This week’s Friday Five revisits five must-read posts from December 2025, where we asked industry experts to look ahead and share their boldest predictions for 2026. From reimagining the patient experience to accelerating the shift toward value-based care, these insights explore how care delivery and engagement are evolving. We also dive into the expanding role of virtual healthcare, the real-world impact of AI in clinical settings, and how healthcare marketing is adapting in an increasingly digital, data-driven landscape. Here are five expert perspectives shaping the year ahead.
Check out all our prediction posts for 2026.
Targeting 4 More Years and Scaling Value-Based Care Models in 2026
The CMS target year for value-based care is 2030, with a goal for 100% of Traditional Medicare beneficiaries and the majority of Medicaid beneficiaries to be in an accountable care relationship, focusing on quality outcomes and cost efficiency over service volume. 2025 reports and surveys showed a clear turning point for value-based care as model programs to actual scalable strategies.With only 4 years to go, can we keep up the positive projection in 2026?
Realizing ROI for Patient Experience Investments in 2026?
According to a recent Sage Growth Partners C-Suite survey of more than 100 hospital and health system C-suite leaders, a defining shift for the first time, executives rank patient experience as their top strategic initiative for the next two years. They’re doubling down on virtual care and digital health to improve key patient experience metrics like access, safety, and satisfaction, but most are still struggling to realize meaningful ROI from their investments. Will there be meaningful ROI for their investments in 2026 and how will that happen?
There Seems to be No Limits on AI in Clinical Settings for 2026 – Parts 1 and 2
Predictions from our experts last year on this subject looking ahead to 2025 said it would be formative and they were not wrong. We saw AI in clinical settings scale, stabilize, and reshape workflows. The year was defined by rapid adoption, cautious optimism, and a growing push for governance and trust. According to Elsevier’s 2025 Clinician of the Future Report, usage of AI tools is increasing dramatically among clinicians, with 76% having used an AI tool. So where will we go from here? Our experts has so much to say we split this topic into Part 1 and Part 2.
Virtual Healthcare in 2026: Will Congress Do Something?
The so-called “telehealth cliff” has rolled back most of the pandemic-era flexibilities for Medicare, leaving what was once a booming virtual care market stuck in political gridlock. We asked our experts where they think this is headed 2026? Here is what they had to say.
Healthcare Marketing in 2026
For our December roundup on health IT marketing we decided to round up our marketing experts to tell us what healthcare marketing event, strategy, or concept of 2025 they thought will have the most impact in 2026 marketing? Here is what they had to say.
ICYMI – Our other Friday Fives.
