At health events this year, instead of just talking about healthcare technology, we listened to the voices of healthcare. We asked healthcare innovators what they see as the biggest problems in healthcare, what their companies are solving for, and what they know about QHINs (Qualified Health Information Networks) and the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem Initiative. What we heard was very eye-opening.

Their responses bring out the very real and human side of the industry. Not only are these innovators dedicated to improving care, they’re also patients themselves who have their own frustrations around our current healthcare system. Their answers revealed the challenges we face every day and the gaps in understanding that still exist around the national movement toward interoperability.

What Healthcare Leaders Say Are the Biggest Challenges

When we asked healthcare leaders what they see as the biggest problems in healthcare, their answers came quickly, listing things like access to care, trust, and bad data.

  • Cost topped the list, with one person noting, “It’s absolutely the cost. Regular people can’t afford basic care anymore.”
  • Staff burnout was another common concern: “Everyone’s tired – nurses, techs, doctors, I mean, the workload is insane” one respondent said.
  • Delayed or limited access to care also causes friction for the patient. One leader noted that “it takes weeks to get a basic care appointment.”
  • Leaders also highlighted the challenge of bad or unreliable data, with one explaining, “The information is there, but it can be messy or duplicated.”

These responses reveal a wide range of pain points, yet one underlying truth ties them together: healthcare is fragmented. People are trying to solve the symptoms such as cost, access, quality, and trust, but the root problem is disconnection.

How the Voices of Healthcare Are Working to Solve Real Problems

When we asked what their companies are solving for, the passion was clear.

  • “We’re trying to help people actually use the care they’re paying for. Our app keeps patients on top of appointments and medications and nudges them to schedule their follow-ups.”
  • “We’re automating some of the busy work like documentation, scheduling, check-ins, trying to give people time back for actual patient care. It’s not flashy, but it makes a big difference.”
  • Others are tackling secure communication between care teams, improving access through virtual-first care, cleaning and structuring messy data, or reducing stigma around mental health.

Each of these efforts are meaningful. They address real pain felt by patients, clinicians, and organizations every day. And nearly all of them depend on the ability to exchange accurate, secure, and timely information, something the healthcare ecosystem still struggles to do consistently.

The Knowledge Gap Around Interoperability

When we asked what they knew or what they’d heard about QHINs and the recent CMS initiatives, the tone changed significantly. While here at Kno2, we live in the world of healthcare information exchange and interoperability, many leaders we spoke to knew little to nothing about either, giving responses like:

  • “I think I’ve heard about QHIN. Is it bad to say I have no clue what it means?”
  • “Pretty much nothing. I mean, I’m sure we’ll hear more about next year.”
  • “Well, I do know of CMS of course, but not any new initiative.”
  • “Literally nothing. You’re the first person to mention either of those things to me.”

This gap in awareness is a critical challenge that we here at Kno2 are still trying to solve.

These initiatives are not minor policy updates. They are defining the future of healthcare communication. QHINs will form the backbone of nationwide data exchange. CMS’s Health Tech Ecosystem Initiatives will guide how technology companies, payers, and providers plug into that framework. Understanding and accessing future-proof healthcare communication infrastructure can multiply the impact of the solutions healthcare innovators are building today.

Kno2 Connects the Disconnected

Listening to these voices in healthcare has reminded us why Kno2’s mission matters.

We exist to take the complexity out of healthcare communication and to connect the disconnected.

As our President and Co-Founder, Therasa Bell, said “There’s patient data, patient lives, and provider happiness at stake. We have a moral obligation to bring these vendors forward and to make sure they’re not left behind. Let’s get providers connected.”

Through our single API and our work as one of the few Qualified Health Information Networks, we make it possible to share information seamlessly, securely, and compliantly.

We stay ahead of evolving standards, frameworks, and regulations, so our partners don’t have to. We handle the interoperability heavy lifting, freeing innovators to focus on their individual missions to improve patient care. Because the truth is, the industry is not fully up to speed yet, and that’s okay. Change at this scale takes time. That’s why it’s important to have a trusted partner to bridge the gap between where healthcare is and where it needs to go.

The conversations we’ve had recently were honest and eye-opening. They revealed both the heart of the people driving healthcare forward and the challenges that remain. Every voice we heard reflected the same desire: to make healthcare better for patients, providers, and the systems that support them. That is exactly what we work to make possible.

Kno2 meets you where you are and takes you where healthcare is going.