In this week’s Friday Five, we’re looking back at five prediction posts from December 2025, when we tapped industry experts for their most compelling predictions for 2026. Their insights spanned the technologies, systems, and economic forces shaping healthcare’s next chapter, from the continued evolution of interoperability to a more intelligent, resilient revenue cycle. We also explored what’s ahead for life sciences innovation, workforce transformation, and the financial strategies redefining the business of healthcare.
Check out all our prediction posts for 2026.
Will We Continue to See AI Improve Healthcare RCM in 2026?
In 2025, healthcare revenue cycle management (RCM) saw major advances in AI-driven automation, cloud-based partnerships, and new tools for denial prevention, patient engagement, and financial integrity. It shifted from incremental automation to AI-first strategies that blended cloud, automation, and predictive analytics to reduce denials, accelerate cash flow, and improve patient trust. We asked our experts what progress they think we will see in 2026 for RCM in healthcare. Here is what they had to say.
Interoperability 2026: Are We FHIRed Up Yet?
In 2025, health interoperability advanced through widespread FHIR adoption, new CMS frameworks, and deeper integration with AI and virtual healthcare. This year marked a turning point for interoperability, shifting from compliance-driven to innovation-driven, enabling real-time, secure data exchange across systems and patient-facing apps.
As healthcare continues its digital evolution, the promise of truly connected care depends on one thing: interoperability. In 2026, data sharing will no longer purely be a technical challenge; rather, it will be a strategic imperative driving care coordination, innovation, and patient empowerment. Yet, achieving seamless data exchange across systems, organizations, and ecosystems remains our lifelong work in progress. What will 2026 bring us when it comes to interoperability? We asked our experts what progress they think we will see in 2026. Here is what they had to say.
Will We See Another Watershed Year for Life Sciences in 2026?
2025 saw major impacts in life science with the rise of generative AI in drug discovery, new global AI regulations, breakthroughs in precision medicine, and accelerated biotech innovation. These shifts reshaped how therapies are discovered, developed, and delivered, while also introducing new risks around compliance, data, and cybersecurity. We asked our experts how will the industry build on this momentum in 2026? Here is what they had to say.
Workforce Shortages: Our Biggest Future Challenge, Will AI be Our Answer in 2026?
According to the Mercer Future of the US Healthcare Industry, Healthcare Labor Market Projections by 2028, it expects a shortage of about 100,000 critical health care workers by 2028. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) projects a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034.The American Hospital Association estimates that the US will need to hire at least 200,000 nurses a year to meet rising demands. The question is no longer will AI take the professional’s job, but how can we use AI to fill the future voids we are predicting. AI-powered automation can enable staff to spend less time on routine administrative work and shift their attention to areas where they add more value, like direct care and patient-facing activities.
In 2025 AI became a front line solution to healthcare workforce shortages and challenges. Will we continue to invest in AI innovation that will help us in our biggest future challenge? We asked our experts what progress they think we will see in 2026. Here is what they had to say.
The Business and Finance of Healthcare in 2026
In 2025, hospitals focused on outpatient growth, cost containment, AI-driven efficiency, and patient affordability strategies to stabilize margins amid rising labor and supply costs. Hospital closures in both urban and rural settings increased from previous years. Mergers and acquisitions had a major impact in 2025, reshaping provider networks, payer strategies, and the competitive landscape. The year was marked by consolidation across hospitals, physician groups, insurers, and tech-enabled health companies. Healthcare investment grew in health tech, AI, and specialty care, while hospital investments were mixed, driven by restructuring and distressed acquisitions. We saw a rebound in healthcare IPOs, with activity across biotech, medtech, and digital health. Several notable companies went public, reflecting renewed investor confidence in health innovation despite regulatory and financial pressures. What will the business of healthcare look like in 2026? We asked our experts and here what they had to say.
ICYMI – Our other Friday Fives.
