From chatbots and scribes to deeper conversations about the lack of regulations and ethical concerns, it seems you can’t talk to anyone in healthcare without AI at least coming up in passing. Going into 2026, the story is likely to remain the same, health tech leaders told Healthcare Brew.

Experts spoke with us about their predictions and ideal plans for 2026.

Nele Jessel, chief medical officer, Athenahealth

2026 will be the year the electronic health record (EHR) learns to think, shifting the conversation from interoperability to intelligence and driving more proactive care. We’ve made real progress on data access, but instead, we flooded physicians with too much of it. The real breakthrough coming next year is AI that synthesizes, not just searches. The EHR will stop being the enemy of the physician and start acting like a second mind, clearly telling the patient’s story instead of hiding information that really matters behind hundreds of tabs.

Here’s what leaders told us.—CM

Welcome back to AI 411, a monthly roundup of AI announcements from across the healthcare industry.

In late December, the Department of Health and Human Services canceled some of the Biden administration’s plans to regulate health IT, including AI. Among the terminated programs was a model card rule, which would have required health techs to share how their AI tools are made and tested.

Also in December, tech companies Athenahealth and Microsoft announced a new partnership, among other news. Here’s your breakdown of AI updates.

Aidoc/WellSpan Health. York, Pennsylvania-based health system WellSpan Health shared on Dec. 10 an expanded partnership with Aidoc, the developer of AI tools that read radiology images and enhance clinical accuracy. The tech will now be used at the health system’s nine hospitals and 250+ care sites.

AngelEye. AngelEye, which uses AI to track potential issues in the NICU and pediatric ICU, announced a $9 million Series C on Dec. 9. The fundraise was led by investor Mountain Group Partners.

See the full list here.—CM

There’s a new, dedicated Health mode in ChatGPT, formalizing what users were already doing: asking it medical questions. OpenAI promises stronger privacy protections and more tailored health guidance—but the update blurs the line between offering context and dispensing potentially dangerous pseudo-medical advice.

What happened? Over 230 million people turn to OpenAI’s chatbot for medical advice each week (ChatGPT, what exactly is this rash?). With the ChatGPT Health update, OpenAI says users can “securely” share their health information with the chatbot. They can also now connect medical records directly to ChatGPT, link their wearables, and pull data from popular health and fitness apps like Apple Health, MyFitnessPal, Peloton, and even AllTrails.

Per OpenAI, conversations in Health are encrypted, isolated from your main chat history, and not used for model training. The company says physicians helped shape its safety guidelines and that ChatGPT should redirect users to real medical professionals when appropriate—though it’s not yet clear where that line is drawn. OpenAI says the tool isn’t for diagnosis or treatment—like that’s going to stop people.

Keep reading on Tech Brew.—WK

More than two years after Roe v. Wade fell, the patchwork of abortion access across the US is more complicated than ever. Ten states put reproductive rights directly on the ballot in 2024, with mixed results—and ongoing legal challenges are reshaping care again. For providers, policymakers, and patients alike, the uncertainty has real consequences. Here’s how state laws, federal reviews, and shifting access are redefining reproductive care in 2026.

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