Patient Safety Predictions for 2026, Part 2
By Jay Kumar
PSQH reached out to experts throughout healthcare to get their predictions for what will happen in patient safety and healthcare quality in 2026. We received so many predictions this time around that we’re breaking it up into two parts. Here’s Part 2 of what they had to say.
Bethany Robertson, Clinical Executive, Wolters Kluwer Health
Over the past year we have seen the nursing industry experience significant shifts as transformative care models and technologies like Gen AI, virtual nursing and ambient listening tools move from a pipedream to actual implementations. In 2026, leading healthcare organizations will continue to take steps forward with building the infrastructure, training and guidelines needed to facilitate, not hinder nurses’ daily workflows.
Under a landscape where workforce shortages, career satisfaction and unbalanced patient ratios are still negatives, health systems implementing these new offerings need their nursing workforce involved in the roll out and subsequent evaluation of these tools. This ensures that the use cases support the issues in their workflow and aren’t seen as a decision made by leadership in absence of nursing’s voice, while also understanding the true impact of the efforts. This cultural shift toward tech adoption will empower nurses to work more efficiently, reduce burnout, and elevate the overall quality of care. Ultimately, these trends will position nursing as a dynamic, technology-supported profession that remains at the forefront of patient-centered innovation.
Peter Bonis, MD, Chief Clinical Officer, Wolters Kluwer Health
2026 will be the year of governance. Health system C-suites are playing catch-up to clinicians who have rapidly adopted GenAI apps. Yet, these users still struggle to identify responses that sound authoritative but are clinically invalid, even with credible sources cited. Compounding this is the emerging risk of clinical deskilling from GenAI use. My outlook overall for achieving safe, effective applications remains optimistic, but it will take new governance and oversight frameworks to ensure patients remain safe and clinicians continue building their skills.
Steve Mok, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, BCIDP, Manager of Pharmacy Services and Fellowship Director for Clinical Surveillance and Compliance, Wolters Kluwer Health
Pop culture examples like The Pitt and Nurse Jackie portray a glimpse of the world of drug diversion, but in reality, diversion impacts thousands of healthcare workers—and the even larger number of patients they serve. More troubling: A recent survey showed as many as two-thirds of healthcare leaders lack confidence in their diversion prevention programs. With thousands of record reviews required to deduce suspicious patterns, AI-backed solutions quickly become a necessity for organizations looking to take a proactive and holistic approach to patient and staff safety. As hospitals look to ramp up their AI investments in 2026, drug diversion is a low hanging fruit where timely, automated deduction and pattern recognition can quickly enable teams to reduce harm to patients and staff.
Greg Samios, CEO, Wolters Kluwer Health
Clinical grade generative AI (GenAI) can be a trusted copilot when embedded in daily workflows, rigorously validated, protected by guardrails, and infused with expert-in-the-loop oversight. Looking ahead to 2026, the ecosystem will continue to witness GenAI’s ability to automate documentation, synthesize clinical notes, surface care gaps, and streamline clinician-patient communications at scale. As shadow AI continues to be more prevalent, clinicians should only use purpose-built GenAI systems that are trained on expert-validated evidence, transparent with source citations, and capable of tailored recommendations. GenAI will provide an increase in staff efficiency and care quality, but we must preserve safety and clinician-patient relationships by reframing workflows that elevate GenAI from a tool to a partner, keeping humanity at the center of care.
Holly Urban, MD, Vice President, Business Development-Strategy, Wolters Kluwer Health
Generative AI is revolutionizing healthcare, offering transformative capabilities in clinical documentation, decision support, patient communication, and medical education. These tools promise to reduce administrative burden, enhance diagnostic precision, and improve patient engagement—benefits that are already being realized by early adopters across health systems.
But alongside this innovation lies a growing governance gap. To echo a certain superhero comic, GenAI in healthcare brings great power but that power comes with great responsibility. In 2026, we will hear more about a growing concern with the rise of “shadow AI”—the use of generative AI tools in healthcare outside institutional oversight.
Susan Grant, Chief Clinical Officer, symplr
In 2026, a shift in patient experience will come from giving nurses and care teams the time and space to be fully present to form meaningful connections with their patients. As automation and ambient tools remove hours of administrative work, patients will feel the difference in the clinician’s presence and ability to understand and respond to their needs through powerful moments: connection, time, eye contact, listening, explanation, and sharing of understandable and meaningful information. Technology will work in the background to anticipate needs and coordinate care more smoothly, while the human connection becomes more visible. I believe the next evolution of patient experience won’t be defined by new channels or surveys, but by restoring the patient-clinician relationship at the center of care.
Ali Morin, Chief Nursing Informatics Officer, symplr
In 2026, organizations must focus on building clinical trust in AI as a tool that strengthens and supports workflows. As AI becomes more integrated into care delivery, addressing fears and setting clear expectations will be critical to ensure it adds value for nurses and clinicians rather than creating new challenges and steps in their processes. With 85% of clinicians wanting a voice in technology decisions, involving them early and maintaining engagement after implementation will be essential. By showcasing real-world results and reinforcing that AI is designed to ease burdens—not replace human judgment—we can help nurses navigate workforce shortages while preserving the human connection at the heart of patient care.
Angel Mena, MD, Chief Medical Officer, symplr
In 2026, we’ll be focused on raising the next generation of digitally enabled physicians, clinicians who are not only skilled in the art of medicine but fully equipped to operate in an increasingly digital healthcare ecosystem.
This past year’s boom in AI tools has shown tremendous promise in reducing administrative burden at a time when clinicians are already spending nearly 88 minutes per day on administrative tasks. As these technologies continue to expand, proper training and digital fluency will become even more essential. AI must be woven into how we train, coach, and support clinicians.
Theresa Meadows, CIO in Residence, symplr
AI will continue to be the number one topic for CIOs, but the healthcare systems that truly benefit from it will be the ones that treat governance and data readiness as non-negotiables. Healthcare leaders are increasingly drawn to the potential value AI can bring, yet this technology only creates value when they’re built on clean data, standardized processes, and a strong operational foundation. Too many health systems are still falling into the trap of “adding AI” to messy, fragmented workflows, which only amplifies risk and dissatisfaction. The systems that succeed will be those that slow down long enough to fix what’s broken, establish clear governance models around AI, and create unified data structures that allow AI to safely and meaningfully transform clinical and operational workflows.
Sophia L. Thomas, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, former President of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and long-time NP at DePaul Community Health Centers
In 2026, more health systems will begin treating allergy history accuracy as a measurable quality and safety priority. Nurses are often the first clinicians to verify allergies during admission, triage, and before critical interventions, and too many patients arrive with outdated, incomplete, or incorrect allergy charts. These errors directly affect treatment decisions, so our assessment and verification of clinical allergies are critical to deliver informed patient care. Health systems are already investing in better documentation workflows, clinical prompts, and other structured tools to guide these conversations, and allergy verification is a natural next step. Nurses will continue to play a key role by verifying existing records in patients’ chats, clarifying symptoms, and helping to distinguish between clinical allergies, sensitivities, and side effects at the point of care.
Nish Parekh, Chief Product Officer, Omnicell
Specialty pharmacies will scale efficiently through AI and automation
Specialty pharmacies are increasingly becoming a part of mainstream healthcare, driven by the rise of complex, high-cost therapies like GLP-1s and targeted oncology treatments. In 2026, AI and automation will be the backbone that helps specialty pharmacies operate efficiently at scale, manage complex medication regimens, and deliver personalized patient care. Patients will expect timely, customized service; providers will need real-time insights across patient and medication data; and health systems will measure success not only by clinical outcomes, but by operational efficiency, responsiveness, and patient experience.
Perry Genova, CTO, Omnicell
Connecting automation and intelligence will be the baseline for safe, efficient care
Automation isn’t new in healthcare, but 2026 will be the year this technology combines with AI and advanced analytics to break down silos across the healthcare system. What is considered “innovative” today will become the expected baseline tomorrow, fundamentally reshaping how hospitals and pharmacies operate. For example, solutions like automated dispensing cabinets leverage trusted cloud platforms to deliver visibility and insights across a growing health system footprint, helping leaders to quickly take action, illuminate gaps in operations, and support safer patient care workflows.
Lani Bertrand, Senior Director, Clinical Marketing & Thought Leadership, Omnicell
Technology will close workforce and care gaps labor
Despite optimism that the healthcare workforce crisis would gradually resolve after the pandemic, recent data shows the U.S. is projected to face a shortfall of more than 400,000 nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses by 2032. As the frontline providers on the patient care team—especially in acute settings—helping to alleviate stress on the nurses will require continuous innovation to streamline processes to allow them to keep focus on direct patient care. From streamlining administrative workflows and automating repetitive tasks to supporting larger health system priorities like medication supply chain management, technology will allow frontline care teams to focus more of their time on direct patient care, improving staff resilience and helping support better outcomes across the care continuum.
Justin Schrager, CMO and co-founder, Vital, an AI-powered patient experience platform
By 2026, healthcare technology will start to catch up to the rest of the service industry. Patients will expect, and receive, real-time updates, personalized communication, and seamless digital experiences from their physicians. Outdated patient portals will give way to intelligent, connected platforms that make healthcare responsive and intuitive.
Anna Dover, PharmD, BCPS, Senior Director of Editorial Content at FDB, which provides drug knowledge that helps healthcare professionals make precise medication decisions
As AI deepens the contextual awareness of clinical decision support, we’ll move far beyond static alerts toward guidance that truly understands the patient, the workflow, and the moment of care. This evolution will sharpen the focus on the most meaningful medication risks while easing cognitive load—empowering clinicians with clearer, more trusted insights that directly strengthen patient safety.
John Showalter, MD, MSIS, Chief Operating Officer of Linus Health, an AI-driven brain health company pioneering early detection of cognitive impairment and personalized intervention
In 2026, care quality will increasingly hinge on how early we can detect change across physiologic, cognitive, and/or behavioral domains and act before it escalates into harm. AI and digital assessments will enable continuous insight into patient status, but the true advances will come from integrating those signals into everyday workflows. The future of safety and quality lies in proactive intervention that prevents decline rather than reacting after it occurs.
Rom Eizenberg, Chief Growth Officer, Kontakt.io, which provides intelligent orchestration for healthcare operations
High occupancy and stagnant length of stay continue to contribute to chaos in hospitals. Next year will show fast expansion in AI implementation to address length of stay, energized with real time data from sensors, ambient technology and cameras. Patient journey tracking will scale rapidly in 2026, providing hospitalists with new tools to further shorten length of stay.
Maureen McBeth, Senior Medical Affairs Liaison, ImpediMed, a global medical technology company specializing in the noninvasive clinical assessment and monitoring of fluid status and tissue composition in patients
I foresee cancer care evolving to treat exercise as a prescribed therapy rather than a recommendation. For too long, movement has been viewed as optional, even though the evidence shows it improves survival, reduces complications, and enhances quality of life. When exercise is paired with objective body-composition data—tracking changes in muscle, fat, and fluid—clinicians can deliver safer, more personalized survivorship care that strengthens recovery, protects metabolic health, and prevents functional decline. This shift will mark an important step toward redefining survivorship as a proactive, measurable phase of care focused on restoring strength, resilience, and long-term well-being.
Patty Hayward, general manager of healthcare and life sciences at Talkdesk, which makes a customer experience automation platform to facilitate the complexities of modern patient/member journeys
In 2026, the organizations that lead in patient safety will be the ones that stop viewing their contact center as an operational expense and start using it as a frontline safety asset. By transforming these teams into AI-enabled care-guiding centers, providers will close dangerous communication gaps, strengthen high-risk care transitions, and prevent avoidable utilization that drives both harm and cost. This shift toward proactive, coordinated patient navigation will deliver safer outcomes while returning measurable value across the enterprise.
Hamad Husainy, DO, FACEP, chief medical officer of PointClickCare, a health tech company helping providers deliver exceptional care
In 2026, improving patient safety and care quality will depend on how effectively healthcare systems leverage real-time intelligence to inform decisions across the continuum. Fortunately, next year, more organizations will be able to take advantage of AI-enabled tools to help unify fragmented data, giving clinicians timely insight into a patient’s condition, risks, and needs. When data drives timely, coordinated action, health systems can enhance outcomes, strengthen safety, and create a more connected, responsive model of care.
Clay Ritchey, CEO of Verato, which provides identity intelligence expertise
In 2026, the definition of patient safety will expand beyond preventing clinical errors to include ensuring the integrity of the data that guides every decision. As AI in care delivery becomes more common, fragmented data can turn small errors into larger ones instead of preventing them. True digital safety will depend on knowing exactly who the patient is at every touchpoint, and every record will need to be mapped to the correct individual, with accuracy maintained as patient information moves between care settings. Without a foundation of trusted identity, healthcare cannot deliver on the promise of AI to ensure patient safety, predict risks, and personalize care responsibly, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
Sandra Johnson, SVP of Client Services at CliniComp, an EHR solution provider
2026 will bring a meaningful shift in patient safety as organizations move from analyzing what went wrong to acting on what might go wrong. Advanced EHRs will push timely, highly relevant insights to clinicians at the bedside, enabling earlier interventions and reducing preventable adverse events. This evolution will reset expectations for what safe care should look like.
Alexandria Foley, RN, Chief Nursing Officer at Brook, a remote care company
Throughout 2026, we’re going to watch as continuous remote monitoring incrementally stops being an experimental patient safety tool and moves to the front line. That will accelerate as AI helps surface the right signals into simple clinician workflows, with nurses and health coaches reviewing and acting on the data to catch deterioration earlier to course correct and improve adherence. The goal for the next year is clear: turn continuous data into timely actions so patients and providers see changes that matter.
Kristie Ressler, DO, Chief Medical Officer at Avalon Healthcare Solutions, which provides diagnostic Intelligence transforming complex data into clear, evidence-based decisions
In 2026, advancing patient safety will depend on how well we transform lab data into actionable intelligence that improves both care quality and cost efficiency. When lab benefits management is guided by evidence and insight, it becomes a catalyst for safer, more precise decisions—ensuring every test, diagnosis, and treatment truly adds value for patients. The path to value-driven care begins with smarter, safer testing.
Shelley Davis, MSN, RNC, CCM, VP of Clinical Strategy at Lightbeam Health Solutions, a company offering population health enablement technology and solutions
In 2026, patient safety and quality improvement will increasingly rely on AI-powered clinical decision support, real-time risk monitoring, and predictive analytics as CMS expands specialty-focused value-based care models. Health systems that embed AI into specialty workflows—such as early detection algorithms, automated care gap identification, and advanced care monitoring—will be best positioned to reduce preventable harm and drive clinical consistency. Health plans can accelerate this progress by enhancing interoperability, incentivizing evidence-based care pathways, and partnering with providers to scale AI-enabled safety and quality solutions.
Sean Cassidy, CEO and Co-Founder, Lucem Health, a healthcare technology company that develops AI-powered solutions for early disease detection, finding undertreated patients, and identifying high-risk patients
Healthcare innovation will be increasingly delivered through true partnerships, not technology. As AI moves deeper into core clinical and operational workflows, health systems will no longer accept usage- or volume-based models that ask them to absorb all the risk; instead, they will demand shared-risk partnerships in which pricing is tied explicitly to objectively measured clinical and financial value. This shift in economic models will force vendors to treat innovation as a performance obligation rather than a promise, rewarding those that deliver clear, repeatable results and relegating others to the sidelines.
Heather Bassett, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Xsolis, an AI-driven health technology company fostering collaboration between healthcare providers and payers
In 2025, I launched an AI podcast and featured experts across a range of healthcare fields. These conversations gave me a front-row seat into how quickly healthcare is changing — and how essential safety and integrity are in driving that change responsibly. Our discussions, which covered AI in clinical safety, remote monitoring, and AI empathy, and more, reinforced one simple truth: innovation only matters if it supports (not replaces) clinician judgment, and if it protects patients and earns their trust. In 2026, I believe we’ll see AI move from experimentation to deeper deployments — where safety, validation, and collaboration define success. The goal isn’t just more AI; it’s to ensure every innovation strengthens the safety, quality, and humanity of care.
Todd Doze, CEO of Janus Health, a health tech company delivering AI-powered solutions for the revenue cycle, empowering healthcare systems with automation and insight
Providers will be confronted with far more patients in need of charity care due to Medicaid cuts and higher rates of uninsured patients. To keep their patients safe and healthy, it will be essential that healthcare providers find new ways to extend access to care. Success in such a difficult financial environment will require providers to increasingly rely on AI and automation to drive gains in efficiency that free staff to spend more face-to-face time assisting patients.
Betsy Castillo, RN, VP of Clinical Data Abstraction at Carta Healthcare, provider of AI-powered clinical data abstraction solutions
Innovation in patient safety is shifting toward practical tools that help clinicians act sooner and more effectively. Health systems are using predictive analytics to spot risks before harm occurs, strengthening infection control and diagnostic accuracy, while also tackling disparities by weaving social determinants of health into care strategies.
Together, these efforts are moving healthcare toward high‑reliability models where technology, workforce design, and patient engagement work hand‑in‑hand to reduce preventable harm and improve outcomes.
Patrick Lane, President, Health Gorilla, a designated QHIN under TEFCA
For the first time, promoting efficacy will be just as important as protecting privacy when governing healthcare data access in 2026. The federal government’s enhanced focus on information-blocking represents a major change shaping how healthcare organizations approach data sharing. Moving forward, organizations will need to more clearly justify why they choose to not share data, rather than defaulting to silence out of compliance concerns. The chronic under-sharing of data strangles innovation and undermines the health of millions: We can do better.
Patricia Hayes, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Imagine Pediatrics, a pediatric medical group delivering 24/7 virtual and in-home care for children with special healthcare needs
In 2026, improving safety and quality for children with special health care needs will depend on deeper integration across pediatric services and better data interoperability. When we integrate medical, behavioral, and social support and when data is interoperable between points of care, we’re able to more fully address whole-child and family needs to improve outcomes. The next phase of innovation will focus on measurable outcomes such as “safe days at home” as a standard of quality.
Doreen Samelson, Ed.D. MSCP, Chief Clinical Officer, Catalight, one of the nation’s largest behavioral health networks, dedicated to redefining care for individuals with autism and intellectual developmental disabilities (I/DD)
As we enter 2026, we’ll see a pivotal moment in autism and I/DD care as advancing research reveals the importance of varied and personalized treatment approaches. Each individual’s experience and goals are unique, and our healthcare system must reflect that reality. Expanding accessible, evidence-informed options will be essential to ensuring people receive interventions that truly align with who they are and what matters most in their lives.
Stephen Stewart, COO at CareHarmony
As we look toward 2026, patient safety will increasingly be defined by an organization’s ability to identify risk early, intervene consistently, and maintain visibility across large patient populations. Traditional monitoring approaches, built around intermittent check-ins or patient self-escalation, often make it difficult for care teams to spot issues until they’ve already begun to escalate. AI-enabled clinical monitoring is helping close that gap.
For example, at CareHarmony, our approach centers on using AI to continuously evaluate a broad set of signals: changes in symptoms, gaps in adherence, shifting social factors, or patterns in patient engagement that might indicate growing risk. By analyzing these inputs in real time, CareBlocks highlights situations that deserve timely attention and flag it to the care team, allowing them to focus on patients who may be beginning to struggle rather than relying solely on scheduled touchpoints.
What this means for patient safety is a shift from detection to anticipation. Instead of responding to adverse events, teams can address concerns while they’re still manageable, reducing preventable hospitalizations, improving medication safety, and supporting better chronic disease control. Equally important, this kind of monitoring creates more consistency across the care continuum, ensuring that no patient becomes “invisible” between visits.
Julia Strandberg, Chief Business Leader, Connected Care at Philips
Remote monitoring becomes standard for safe care transitions
In 2026, remote monitoring will shift from a niche solution for high-risk patients to a standard component of discharge planning, empowering individuals to recover safely at home. Most individuals leaving a hospital—whether from acute care or otherwise—will have tailored monitoring plans, improving outcomes and reducing readmissions. As a result, remote monitoring will no longer be optional; it will be integral to person-centered care, ensuring continuity and safety beyond hospital walls.
Nicholas Rains, Chief Business Development Officer, Motive Medical Intelligence, a healthcare data and analytics company advancing physician-level performance and value-based care
As we move into 2026, advancing patient safety and quality will depend on broad application of evidence-based clinical analytics that target the $400 billion problem of unnecessary and low-value care.
Dr. Aaron Galaznik, Chief Medical Officer, MDClone, a data analytics company that enables meaningful dialogue with granular clinical information
One of the most important innovation trends in patient safety is the shift toward privacy-preserving synthetic data, which allows teams to explore patterns, test hypotheses, and identify risks without waiting for traditional data access. By removing privacy barriers while maintaining clinical fidelity, synthetic data enables faster learning cycles and more proactive quality interventions in a way that’s respectful of patient confidentiality and information security.
Stephanie Smith, MD, VP, Clinical Intelligence, Accuity, tech-powered, physician-led clinical documentation review services for hospitals, leading to higher quality clinical documentation and accurate, compliant coding
In 2026, health systems will recognize AI-enabled clinical integrity as a patient safety priority rather than just a revenue goal. Every care decision, from treatment planning to medication management, depends on a complete understanding of the patient’s story. When coding and documentation fail to capture that complexity, risk increases across the continuum of care. As market awareness grows, organizations will embrace clinically governed AI models that align documentation with the care delivered, accurately reflecting each patient’s condition and supporting safer, higher-quality outcomes.
Kim Perry, Chief Growth Officer at emtelligent, clinical-grade AI
By the end of 2026, most health systems will recognize that meaningful patient-safety gains depend on the accuracy of the data feeding their AI tools. We’ll see a stronger emphasis on high-fidelity clinical data extraction and more reliable patient case summarization, allowing AI systems to support clinicians with clearer, more actionable insights at the point of care. Health systems will also begin evaluating models with clinically meaningful tests and will recruit clinical champions to participate directly in governance, guide testing, and encourage adoption. These steps will ensure AI is rolled out safely, ethically, and in full compliance—and will finally translate into real improvements in care quality, patient outcomes, and financial performance.
S.V. Mahadevan, CMO and co-founder of Fold Health, the first AI-powered operating layer that unifies care delivery to optimize performance across fee-for-service and value-based care
In today’s healthcare system, patients are often asked to be their own care quarterback: tracking results, recalling instructions, coordinating referrals, following up on tests, and navigating a maze of disconnected systems. Most aren’t equipped for that role. They don’t have the medical expertise, the time, or a clear path through the complexity, and the burden often falls back on clinicians already stretched by documentation, inbox volume, and fragmented data. In 2026, that dynamic begins to shift. AI and large language models will help create a more connected, proactive system around the patient—one where important signals don’t get lost, next steps are coordinated automatically, and clinicians receive the few insights that truly matter in the moment they’re needed. Instead of expecting patients or physicians to stitch everything together alone, these tools will help close loops, surface risks earlier, and ensure care moves forward without constant manual effort. The end goal isn’t just reducing cognitive strain for clinicians; it’s giving patients a safer, clearer, more supported experience in a system that finally works on their behalf.
Thomas Ervesun, CEO, Alphaeon, a leading third-party financing company in the healthcare sector
Healthcare affordability is a crisis in this country. Rising costs, skyrocketing insurance premiums and cuts to federal programs are making it difficult for people to get the care they need, which worsens public health. I think 2026 will see providers, policymakers, and patients focused on increasing access to care through innovative approaches.