Let me introduce you to Michael. He’s 60 years old, living with liver disease and rheumatoid arthritis. He receives Social Security Disability and has a Medicare Advantage plan. Michael has lived a hard life.
He doesn’t know the details of the 12 health-related Executive Orders signed this year. He doesn’t understand the acronyms scattered throughout the 17 technology-related Executive Orders.
What Michael does know is that he needs to get to a doctor’s appointment next week. He needs to figure out how to pick up his medication from a Wal-Mart across town because it’s too expensive at the pharmacy near his home.
He doesn’t know about NIH’s research challenges, the siloed data across government agencies, or whether AI will help or hurt him. He’s counting on us to worry about those things for him.
When we gather this September for AFCEA’s Health IT Summit in Bethesda, Michael is who we’re working for. At RELI, our mission is to support and improve the health, safety, and security of the American public through the missions of our federal, state, and local government partners. Our mission is to help Michael.
This year’s summit focuses on transforming healthcare through secure, data-driven, and AI-enhanced systems.
From electronic health records to AI-powered diagnostics, the future of healthcare is digital. But with the benefits of digitization also comes risk. Healthcare is one of the most targeted industries for cyberattacks. When systems go down or data is stolen, it’s not just an IT issue, it’s a patient care issue.
We need a holistic approach that brings together cyber resilience, responsible AI, and an intentional, integrated data strategy
Cyber Resilience: A Human Imperative
Cyber resilience isn’t just a technical goal; it’s a human one. Every system outage or data breach can delay treatment or compromise privacy. Healthcare organizations face a high volume of cyber incidents, and the stakes are enormous. Sensitive patient data, like Social Security numbers, medical histories, and insurance details are prime targets.
To meet this challenge, organizations must become more agile. That means moving from reactive to proactive security: spotting patterns of malicious behavior, embedding resilience into daily operations, and recovering quickly without disrupting care. At RELI, we’re expanding our forensics work on MSSPSS (Managed Security Services and Shared Services), and we see real potential to apply that expertise to healthcare as well.
Responsible AI: Innovation with Guardrails
Generative AI holds great promise for healthcare, but it must be used responsibly. Federal agencies are already putting guardrails in place to ensure ethical, secure use. These include rules around data privacy, transparency, and bias mitigation. Within those boundaries, there’s plenty of room for innovation.
AI can help summarize clinical notes, support diagnostics, and improve patient engagement, freeing up clinicians to focus more on care and less on paperwork. We’re also watching how agencies approach and deploy AI. Will they adopt more agile models that allow for faster deployment and iteration? That’s a key question as the government identifies high-impact use cases like improving access, reducing administrative burden, and enhancing public health responsiveness.
Data Strategy and Innovation in Action
CMS will host a breakout session on healthcare innovation, new payment models, and fighting fraud, waste, and abuse. All of these areas require access to data. Data that is not always easily connected. These are areas where RELI is already deeply engaged. This session is a chance to connect with CMS leaders about how integrated data strategies can drive better insights and outcomes.
NIH will also share its perspective on supporting medical research and innovation. This aligns with our recent response to their AI RFI, where we addressed challenges in data collection, management, and analysis. Understanding NIH’s evolving priorities will help us better support their mission, ensuring research is not only cutting-edge but also ethical and inclusive.
Ultimately, the mission of the Health IT Summit is about putting patient care back into healthcare. It’s about making sure that when Michael needs help, the systems we build are ready to support him.
At RELI, we are mission-ready and ready to go.
