Healthcare's utilization management crisis didn't start with artificial intelligence — but AI threatens to make it exponentially worse if we don't change course now.
A recent peer-reviewed study from Stanford University, published in the January 2026 issue of Health Affairs, evaluated 21 predictive and/or generative AI tools currently deployed across the utilization review landscape. The findings should serve as a wake-up call: we're
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Health IT | News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
The RCM Trap: Why Cityblock Health is Pivoting AI Investment Toward Medicaid Care
What You Should Know
The Manifesto: Dr. Toyin Ajayi, CEO of Cityblock Health, has published a comprehensive report, “Medicaid + AI: A New Standard for Innovation,” arguing that the nation's most vulnerable patient population must be the proving ground for generative AI.The Investment Disconnect: Currently, roughly 60% of healthcare AI investment is directed toward revenue cycle management, billing optimization, and risk adjustment. Conversely, less than 20% of health plans use AI to develop
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The C-Suite Squeeze: Why Hospital IT Budgets Are Shrinking While AI Spending Soars
What You Should Know:
The Data Source: Sage Growth Partners released its "Health IT Purchasing Forecast 2026-2027: Where C-Suites are Investing Amid Declining Capital Budgets" report, based on a benchmark survey of 101 hospital and health system C-suite executives.The Budget Squeeze: A significant 41% of C-suite leaders anticipate their capital investments will be reduced over the next two years. Only 5% expect an increase of 20% or more, representing a notable decline from prior years.The
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Zocdoc Report: 26% of Patients Now Use AI for Medical Advice, Creating a ‘Triangle of Care’
What You Should Know
The Data Source: Zocdoc released "The AI-Informed Patient" report, based on a February 2026 survey of 1,186 U.S. adults and 1,000 U.S. healthcare providers.The Adoption & The Access Problem: Over a quarter (26%) of patients have already used AI to ask a health-related question. A massive driver is poor access to care: 65% of patients report using AI simply because it is easier than trying to see a doctor.The Secret Patient: Patients are heavily hiding their AI use
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Hopper OS Acquires Healthcare Informatics Company Efferent to Expand Cloud PACS and Interoperability
What You Should Know
The Acquisition: Hopper OS, an intelligent healthcare operating system provider, has acquired Efferent, a healthcare informatics company specializing in cloud-based PACS and advanced interoperability.The Missing Puzzle Piece: Prior to this deal, Hopper OS offered EMR, cloud infrastructure, patient management tools, AI, and analytics. By acquiring Efferent, they are bringing vital enterprise imaging capabilities natively into their operating system.The Acquired Tech:
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TruBridge and Artesia General Hospital Integrate Microsoft Dragon Copilot into EHR
What You Should Know
The Partnership: Artesia General Hospital (AGH) in southeastern New Mexico has partnered with TruBridge, a healthcare tech provider for rural hospitals, to integrate Microsoft Dragon Copilot into its clinical workflows.The Technology: Microsoft Dragon Copilot is an ambient clinical intelligence tool. It listens to the natural conversation between a doctor and a patient, distinguishes between casual small talk and medical symptoms, and automatically structures a clinical
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Viz.ai and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Partner to Launch AI Care Pathway for Cardiac Amyloidosis
What You Should Know:
The Partnership: Viz.ai, a major player in AI-powered care coordination, has partnered with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a leader in RNAi therapeutics.The Clinical Problem: Cardiac amyloidosis (specifically ATTR-CM and AL) is a progressive, often fatal condition where misfolded proteins deposit in the heart muscle. Because its symptoms mimic generalized heart failure, it is chronically underdiagnosed, causing patients to miss the window for life-saving interventions.The
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AI Didn’t Fix HCC Coding—It Made It Harder. This is How to Fix It
Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) coding is one of the areas in healthcare where AI is the obvious solution. On paper, it makes perfect sense. Use it to scan charts, identify diagnoses, group them into risk categories, and more efficiently predict future healthcare costs. In Medicare Advantage and value-based care, where risk adjustment directly impacts reimbursement, it sounds like a natural fit. But reality tells a very different story.
If you want to understand what is actually
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Rock Health Survey: 32% of Consumers Now Use AI for Health Information
What You Should Know
The Data Source: Rock Health released its 11th Consumer Adoption of Digital Health Survey, polling 8,000 U.S. adults in December 2025 to track behaviors toward virtual care and digital health tools.The Adoption Spike: Consumer use of AI in healthcare is exploding. 32% of respondents report having used an AI chatbot for health information—double the share from just a year ago (16%). Of those users, 64% engage with health AI weekly or more.General Purpose vs. Healthcare
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Samsung Medison Unifies NeuroLogica and Boston Imaging to Form Samsung HME America
What You Should Know
The Consolidation: Samsung Medison is officially retiring the NeuroLogica and Boston Imaging brands. The U.S. medical imaging businesses are unifying under a single corporate identity: Samsung HME (Healthcare and Medical Equipment) America.The Unified Portfolio: This transition integrates Samsung's U.S. ultrasound, digital radiography, and computed tomography (CT) operations under one structural roof, reflecting the massive scale of the global Samsung brand.The AI Push:
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