Across industries, consumers have grown accustomed to intuitive, personalized, and connected digital experiences. In 2026, the health systems that excel will be those that meet patients where they are, utilize AI to remove friction and anticipate needs, and orchestrate experiences across channels, services, and moments that matter.
Based on what we’re seeing firsthand with health systems, here are the key patient experience shifts we expect to define 2026.
In 2026, patients will take matters into their own hands more rapidly than at any point in history. When access is confusing, wait times are long, or information is hard to find, patients won’t wait; they'll look elsewhere. That could mean choosing a different provider, turning to retail or virtual options, or managing care independently.
For health systems, this raises the stakes. Being present across search, web, mobile, portals, and third‑party tools will be essential to retaining even “basic” business. With advances in interoperability standards, health systems will finally be able to take patient data out of the EMR and make it actionable. The patient experience will increasingly be defined by the moments before a visit ever occurs: discovery, answer engine optimization, scheduling, preparation, and ongoing digital engagement.
This is where orchestration matters. Health systems that unify identity, context, and access across channels can engage patients earlier, guide them more effectively, and reduce the friction that drives leakage.
We also expect 2026 to be the year of personal health optimization. Patients will focus on understanding themselves through at-home tests, wearables, and personal tracking, using AI and technology to learn what works best for them.
There is no longer a one-size-fits-all approach to diet, exercise, sleep, or mental health. Patients will expect healthcare experiences to reflect their personal needs. They’ll bring more data, more questions, and higher expectations into every interaction.
A major driver of this shift will be the continued use of large language models (LLMs) as a first touchpoint in healthcare. Patients will increasingly turn to AI tools to interpret symptoms, review lab results, and educate themselves, often before engaging with a provider. As a result, providers can expect more informed (and opinionated) patients requesting specific bloodwork, screenings, and follow-up tests.
This behavior will likely drive an uptick in visits and lab utilization among certain subsets of the population, particularly those who are digitally engaged and financially advantaged. For health systems, this represents not only a care delivery challenge, but also an opportunity. Organizations that can meet these patients with seamless digital access, intelligent guidance, and easy pathways to services will be better positioned to capture demand while maintaining trust and clinical appropriateness.
Health systems that can connect these external signals into cohesive, personalized experiences will be better equipped to support patients across their care journeys.
In 2026, we’ll see AI more directly impact care delivery and patient‑facing experiences. As payment models and policies continue to evolve, we’ll start to see supervised autonomous workflows and recommendations. With the push into autonomy for clinical decision‑making, triage, and guidance, the need for richer patient context will grow dramatically.
Generic digital experiences won’t be enough. AI‑enabled care requires a deeper understanding of who the patient is, where they are in their journey, and what they’ve already done across digital and clinical touchpoints. Without that context, even the most advanced AI tools will fail to deliver on their promise.
Platforms that can unify data, identity, and behavioral signals will be critical to making AI feel helpful and trustworthy rather than fragmented and intrusive.
While true price transparency will remain elusive in 2026, patients will be more cost‑conscious than ever. Rising out‑of‑pocket expenses and economic pressure will push consumers to weigh perceived value, convenience, and affordability more carefully when making care decisions.
This doesn’t mean patients will always choose the lowest cost option, but they will demand transparency. Care options that acknowledge cost concerns, simplify choices, and reduce unnecessary steps will stand out. Digital experiences that feel confusing or misleading will erode trust quickly.
Health systems that personalize pathways, recommend relevant services, and reduce administrative friction will be better positioned to earn patient loyalty, even in the absence of full pricing transparency.
By 2026, many health systems will have moved as much cost out of the system as reasonably possible without impacting the quality of care. The next frontier will be top‑line growth, particularly growth driven by internal services, assets, and patient relationships. Digital will become an increasingly competitive channel for driving new patient growth and existing patient loyalty, reducing re-acquisition costs.
This shift elevates the importance of the digital patient experience. Growth will increasingly come from engaging existing patients at the point of search and guiding them to the right services within the system. Digitally engaged patients (those who log in, interact, and return) will become one of the strongest indicators of long‑term value.
Just as banking, travel, and retail transformed their industries by prioritizing digital consumer experiences, healthcare will hit a similar inflection point in 2026. Most care decisions will be made before any human interaction occurs, and digitally engaged patients will emerge as the strongest driver of growth and loyalty.
Health systems that deliver intuitive, seamless digital access will gain a decisive competitive advantage. Those that don’t risk becoming invisible at the very moments patients are choosing where to turn for care.
We see 2026 as an opportunity for forward-thinking health systems to move beyond disconnected tools and toward true experience orchestration, setting themselves up to win patient loyalty and retention at a critical moment in time.
