What You Should Know:
- In a significant move for the "tele-prescribing" landscape, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have announced a fourth temporary extension of telemedicine flexibilities.
- This extension allows practitioners to prescribe controlled medications—including Schedule II–V drugs—via audio-video encounters without a prior in-person medical evaluation through December 31, 2026.
A Transitional
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7 Ways AI Will Actually Transform Behavioral Health in 2026
The integration of AI into behavioral health has moved from experiment to expectation. The industry is rapidly finding its footing, moving past initial hype and learning from cautionary tales to focus on real-world impact. While the debate around patient-facing AI continues, the true transformation is happening in the trenches. Let's be clear: AI isn't what many think it is. Here are the seven key trends that will define mental healthcare's AI transformation in 2026.
1. AI Isn't Just Chatbots
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The New “Pass/Fail” Test: Why Sovereignty, Not Features, Will Decide Global Health IT Contracts in 2026
What You Should Know:
- A new 2026 report from Black Book Market Research reveals a decisive shift in global healthcare procurement: digital sovereignty has replaced functionality as the primary "gatekeeper" for international contracts.
- Roughly 80% of international health buyers now treat data residency and jurisdictional control as pass/fail criteria, often disqualifying vendors before a product demo even occurs. This shift is being accelerated by AI, as ministries demand to
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NYC Health + Hospitals to Acquire Maimonides in $2.2B Safety Net Overhaul
What You Should Know:
- New York City’s public health system, NYC Health + Hospitals (NYC H+H), has officially announced its plan to acquire Maimonides Health, a move fueled by a $2.2B state grant designed to stabilize Brooklyn's crumbling safety net.
- This merger will allow Maimonides to exit financial instability by accessing higher Medicaid reimbursement rates reserved for public entities and migrating to a unified Epic electronic health record (EHR) to fix fragmented care
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Physician Assistant Trends 2026: AI Adoption, Title Changes, and Workforce Growth
What You Should Know:
- A new Wolters Kluwer survey of practicing Physician Assistants (PAs) reveals a profession in rapid transition. While the workforce is projected to grow by 28% through 2034, PAs are grappling with a significant skills gap: 56% now use AI daily, yet 87% report needing more formal training.
- As the debate over the "Physician Associate" title heats up and administrative burdens mount, hospital leaders face a critical window to modernize training and support this
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AI “Multiplexing” Detects Alzheimer’s Pathology Years Before Symptoms in 3-Minute Test
What You Should Know:
- Two newly published peer-reviewed studies validate that Linus Health’s AI-driven, 3-minute digital assessment can concurrently detect cognitive impairment and predict underlying Alzheimer’s pathology.
- This "multiplexing" capability allows primary care providers to identify at-risk patients years before symptoms appear, potentially streamlining specialist referrals and improving eligibility for new disease-modifying treatments.
Linus Health Study
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KLAS Report: Why Hospitals Are Choosing Efficiency Over ‘Agentic’ AI Hype in 2025
What You Should Know:
- A new report from KLAS Research reveals that while healthcare AI adoption is surging in 2025, organizations are overwhelmingly favoring low-risk, high-efficiency tools like ambient speech and revenue cycle automation over experimental clinical applications.
- Despite significant market buzz, "agentic AI" adoption remains virtually non-existent, with only one interviewed organization currently using it. The data confirms a pragmatic shift in the industry:
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CMS Launches $50B in Awards to Strengthen Rural Health in All 50 States
What You Should Know:
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is deploying a massive $50 billion investment across all 50 states to overhaul the nation's rural healthcare infrastructure starting in 2026.
- Under the guidance of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, the program prioritizes not just workforce expansion, but a significant technological shift toward AI adoption, cybersecurity resilience, and "food-as-medicine"
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Advanced Primary Care 2026: Top 6 Investments for Health Systems According to Harvard Medical School
What You Should Know
- Harvard Medical School’s Center for Primary Care has released a comprehensive "Primary Care Investment Guide," providing the first evidence-based roadmap for deploying capital into team-based care models.
- The report identifies six critical "Advanced Primary Care" (APC) services—including behavioral health integration and e-consults—that demonstrate measurable ROI through reduced hospitalizations and improved equity.
- With the U.S. spending only 4.6% of
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The 2025 Margin Rally: Hospitals See Late-Year Gains Despite Soaring Drug Costs
What You Should Know:
- U.S. health systems recorded their strongest financial improvement of the year in November 2025, with median year-to-date operating margins rising to 1.5%, marking the fourth consecutive month of gains.
- Despite this stability, hospitals remain under significant pressure from rising expenses, particularly a 9.3% year-over-year spike in drug costs and increasing financial strain on physician practices. While revenue is growing, high operational costs suggest that
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