured Resources
-
July 17, 2025
A Primer for Evaluating Health Information Exchange in Long-Term and Post-Acute Care
Receiving a new resident without the necessary care information can have serious outcomes for resident care as well as facility reimbursement. According to a report published by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ASTP/ONC)1, only 42% of hospitals reported that they send summary of care documents to most or all external hospitals, and 38% reported that they send that information to most or all external ambulatory care providers. However, only 27% of hospitals that were routinely interoperable across all domains (defined as the ability to send, receive, find and integrate health information) sent electronic summary of care records to external long-term post-acute care (LTPAC) health providers.
-
July 17, 2025
AI Agents' Healthcare Haze: Clearing the Misconception Cloud
The transformative promise of AI agents in healthcare is immense, but realizing that potential requires more than technological advancement-it demands strategic leadership, robust governance, and a clear-eyed approach to risk and opportunity. As a health IT innovator specializing in AI agents, I see firsthand how misconceptions and fragmented strategies can stall progress. And a focus on leadership strategy, ethics, governance, risk, and practical deployment is both timely and essential.
-
July 17, 2025
Pulse Report: Healthcare in 2030: How AI Agents Promote Integrated, Collaborative, and Proactive Care
With the rapid democratization of AI, the future of healthcare was already under redevelopment. Now, in an era of AI agents, that future is getting reshaped. What might this new healthcare future, powered by AI agents, look like? Imagine analyzing the most complex, distributed data across vast ecosystems to forecast possible health events or predict surges in demand, activating both mitigation efforts and staffing and supply chain workflows to prepare for what may come.
-
July 15, 2025
Lessons Learned on System Integration and Workflow Optimization
During the June HIMSS TIGER Global Community Meeting, Ibrahim Elbarkey, Clinical Application Specialist at Power International Holding, shared his experience with training teams on system integration and workflow optimization. He shared key challenges, lessons learned and practical success strategies that he's encountered throughout his work, in a way that resonates with both technical and clinical stakeholders.
-
July 14, 2025
HIMSS Physician Committee’s Hot Topics in AI: Agents and Agentic Frameworks
Join us for Hot Topics in AI: Agents and Agentic Frameworks, presented by the HIMSS Physician Committee. The panel of subject matter experts will explore the foundational technology behind AI agents, their applications, and their impact—particularly in healthcare. You’ll gain insights into how these intelligent systems enhance efficiency, improve decision-making, and streamline workflows while learning about the challenges and risks associated with their use.
-
July 14, 2025
The Role of AI in Clinical Documentation, Diagnosis, and Decision-Making; Focusing on Primary Care and Oncology Clinicians
Join us for an in-depth webinar, hosted by the HIMSS Physician Committee, exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming the clinical landscape, in both primary care and oncology — reducing physician burden, accelerating workflows, and enhancing diagnostic precision. Our expert panel will share real‐world insights into cutting‐edge AI tools, lessons from physician‐led implementation efforts, and strategies for integrating these technologies into everyday practice.
-
July 9, 2025
Health Information and Technology Job Descriptions
Explore health information and technology job descriptions and career opportunities compiled by the HIMSS Professional Development Committee.
-
July 9, 2025
Advancing Responsible AI in Healthcare
During the May HIMSS TIGER Global Community Meeting, you can learn more about the CHAI open-source healthcare AI nutrition label model card, and what it could do for your organization.
-
July 3, 2025
Reimagining Healthcare: The Rise of Virtual Care at HIMSS25 Europe
In the standout masterclass Hospital at Home, Prevention and Patient Centricity, hosted by the HIMSS Virtual Care Community, global leaders, innovators, and patient advocates came together to dissect the promise and challenges of virtual care.
-
July 1, 2025
The HIMSS Clinician Burden Reduction Task Force Toolkit
The HIMSS Clinician Burden Reduction Task Force was launched in 2023 to bring together HIMSS members experienced in reducing clinician burden and creating and publishing resources to support clinicians on the frontline of patient care. The task force encourages administrators and similar leadership to bring the toolkit to their organizations for that purpose.
-
June 20, 2025
2024 HIMSS Impact Report
This report highlights HIMSS’s global reach and regional expertise from the Government Relations and Informatics team perspective, describing how our initiatives resonate across diverse markets while addressing the unique needs of our members.
-
June 16, 2025
Empowered or Overlooked? How Patients View the Digital Healthcare Experience
This study dives into how patients perceive and interact with the digital tools, communication methods, and support systems offered by their healthcare providers. You’ll get insights into how patients evaluate the usability of the digital and educational tools available to them, their trust in tools and providers, and whether they feel truly heard and cared about—critical factors for any patient-centered care strategy.
-
June 13, 2025
House Reconciliation Bill Overview, June 2025
Budget reconciliation is a process used by the U.S. Congress to pass certain budget-related provisions with a simple majority vote in both the House of Representatives and Senate, bypassing a Senate filibuster. It is a tool used to implement key parts of the President’s domestic policy agenda when a political party controls both the House and Senate, and the White House. The reconciliation legislation is specific to changes in federal spending, revenues, and/or the debt limit and is limited to changes lasting for a 10-year window. Identical language must be passed by the House and the Senate before it can be sent to the President for his signature.
-
June 11, 2025
Global Perspectives on Implementing AI
This white paper, curated by the HIMSS Physician Committee, explores global perspectives on the integration of AI in healthcare, drawing on insights and experiences from healthcare professionals and organizations from multiple regions.
-
May 29, 2025
Digital Health Transformation: Gains, Gaps, and the Growth of AI
The research was conducted among U.S. leaders in healthcare to understand their perspective on the outlook of digital health transformation within their organization. We found that digital health initiatives are delivering remarkable results across healthcare organizations, with patient engagement emerging as the cornerstone of successful transformation.
-
May 28, 2025
How Application Portfolio Management Accelerates M&A Value in Healthcare
Health system mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can deliver substantial operational efficiencies and competitive advantages around achieving economies of scale, expanding market share, or improving care delivery.
-
May 28, 2025
Utilizing Resources Available Through Campus Career Centers to Prepare for and Start Your Career
As a HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) student, your technical skills are likely top-notch. You've spent countless hours mastering data analytics, healthcare IT systems, compliance, and coding. But when it comes to landing that first job—or stepping up into a more advanced role—technical ability alone won’t always open the right doors. That’s where your school’s career services department can become a game-changer.
-
May 27, 2025
From Generative AI to Agentic AI
Join the HIMSS TIGER Global Community Meeting Series, a monthly webinar that brings together healthcare professionals, thought leaders, and innovators from around the world. This series provides a unique platform for members of the TIGER (Technology Informatics for Global Education Readiness) community to collaborate, share knowledge, and discuss the latest trends in healthcare technology and informatics.
-
May 27, 2025
Best Practices and Lessons Learned about Certification and Career Advancement in the Field of Nursing Informatics
Join the HIMSS TIGER Global Community Meeting Series, a monthly webinar that brings together healthcare professionals, thought leaders, and innovators from around the world. This series provides a unique platform for members of the TIGER (Technology Informatics for Global Education Readiness) community to collaborate, share knowledge, and discuss the latest trends in healthcare technology and informatics.
-
May 19, 2025
Honoring National Nurses Month: Celebrating Nursing Informatics and the Power of Community
With over 4 million registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and advance practice registered nurses in the U.S., nurses represent the largest professional group in healthcare. This workforce is navigating an ever-changing environment shaped by digital health transformation, AI advancements, and increasing cybersecurity and privacy protections. Nurses continue to adapt to emerging technologies, and it’s crucial to invest in educating and preparing the workforce with the necessary skills to lead the future of care.
-
May 15, 2025
HIMSS Nursing Informatics Toolkit: Data Literacy for Nurse Leaders
This toolkit, developed by the HIMSS Nursing Informatics Committee, is designed to empower nurse leaders with the knowledge and resources needed to leverage data effectively in their decision-making processes. By focusing on data-driven leadership, nurse leaders can transform nursing insights into better patient outcomes, ensuring that care quality and safety are continuously improved.
-
May 15, 2025
Research the business value and viability of an ECM strategy
As healthcare organizations prioritize efforts to operationalize value-based care initiatives, many are uncovering challenges associated with unstructured clinical and administrative data.
-
May 15, 2025
AI in bioinformatics: from data to breakthroughs
In the rapidly evolving field of bioinformatics, traditional methods of gene editing, drug discovery, and molecular design are no longer sufficient. These approaches are slow, costly, and plagued by a staggering 90% failure rate—leaving organizations trapped in a cycle of inefficiency while competitors surge ahead. The solution? Artificial Intelligence (AI).
-
May 15, 2025
Higher price doesn’t equal higher quality: How the right EHR can provide clinical sophistication and support a healthy bottom line
As healthcare technology rapidly changes, organizations need an EHR that can help them keep pace. AI, data analytics, advanced interoperability and other advancements are no longer nice-to-have features, but prerequisites, and decision makers are being asked to continually evaluate how an EHR can help them provide sophisticated care while balancing tight margins and declining reimbursement.
-
May 15, 2025
Beyond the Buzzwords: MEDITECH's Real-World AI Applications
Making eye contact. Being present. Delivering care with empathy. These shouldn’t feel like luxuries for today’s healthcare providers – but they often do. With record-high burnout and persistent workforce shortages, this kind of care has become harder and harder to deliver. That’s where AI comes in.
-
May 15, 2025
The Status of Informatics/eHealth Integration in Medical and Nursing Curricula
This Informatics/eHealth survey presents global perspectives of medical and nursing faculty on the maturity of eHealth content integration in medical schools throughout several countries. The survey also includes on factors that impede further proliferation of informatics as a firm component of medical and nursing school curricula.
-
May 15, 2025
Global Health Informatics Competency Recommendation Frameworks
These Global Health Informatics Competency Recommendation Frameworks compile recommended core international informatics competencies reflective of many countries, scientific societies and research projects.
-
May 5, 2025
Continuing the fight to modernize public health data, systems, and information exchange
Dr. Tabatha Offutt-Powell, Vice President, Public Health Data Modernization and Informatics, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), said the future of data modernization could involve emerging technologies like newer forms of artificial intelligence (AI) to build the data and systems infrastructure to ensure there are “healthy people living in healthy communities.”
-
May 5, 2025
Revolutionizing Emergency Radiology with AI: A Scalable Model from the Valencia Health Region
In a pioneering move towards digital healthcare transformation, the Valencia Health Region has deployed a first-of-its-kind AI Orchestration Platform across 29 hospitals, delivering faster, smarter and safer emergency radiology workflows for over 5 million citizens.
-
April 30, 2025
Voices of Nursing: Innovation, Impact, and the Future of Care
In honor of Nurses Month, this Industry Perspectives piece highlights the voices of nurses who are driving change, embracing innovation, and shaping the future of healthcare. From advancements in nursing informatics to the evolving role of technology in patient care, these conversations provide a deeper look into the challenges, opportunities, and personal experiences that define modern nursing. Through this, we celebrate the dedication, expertise, and vision of nurses who are not only delivering care but also transforming the industry.
-
April 29, 2025
Hacking the hackers: how to stay ahead in the cybersecurity race?
At the Global Leaders Exchange 2025, which took place in March at HIMSS25 in Las Vegas, leaders shared trends in healthcare cybersecurity in the US, Malaysia and France.
-
April 29, 2025
HIMSS25: A First-Time Attendee’s Experience
In 4 action-packed days, I attended insightful sessions, got a professional resume headshot, learned how to optimize my LinkedIn profile, and explored innovations that are shaping the future of healthcare.
-
April 28, 2025
Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Healthcare
This is a competition among the GWU MHA Graduate students in Health Informatics. The top presentation, as determined by outside observers, will be presented in an EHL Webinar series as a collaboration between HIMSS and GWU.
-
April 23, 2025
HIMSS Member Engagement Roadmap
This interactive roadmap guides you through valuable engagement opportunities, including access to career development resources, event participation, community connections, and advocacy for meaningful change.
-
April 21, 2025
Behavioral health: The urgent need to address the current pandemic
This study reveals how patients view the healthcare industry's support for their overall health, their relationships with providers, concerns about discussing mental health, and their use of mobile apps for mental wellbeing. These statistics highlight important trends in patient experiences and preferences to improve their overall well-being, particularly showing differences between demographic groups.
-
April 14, 2025
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Emerging Technologies Toolkit for Healthcare Organizations
This toolkit includes an AI Instructional Slide Deck, a technology Heat Map, Definitions of Emerging Technologies, and an Innovation Scoring and Impact Guide for Healthcare Technologies (INSIGHT) Calculator.
-
April 14, 2025
Digital Determinants of Health: A Framework for Advancing Health Equity
This brief clip explores the critical role of digital access, literacy, and inclusion in bridging health disparities and shares strategies to ensure that all communities especially marginalized populations can fully benefit from digital health advancements.
-
March 31, 2025
How Frederick Health Streamlined Their Genetic Test Ordering and Result Processes by Over 50%
The relationship between our unique genetic profiles and our health has been a rapidly developing area of medicine for decades, accelerating with the mapping of the human genome in 2003. We regularly hear news of exciting discoveries in genetics, along with speculation about how they might eventually impact diagnosis and treatment.
-
March 26, 2025
UX in Virtual Care
The HIMSS Virtual Care Community hosted a well-attended, fast-paced 2-hour session at HIMSS25 in Las Vegas.
-
March 20, 2025
Career Planning to Lead Healthcare Digital Transformation
The digital transformation of healthcare organizations is a dynamic and ongoing process, driven by the rapid advancements in technology such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, big data analytics, telemedicine, and electronic health records (EHR).
-
March 4, 2025
Hospital is Not the Home 8 Lessons Learned from Implementing Remote Patient Monitoring for Acute and Transitional Care at Home
Hospital-at-home programs have revolutionized how health systems deliver care, enabling them to provide hospital-level services in the comfort of a patient's home. As these programs continue to succeed, many organizations are experiencing growing internal demand to expand these services to additional use cases.
-
March 4, 2025
The Benefits of a Layered Security Approach in Hospitals
While hospital data breaches and ransomware attacks against software systems dominate headlines, another related crisis is looming: the need to protect the physical environments where care is delivered.
-
February 24, 2025
2024 HIMSS Healthcare Cybersecurity Survey
The 2024 HIMSS Healthcare Cybersecurity Survey offers a detailed look at current cybersecurity practices, challenges, and trends across the industry.
-
February 3, 2025
The future of telemedicine
This study looks at how clinicians and clinical leaders are leveraging telemedicine programs and technologies to address chronic diseases and the challenges and benefits they present.
-
January 21, 2025
HHS OIG Releases Proposed Regulation on Information Blocking Civil Money Penalties
-
January 21, 2025
HIMSS Leads Healthcare Groups in Asking HHS for More Guidance on Information Sharing
-
January 21, 2025
Webinar: The New Interoperability Regulations – Transforming to a Learning Health System
-
January 21, 2025
ONC Publishes Updated Common Agreement for TEFCA
-
December 16, 2024
Healthcare organizations still challenged with securing data
This study explores healthcare executives’ confidence in their cybersecurity measures. To address concerns with limited budgets, resources, and risks from third-party vendors, healthcare organizations are strengthening security practices and adopting new technologies like AI to detect threats faster. You’ll learn the importance of having strong, flexible IT systems to protect data—and how to ensure the quality of care at the same time.
-
December 16, 2024
AI in healthcare
This study explores how U.S. healthcare leaders view current AI use and the challenges of bringing AI into existing workflows. You’ll get a close look at the core use cases for AI and how healthcare organizations are supporting staff through the transition. Beyond use cases, you’ll also get insights into how to ease employee fears, involve staff in pilot programs, and show that AI is meant to support rather than replace jobs.
-
December 16, 2024
Healthcare organizations ready to narrow their technology gap
This study highlights what's working and what's not in tech adoption at the health system level. It covers why most organizations aren't fully using technologies like AI and analytics to ease staffing issues and improve care—and the moves they’re making to fix that. You’ll discover the strategies leaders use to improve adoption rates and why merging technology with strong vendor relationships is crucial for success.
-
December 16, 2024
Five keys to successful digital health transformation
This study shows that while over half of healthcare organizations have a clear digital strategy, many still struggle with creating and implementing one. You’ll get guidance on developing a well-thought-out strategy, strong leadership, and data transparency — all of which are essential for making the most out of your organization’s investments in digital care.
-
December 16, 2024
Building a patient-centered culture with technology
This study explores how and why healthcare organizations are trying to move toward more digital and patient-focused care. It’s well-known that this care approach improves outcomes, but securing funding and driving adoption are still major challenges for most systems. Here, you’ll learn how to back your patient engagement projects up with strong financial planning and get both patients and providers on board.
-
December 16, 2024
Health equity
This study explores the strategies and technology being used to advance health equity. There’s a big focus on the challenges that organizations are facing (like insurance gaps and staffing), as well as the role of community partnerships. The research also explores the role of health education, telehealth, and local partnerships in making healthcare more equitable for all.
-
December 16, 2024
From diagnosis to defenses: how healthcare technology is changing cancer care
This study explores how innovations in cancer detection (including synthetic biomarkers and ctDNA blood testing) are helping find cancers sooner. While some clinicians believe routine lab tests are sufficient for early detection, most clinical leaders and executives now see AI as crucial for analyzing patient data and improving diagnostic accuracy at scale. You’ll get insights into balancing high costs of implementation, approaches for staff training, and best practices for making these new technologies part of everyday testing.
-
December 16, 2024
Digital empowerment: healthcare’s new frontier in patient engagement
This study explores how hospitals are using technology to directly engage patients in their own care. It focuses on tools like digital whiteboards and patient portals, which organizations like the Moffitt Cancer Center are using to boost patient involvement. You’ll get a data-backed sense for patients’ preferences around digital health tools, learn how to handle adoption roadblocks (like trust and privacy), and get actionable guidance for improving your system’s patient engagement.
-
December 16, 2024
Five technology-centric strategies to prevent clinician burnout
The article addresses the critical problem of clinician burnout, which affects nearly all surveyed healthcare professionals. Here, you’ll get innovative, tech-based strategies from experienced healthcare leaders aimed at managing and reducing stress. These strategies cover transforming staff perspectives, enhancing current workflows, adopting new tools, ensuring transparent communication, and connecting technology use to real changes in clinical workloads.
-
December 16, 2024
Interoperability: Bridging healthcare’s information gap
This report provides insights into healthcare leaders’ current approaches towards interoperability, based on surveys with 100 top health executives and tech experts. You’ll learn how healthcare organizations can enhance their connectivity and use tech advancements to boost service quality—all while reducing data silos.
-
September 5, 2024
How a MICU Team Made a Difference When It Mattered Most
-
September 5, 2024
HIMSS and PCHAlliance Ask HHS OIG for More Clarity, Increased Coordination on Information Blocking CMP Proposed Regulation
-
September 5, 2024
HIMSS Policy Briefing on the European Health Data Space (EHDS)
-
September 5, 2024
ONC’s Cures Act Final Rule
-
September 5, 2024
Leveraging Health Information & Technology to Address the Maternal Mortality Crisis
-
September 5, 2024
The Challenges in Achieving a True Modern Healthcare Data Platform
-
September 5, 2024
HIMSS recommendations for proposed Information Blocking Provider Disincentives
-
September 5, 2024
Navigating Change and Innovation in Healthcare IT: The Transformative Role of the Workforce
-
September 5, 2024
University of California, Davis Health Pioneers Framework for Ethical Health AI and Data Governance
-
September 5, 2024
AI Global Policy Principles
-
September 5, 2024
Europe's Mission to Balance Health Data and Ethics
-
September 5, 2024
HIMSS Submits Comments on the TEFCA Draft QTF
-
September 5, 2024
Infant Mortality Awareness: Innovating for Improved Outcomes
-
September 5, 2024
Leveraging the European Health Data Space White Paper
-
September 5, 2024
Recommendations on How to Reach the Full Potential of the Proposed European Health Data Space
-
September 5, 2024
ONC Announces Additional Flexibilities Around Interoperability Final Regulation Implementation
-
September 5, 2024
HIMSS Submits Recommendations on EU Health Data Space, Data Governance, Cross-Border Care, HERA
-
September 5, 2024
Accelerating Maternal Health Research
-
September 5, 2024
Compliance with ONC’s Interoperability Regulation Information Blocking Provisions Required Beginning April 5, 2021
-
September 5, 2024
European Health Data Space Webinar: What You Need to Know
-
September 3, 2024
Revolutionizing Patient Care: Exploring Hospital at Home Successes, Challenges, and Future Opportunities
-
September 3, 2024
Preparing for a World of National Networks and Frameworks
-
September 3, 2024
HIMSS Government Relations And Informatics Impact Report
-
September 3, 2020
Final CMS Interoperability Regulation: What You Need to Know
-
September 3, 2020
Final ONC Interoperability Regulation: What You Need to Know
Read this article, and all the latest articles from HIMSS.
This article is only available to HIMSS members. Join today to access to this article and other member-only benefits.