North Highland's Health and Human Services (HHS) experts witnessed transformation in action at the 2025 State Healthcare IT (HIT) Connect Summit in New Orleans (April 30-May 2). Industry leaders converged to tackle pressing challenges and share innovative solutions across AI integration, testing strategies, procurement evolution, and governance frameworks.
Four Critical Insights from Healthcare's Digital Frontier
1. Artificial Intelligence: Breaking Through Barriers
Despite persistent concerns about AI in healthcare, proof-of-concepts are already revolutionizing case note transcription, policy comprehension, and eligibility workforce support. The path forward requires robust education, ethical guardrails, human-centered design, and algorithmic governance—investments that unlock AI's full potential while preparing for future technological advancements.
2. Strategic Testing: Excellence in Complexity
The evolution of Medicaid systems has created unprecedented testing challenges in multi-vendor environments. Discussions led by North Highland highlighted how "shifting left" with testing centers of excellence, automation strategies, and early stakeholder involvement dramatically reduces technical debt while boosting delivery quality. States embracing release-based approaches are achieving incremental modernization with superior quality assurance.
3. Procurement: Accelerating Innovation
States struggling with 18–24-month implementation cycles, technical integration nightmares, and talent gaps are finding success through national cooperative contracts and agile methodologies. These forward-thinking approaches meet compliance requirements while slashing timelines and enabling access to cutting-edge solutions—proving that modernization requires reimagining the procurement process itself.
4. Governance: The Innovation Enabler
Large-scale HHS technology transformations risk fragmentation without proper governance. Effective frameworks balance strategic vision, operational discipline, and adaptive flexibility to clarify roles and establish consistent oversight. Far from constraining progress, strong governance propels innovation by ensuring AI stays ethical, testing validates outcomes, and procurement fosters creativity without sacrificing compliance.
Charting the Path Forward
The 2025 HIT Connect Summit revealed both challenges and opportunities in healthcare IT transformation. Ready to bring these innovations to life in your organization? Connect with our experts today.
