By Stephanie Fraser
Conference Correspondent, Answers Media Network
LinkedIn: Stephanie Fraser
Event: HIMSS 2026
When: March 2026
Where: Las Vegas NV
At HIMSS 2026, CEO Hal Wolf outlined how AI, workforce shortages, and funding pressures are reshaping healthcare systems worldwide
AI is expanding rapidly across healthcare, but its long-term impact will depend on how organizations address deeper structural challenges such as workforce shortages and funding constraints, HIMSS President and CEO Hal Wolf said during the annual HIMSS conference in Las Vegas last week.
During opening remarks and a press briefing with reporters, Wolf said that while AI tools are increasingly being adopted across healthcare operations, technology alone will not solve the industry’s biggest problems.
“AI is not going to solve all of healthcare’s problems,” Wolf said. “It has to be integrated into strategy, workflow and decision-making.”
The 2026 HIMSS conference drew roughly 25,000 participants from around the world, bringing together hospital executives, clinicians, policymakers, and health technology companies to discuss the future of digital health. Wolf acknowledged that attendance was slightly lower than in previous years, noting that war conflict overseas had limited travel for some international participants.
Still, he said the global participation reflects the growing strategic importance of healthcare technology as systems around the world confront rising demand and mounting operational pressures.
Global systems under pressure
Wolf framed digital transformation within a broader set of challenges affecting health systems worldwide, including aging populations, increasing rates of chronic disease, and persistent workforce shortages.
“Our world systems are literally under assault,” Wolf said.
Across many countries, hospitals and health systems are struggling to maintain services while patient demand continues to grow. In many regions, demographic shifts are placing additional pressure on already strained care delivery models.
According to Wolf, funding and workforce capacity remain the two most significant constraints facing healthcare organizations.
“The two biggest areas that I worry about are funding and workforce,” he said. “Almost everything else is dependent and derivative around those two pieces.”
Even if additional resources were available, Wolf said many health systems would still struggle to recruit enough clinicians and staff to meet demand. Those challenges are affecting both highly developed healthcare systems and those still building digital infrastructure, highlighting the global nature of the problem.
AI’s early impact emerging in operations
While public conversations about artificial intelligence often focus on clinical decision support and advanced diagnostics, Wolf said AI is currently delivering its most immediate value in operational areas.
Hospitals are increasingly using AI to improve supply chain management, revenue cycle performance, staffing coordination, and clinical documentation workflows. By reducing administrative burdens and improving operational efficiency, health systems may be able to redirect resources toward patient care.
However, Wolf cautioned that organizations that adopt AI without redesigning underlying processes often fail to realize meaningful benefits.
“New technology applied to an old organization becomes an expensive old organization,” he said.
To unlock the full value of AI and other digital tools, healthcare leaders must align technology investments with operational changes, workforce engagement, and governance structures.
Healthcare systems have spent years building digital infrastructure and collecting large volumes of data, Wolf said. The next phase of transformation will require using that information more effectively to improve care delivery.
“We’ve improved information systems,” he said. “Now we need to harness that information in a different way.”
Ultimately, healthier populations support stronger economies and more sustainable healthcare systems.
“Good health,” Wolf said, “is good economics.”