Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
Professional services
UnclaimedA nonprofit professional society that promotes better healthcare through information technology, digital health, and management systems.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, commonly known as HIMSS, is an American nonprofit professional organization focused on the use of information technology and management systems to improve healthcare quality, safety, affordability, efficiency, and access. It serves a broad community that includes healthcare providers, clinicians, information-technology professionals, executives, government agencies, academic institutions, vendors, consultants, and other organizations involved in health informatics and digital transformation. HIMSS was established in 1961 as the Hospital Management Systems Society, or HMSS. It was co-founded by Edward J. Gerner and Harold E. Smalley at a time when hospitals and healthcare institutions were beginning to explore computerized administrative and clinical systems. The organization initially operated as an independent, unincorporated nonprofit association of individuals. Its constitution was prepared and approved in late 1961, and its first national convention took place in Baltimore in 1962. A second convention was held in Chicago in 1963, and the national headquarters moved to Chicago the following year. In 1986, the organization adopted its present name to reflect the growing importance of information technology alongside hospital management systems. HIMSS combines professional membership, education, research, advocacy, events, standards-related collaboration, and assessment tools. Its best-known public event is the HIMSS Global Health Conference and Exhibition, an international meeting that brings together healthcare executives, technology companies, government representatives, clinicians, researchers, and investors. The conference has become a major venue for discussion of electronic health records, interoperability, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, virtual care, analytics, patient engagement, clinical workflow, and health-system modernization. One of HIMSS's most influential contributions is the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model, commonly called EMRAM. The model assesses the maturity of a hospital's electronic medical record environment across stages from Stage 0 to Stage 7. The higher stages indicate increasingly integrated use of electronic clinical documentation, computerized provider order entry, clinical decision support, medication management, interoperability, and advanced analytics. Stage 7 represents a highly mature digital environment with little or no reliance on paper charts and extensive use of computerized clinical processes. The model has been used internationally as a framework for evaluating and guiding digital transformation, although HIMSS has also developed related models for other healthcare settings and capabilities. The society also acts as a convening and collaboration platform. It has supported or hosted initiatives involving electronic health records, nursing informatics, interoperability, health information exchange, and national awareness of health IT. HIMSS has collaborated with the Radiological Society of North America on Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise, or IHE, and has been associated with the Electronic Health Records Association. Together with the American Medical Informatics Association, it has supported the Alliance for Nursing Informatics, which connects independent nursing-informatics organizations. HIMSS has also sponsored National Health IT Week, bringing together providers, payers, technology companies, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, public agencies, professional associations, research foundations, and consumer groups. By 1982, HIMSS had 15 affiliated chapters, including 14 in the United States and one in Australia. Membership reached approximately 7,500 by 1996. The organization reported more than 100,000 individual members by February 2021, alongside hundreds of provider organizations, nonprofit partners, and health-services organizations. HIMSS remains active as a professional society, event organizer, standards and assessment partner, policy participant, and source of education for the global health information and digital-health community.
History
HIMSS began in 1961 as the Hospital Management Systems Society, an independent nonprofit association created by Edward J. Gerner and Harold E. Smalley. Its formation reflected the emerging need for a professional community around the use of computers and management systems in hospitals. The society's constitution was drafted and approved late in 1961, establishing an organizational basis for national membership and professional exchange. The first national convention was held in Baltimore in 1962. A second convention followed in Chicago in 1963, and the national headquarters moved to Chicago in 1964. The move helped establish Chicago as the organization's long-term institutional center. In 1967, HIMSS adopted formal bylaws, rules, and regulations, further developing its governance structure. By 1982, the society had 15 affiliated chapters, consisting of 14 U.S. chapters and one chapter in Australia, demonstrating an early expansion beyond its original domestic base. As the healthcare technology field broadened from hospital administration into electronic records, clinical information systems, communications, and informatics, the organization changed its name in 1986 to include the word “Information.” This change signaled a wider mission encompassing information management and technology-enabled healthcare rather than administrative systems alone. Membership had grown to approximately 7,500 by 1996. Over subsequent decades, HIMSS developed into a large professional society and industry platform. Its activities expanded to include conferences, education, advocacy, research, professional communities, technology assessment, and collaboration with healthcare and informatics organizations. Its annual conference became a major international gathering for the health-technology sector. The 2019 annual conference in Orlando attracted more than 42,000 attendees, illustrating the scale of the event and the growing commercial and policy importance of digital health. HIMSS's Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model became one of its most recognized contributions. The model provides a staged framework for assessing hospital adoption and use of electronic medical records, progressing from limited or absent digital capability at Stage 0 to highly advanced digital operations at Stage 7. The framework emphasizes the practical deployment of clinical systems, including electronic documentation, computerized provider order entry, clinical decision support, medication-related controls, and reduced dependence on paper records. HIMSS has used this and related frameworks to support benchmarking and digital-maturity planning in healthcare organizations internationally. The organization has also built collaborative relationships across the health ecosystem. HIMSS has worked with the Radiological Society of North America on the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise initiative and has supported the Electronic Health Records Association. In partnership with the American Medical Informatics Association, it has supported the Alliance for Nursing Informatics, which brings together numerous nursing-informatics groups. HIMSS has also sponsored National Health IT Week, a multi-stakeholder effort intended to raise awareness of the role of health IT among providers, payers, technology companies, government bodies, researchers, professional associations, and patient-oriented groups. In 2017, Hal Wolf III became president and CEO, succeeding H. Stephen Lieber, who had led the organization in those positions since 2000. In January 2019, HIMSS announced the sale of its HIMSS Analytics platform to Definitive Healthcare. The transaction represented a strategic change in the ownership of one of HIMSS's analytics assets. The organization continued to operate its events, membership, advocacy, education, and assessment activities. The coronavirus outbreak affected the society's event calendar: its planned March 2020 Global Health Conference and Exhibition in Orlando was canceled. HIMSS subsequently continued its conference program, including events in Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, and other locations. In February 2021, the organization reported more than 100,000 individual members, coinciding with its 60th anniversary. HIMSS remains a U.S. 501(c)(6) nonprofit professional association headquartered in Chicago and focused on advancing the effective use of information and management systems in healthcare.
- 2021
Membership surpasses 100,000
[1]HIMSS reported more than 100,000 individual members during its 60th-anniversary year.
- 2019
Major annual conference attendance
[1]The annual conference in Orlando attracted more than 42,000 attendees.
- 2017
Hal Wolf becomes president and CEO
[1]Hal Wolf III succeeded H. Stephen Lieber as president and chief executive officer.
- 1996
Membership reaches approximately 7,500
[1]Reported membership grew to about 7,500 individuals.
- 1986
Organization renamed HIMSS
[1]The society adopted a name including “Information,” reflecting its broader technology and informatics mission.
- 1982
Chapter network expands internationally
[1]The society had 15 affiliated chapters, including one in Australia.
- 1967
Formal governance rules approved
[1]HIMSS approved its bylaws, rules, and regulations.
- 1964
Headquarters move to Chicago
[1]Following a convention in Chicago the previous year, the national headquarters moved to the city.
- 1962
First national convention
[1]The society held its first national convention in Baltimore.
- 1961
Organization founded as HMSS
[1]Edward J. Gerner and Harold E. Smalley co-founded the Hospital Management Systems Society, an independent nonprofit association.
Products and positioning
A global professional and convening organization for healthcare information technology, informatics, digital transformation, and health-system management.
Digital-health maturity assessment
Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model
The Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model, or EMRAM, is a staged framework for evaluating the maturity of electronic medical record adoption in hospitals. It ranges from Stage 0 to Stage 7 and considers the deployment and integration of clinical information systems, electronic documentation, computerized provider order entry, clinical decision support, medication-management capabilities, and the reduction of paper-based workflows. Stage 7 denotes a highly advanced environment with extensive digital clinical operations. The model is used internationally for benchmarking, planning, and communicating healthcare IT maturity.
Conference and exhibition
HIMSS Global Health Conference and Exhibition
HIMSS's flagship conference and exhibition brings together healthcare providers, clinicians, executives, public officials, technology companies, researchers, and other participants in the digital-health ecosystem. Its subject matter includes electronic health records, interoperability, cybersecurity, analytics, artificial intelligence, virtual care, patient engagement, and healthcare-system transformation. The event combines educational sessions, professional networking, demonstrations, and commercial exhibition activity.
Professional association services · 1961
Professional membership and education
HIMSS provides membership, professional networking, education, events, communities, and industry information for people and organizations working in healthcare information and management systems. Its audience includes provider organizations, health IT professionals, clinicians, government agencies, academics, vendors, and consultants. These services support knowledge exchange and professional development across health informatics and digital healthcare.
Marketing campaigns
- National Health IT Week
United States
HIMSS sponsored National Health IT Week as a collaborative public-awareness forum involving healthcare providers, payers, technology companies, government agencies, professional organizations, research foundations, and consumer-oriented groups. The initiative sought to increase recognition of the importance of health information technology and encourage wider adoption.
Outcome. The initiative brought together a broad coalition of participating organizations to promote health IT adoption and policy attention.
Brand decisions
2020
Cancellation of the 2020 global conferenceOtherBackground
The coronavirus outbreak created major health and travel risks for large international gatherings.
Action taken
HIMSS canceled the March 2020 Global Health Conference and Exhibition planned for Orlando.
Aftermath
The cancellation disrupted the annual event schedule, after which HIMSS resumed its conference program in later years.
2019
Sale of HIMSS Analytics platformM&ABackground
HIMSS operated an analytics platform alongside its professional, educational, event, and advocacy activities.
Action taken
HIMSS announced the sale of the HIMSS Analytics platform to Definitive Healthcare.
Aftermath
The transaction transferred the analytics platform to Definitive Healthcare while HIMSS continued its broader association and industry-convening activities.
1986
Broadened name and mission to include informationStrategyBackground
Healthcare technology was expanding beyond traditional hospital management into electronic records, clinical information systems, and informatics.
Action taken
The Hospital Management Systems Society adopted a name including “Information,” becoming the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.
Aftermath
The new identity reflected HIMSS's wider role in healthcare information technology and digital transformation.
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