AI Health Assistants Go Mainstream at HIMSS

Insights from health tech's reality-check conference—plus, an exclusive interview with the president of Health Gorilla.

Mar. 16, 2026 at 10:35pm

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This year's HIMSS conference featured less 'wow' factor and more focus on establishing processes, standardizing workflows, and gathering evidence for AI health tools. Health systems and tech giants spoke of a slowing down as they aim to provide both 'vision and value' to customers. The article also includes an exclusive interview with Patrick Lane, president and COO of Health Gorilla, a clinical data platform and designated QHIN under TEFCA.

Why it matters

The HIMSS conference highlighted the maturing of AI health assistants, with a shift from flashy demos to a focus on long-term value, standardization, and evidence-based deployment. This signals a more pragmatic approach as the technology becomes more mainstream, raising questions about balancing innovation, privacy, and data access.

The details

The 2026 HIMSS conference featured less emphasis on tech demos and more focus on establishing processes, standardizing workflows, and gathering evidence for AI health tools. Leaders at health AI developers said they weren't going for the 'wow' factor anymore, as customers are asking more complicated questions about roadmaps, long-term vision, and proof of value. There was a sense of a 'slowing down' as health systems and tech giants aim to provide both 'vision and value' to customers, though major announcements like Microsoft's Copilot Health and Amazon's Health AI expansion still occurred.

  • In March 2024, Epic demonstrated the technology that would become Emmie, its AI assistant for patients, at its User Group Meeting, with some people questioning if the technology was real.
  • On March 11, 2026, a spokesperson for med-tech company Stryker confirmed a cyberattack that led to global disruptions within its Microsoft environment.

The players

Greg Samios

CEO of Wolters Kluwer Health.

Seth Hain

SVP of R&D at Epic.

Mustafa Suleyman

CEO of Microsoft AI.

Dr. Andrew Diamond

Chief medical officer of Amazon One Medical.

Patrick Lane

President and COO of Health Gorilla, a clinical data platform and designated QHIN under TEFCA.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee

“We're now in this incredible position where LLMs actually work for the consumer, and we think that is going to mean that over the next few years, everybody is going to have access to a medical super intelligence at their fingertips.”

— Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI

“We are in the process of understanding what the implications are for the human provider workforce, but we're delighted to welcome lots more people to the One Medical family on both the patient side and on the clinician side.”

— Dr. Andrew Diamond, Chief medical officer of Amazon One Medical

“We must protect our privacy, but our privacy is not so important that we need to take it to the grave with us.”

— Patrick Lane, President and COO of Health Gorilla

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This case highlights growing concerns in the community about repeat offenders released on bail, raising questions about bail reform, public safety on SF streets, and if any special laws to govern autonomous vehicles in residential and commercial areas.