In today’s healthcare environment, hospitals typically have 10 to 15 connected medical devices per bed, meaning clinical engineering teams are often responsible for managing thousands of medical assets at each site., This number is only expected to rise. In a high-stakes environment of healthcare, every piece of equipment plays a critical role in patient outcomes.
As hospitals continue to adopt more advanced technology and software, clinical engineers face growing
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Health IT & Digital Health-Opinion | Op-Eds | Guest Columns | Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
Closing the Referral Management Gap in 2026: Why Every Referral Deserves Swift Follow-Through
In healthcare today, one of the quietest yet most damaging leak points lies between the referral and the actual appointment. It’s easy to think of referral processing as a back-office task. But in organizations where demand is high, patient expectations are rising, and competition is fierce, a slow or clumsy referral process becomes a strategic liability.
I’ve seen firsthand how systems built for payments and patient engagement reveal one truth: every delay is a missed connection — patients
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What Benefits Leaders Need to Know About Agentic AI in 2026
The healthcare industry is a leader in AI agent adoption at 68%, according to KPMG research, with early implementations reducing administrative workload by 55%. Yet for all this progress, Agentic AI remains widely misunderstood - often conflated with chatbots or treated as the “final answer” to benefits complexity.
In reality, Agentic AI represents a genuine evolutionary step: systems that understand context across multiple platforms, take action in real-time, and guide members through
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Healthcare CIOs in 2026: 4 Strategies to Scale AI and Unlock 10x Efficiency
As the pace of change in healthcare continues to accelerate, CIOs face increasing pressure to optimize IT investments, enable operational efficiency, and improve patient outcomes, all while navigating rapid advancements in technology.
AI and automation can help. In fact, over 80% of healthcare IT leaders see AI-powered automation as a top priority, but only about half are actively using AI-powered tools.
In 2026, it’s imperative to embrace AI, or risk being left
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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 Unbundling of Primary Care: How 2026 Will Decentralize Medicine
As 2026 begins, I’m seeing a clear shift in how care is delivered and how patients expect to participate in it. After years of incremental progress, the industry is finally moving in ways that truly empower patients, lower barriers for innovators, and relieve clinicians from administrative overload. The forces driving this change are unmistakable: AI agents, consumer-first care models, new entrepreneurial pathways, and the decentralization of traditional medical systems. Taken together,
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Beyond Reactivity: Integrating AI-Driven Home Safety for Aging in Place
Aging in America isn’t a niche issue—it’s a seismic shift. Within five years, one in five Americans will be 65 or older. By 2034, older adults will outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history.1 This demographic flip is already reshaping households, businesses, and public policy.
One of the most urgent—and solvable—challenges is housing safety, particularly falls. Nearly 90% of older adults want to remain in their homes as they age.2 Yet, fewer than 10% of U.S. homes are
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Beyond Automation: Why the Future of Surgery Is “Performance-Guided,” Not Autonomous
Lately, I've been reading headlines about full autonomous surgery - claims that gallbladders can be removed without a human hand. It makes me wonder: is the operating room being handed over to machines?
The reality is complex - and more human than you might think.
While automation continues to advance, the true future of surgery lies not in removing the surgeon from the loop, but in equipping them with better tools to navigate it. That’s the principle behind Performance-Guided Surgery™: an
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The MAHA Paradox: How Medical Device Tariffs Undermine “Make America Healthy Again
The Trump Administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda recognizes a simple truth: the best way to improve our health is to empower people to understand and help manage their own care. Affordable medical devices make that possible.
Every day, Americans use this technology to check their blood pressure, track sleep, monitor heart rhythms, manage hearing loss, and more. These devices bring care into our homes, extend the reach of doctors, and help millions of people stay healthy
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Ending ‘Pajama Time’: How AI Redeploys Clinicians From Paperwork Back to Patients
Too many of us know the drill. After weeks or months of waiting, you finally land a doctor’s appointment. You sit in the exam room, anxious. When the doctor walks in, you get more eye contact with the laptop than with them. The visit feels rushed, and you leave with more questions than answers.
That scene isn’t about indifference. It’s about time. Clinicians are buried under paperwork. Nearly
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