By Melanie Carlin, Vice President of Marketing at Verisma
September 30, 2026
Preliminary results from Verisma’s AI survey of HIM professionals indicate healthcare leaders have a notable opportunity to enhance communications, provide clarity, and build confidence in the organization’s overall AI strategies.
The vast majority of HIM professionals – about 85% – are aware their organization is leveraging AI in some capacity. There’s a significant gap, however, in their understanding of where and how AI is being used (and even if it has been adopted in their own department).
- 30 percent of respondents to date say they don’t know in which functional areas AI has been deployed.
- 34 percent say they don’t know who within their organization is evaluating AI tools and how to effectively use them.
- 20 percent say their organization hasn’t defined metrics to measure the success of any AI tools – and another 40 percent say they’re not sure whether leadership has established these metrics.
Overall, 44 percent of respondents believed their organizations were “proceeding cautiously” in AI adoption, while another 21 percent said AI strategies were being pursued “aggressively.”
These preliminary findings have been culled from a survey Verisma is conducting of HIM professionals to better understand if AI is living up to its promise. Launched in early September, the survey will remain open until mid-October.
Confidence Levels
Early insights also reveal respondents are “moderately confident” with the way AI is being adopted in four key areas:
- Selection of areas where AI is being used/prioritized;
- Oversight of AI utilization and expansion across the organization;
- Presence of safeguards to ensure users are protecting patient information, remaining compliant with regulations, adhering to internal policies and procedures, etc.; and
- Objective evaluation of impact AI is having, relative to defined goals.
Communication and Transparency
Respondents noted a strong desire leadership improves how it communicates with staff about AI and the impact these tools have on the organization, the department, and their individual role.
Fifty percent said their organization has conveyed a commitment to communication and transparency – but only 43% say leadership has fully executed on that commitment.
Respondents said they’d like to see their leaders address them directly and proactively about long-term strategies and plans, as opposed to providing generalizations about how they’ll leverage AI. One HIM professional said leaders should “be honest about expectations and anticipated changes,” especially related to job security. Another asked their organization track the progress of each AI initiative so success and effectiveness could be shared.
There’s still time to make your voice heard. The survey is anonymous and takes fewer than 8 minutes. If you’d like a copy of the final report – showing how your peers responded and how staff across the industry are reacting to AI – you can leave your email address at the end of the survey. Take the survey here.
