As healthcare kicks off in 2026, the industry is entering a more strategic phase of transformation. The era of AI-led experimentation is giving way to an era of accountability, where technology, operating models, and partnerships are expected to deliver measurable outcomes, not just promises. Economic pressure, workforce strain, and shifting reimbursement models are forcing healthcare organizations to rethink how care is delivered, how work gets done, and how value is created. My 2026 predictions are Part 1 of our predictions series, and reflect a shift toward pragmatism, integration, and execution at scale. In Part 2, you’ll read viewpoints from some of my colleagues.
Agentic AI platforms
In 2026 we’ll see continued development of a platform approach enabled by agentic interconnected workflows with appropriate human-in-the-loop. There will be recognition that AI is much more of a platform play than the point solution oriented approach that healthcare IT and health systems have traditionally taken. That platform play is going to be deeply enabled by interconnected agentic workflows. These workflows will truly demonstrate that the value of the whole is much greater than the sum of the individual parts, especially when chores of health care are delegated to a platform that alleviates the burdens on caregivers and their care teams.
There is a bit of pragmatism starting to develop around the need for AI to, at the very least, be supervised, but in some cases be assisted by a strong human-in-the-loop so that it is able to completely and safely delegate tasks. There are early signs of a disillusionment trough emerging for certain aspects of AI. AI supervised by or partnered with humans will start to become much more meaningful as it relates to true assistance, decision making, and clinical decision support at the point of care for the clinical care teams.
Accountable partners
Healthcare organizations are faced by the reality that they’re in a business in which revenue per unit is actually declining when adjusted for inflation, while costs per unit of care is continuing to increase faster than the rate of overall inflation.
When you’re in a business like that, where you’re getting crushed from both sides, I think it’s really important for healthcare organizations to think more carefully about solutions that not only promise the value proposition of good economics, but actually hold themselves accountable for that value proposition. More and more healthcare organizations are recognizing the need to find accountable solutions to their economic and clinical challenges than they have traditionally in the past.
Creating a change management playbook
In 2026, healthcare organizations will realize the value of the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts. For example, a connected workflow is more powerful than disparate point solutions. When you’re implementing that type of change in an organization, it’s important to have a playbook that formally and intentionally incorporates change management expertise that’s going to be needed to drive the outcomes that the platform promises. One of the big initiatives that we’ll see in 2026 is to intentionally embed a change management layer into how we go about bringing the value of the platform to our customers.
Clinician consolidation
Over the last two decades, there’s been massive consolidation in the physician market, driven both by private equity and corporations acquiring physician assets. Previously there was a focus on aggregating physicians and their practices versus really reinventing the operating infrastructure. This next decade is one where we will focus on driving meaningful integration, and from that creating strong operating efficiencies that drive centralization and an appropriate level of standardization.
Value-based care vs. fee-for-service
A few years ago it felt like fee-for-service medicine was waning, and that the holy grail would be value-based care with global capitation. Today people are more pragmatic and have recognized that fee-for-service and value-based care are going to coexist for the foreseeable future.
Within value-based care, one of the unexpected benefits of CMS-HCC V28 is that it places a cap on how much organizations can rely on risk-score optimization to drive premiums. While it may feel like a financial hurdle today, it will ultimately force the industry to invest in true total cost of care management infrastructure, the kind that improves patient outcomes while reducing overall cost of care.
I believe this shift will allow value-based care to finally come into its own, with physicians truly operating as the quarterbacks of care delivery, especially for patients with chronic disease. And while there is considerable skepticism about the future of value-based care, this moment of adversity is likely to spark the innovation needed for the model to reach its full potential. At the same time, fee-for-service medicine isn’t going away; these two models will continue to coexist for the foreseeable future.
The story of 2026
Taken together, these trends point to a healthcare system that is more connected, more disciplined, and more outcome-driven. In 2026, success will not come from chasing the next shiny tool, but from thoughtfully combining platforms, people, and processes in ways that reduce friction and improve care. Organizations that embrace accountable partnerships, invest in change management, and design models that support both clinicians and patients will be best positioned to navigate ongoing economic pressures. The future of healthcare will be defined less by bold promises and more by the ability to deliver sustainable, real-world results at scale.
Stay tuned for part 2 of our 2026 predictions series.
Contact us to see how IKS Health’s care enablement platform can help sustain your organization in 2026 and beyond.
