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Identity is part of foundational infrastructure and should be strengthened so digital transformation initiatives can truly deliver, says MDM tech exec Rachel Blum at HIMSS26.
By Bill Siwicki, Managing Editor, Healthcare IT News | March 12, 2026
There is a growing recognition in healthcare – including among attendees at the HIMSS Global Conference & Exposition this week in Las Vegas – that digital transformation and artificial intelligence initiatives depend on complete, accurate and trusted identity intelligence, said Rachel Blum, vice president of emerging markets and partners at Verato, vendor of a cloud-based master data management system that’s in booth 3867 at the event.
Reliable performance?
“Over the past two years, health systems, payers and digital health platforms have piloted generative Al and predictive analytics at scale,” she noted. “Now, leaders are asking if these initiatives perform reliably, safely and at enterprise scale. The answer depends on the integrity of their identity data.
“Healthcare remains one of the most fragmented data environments in any industry,” she continued. “Patient, provider and household identities are spread across EHRs, CRM systems, call centers, digital front doors, population health tools and analytics platforms. This often results in duplicate records and inconsistent identifiers.”
When Al models are trained on fragmented identity data, they amplify these inconsistencies, which undermines analytics, slows interoperability, and prevents organizations from sharing and consuming complete, trusted 360-degree views, she added.
“What makes this moment different is that organizations now recognize identity as foundational infrastructure,” she stated. “Knowing who is who consistently across systems of record, engagement and insight is becoming a prerequisite for responsible Al and great consumer experiences. At HIMSS26, the most strategic conversations are centering on how to strengthen that foundation so digital transformation initiatives can truly deliver.”
Identity advice for IT leaders
Before expanding Al use cases, CIOs should ensure they have a single source of truth for enterprise identity, Blum advised.
“That means asking a few hard questions, like: Can we accurately resolve individuals across EHRs, CRM systems, call centers, digital front doors, telehealth platforms and analytics environments? Are duplicates and mis-linked records undermining revenue capture? Can we confidently supply Al models with complete, accurate and governed identity data?” she said.
“Al initiatives will only be as strong as the identity data that feeds them,” she continued. “If identities are fragmented, Al will simply move fragmented information faster. But if identities are unified, enriched and governed, Al can scale toward value.”
CIOs should prioritize establishing an enterprise identity layer that accurately resolves individuals, providers and relationships, she also recommended.
Clean, strong and effective
“It should also synchronize trusted identity data across systems and reduce manual reconciliation work,” she said. “This enables cleaner analytics, stronger interoperability, more effective digital engagement and improved revenue integrity.
“Equally important, leaders should view identity as a cross-functional asset,” she continued. “A trusted 360-degree view supports clinical, marketing, access and scheduling, revenue cycle, compliance, and security teams. It reduces operational burden while accelerating time to value for strategic initiatives.”
In an environment of tightening budgets and heightened scrutiny around Al governance, investing in identity intelligence is one of the most pragmatic steps organizations can take right now, Blum concluded.