Ten Health Care Trends Set to Reshape U.S. Medicine Through 2026

The U.S. health care system faces a pivotal inflection point over the next year, with roughly 11% of Americans already unable to access or afford care—a figure expected to rise as mounting challenges reshape clinical practice, according to a forecast of 2026 trends by professional liability insurer The Doctors Company.

Health care organizations are racing to implement AI across clinical and administrative functions this year, with more than 1,000 AI-enabled tools receiving FDA authorization and two-thirds of physicians already using AI in some capacity, according to the report. Leading institutions like Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic have launched hundreds of AI projects aimed at streamlining everything from diagnostics to documentation to scheduling and billing.

However, trust remains the critical variable in health care, the report said. The gulf between accessing AI and genuinely trusting its recommendations will determine which health care systems gain clinician buy-in and which face resistance and potential litigation.

“Clinical judgment remains central to patient care,” said Deepika Srivastava, chief operating officer of The Doctors Company.

The digital transformation extends far beyond clinical applications. An estimated $1 trillion in health care spending is migrating toward digital-first models, with telemedicine platforms, remote monitoring technologies, and AI-enabled workflow solutions promising significant operational efficiencies. Yet the post-pandemic evolution of telehealth—marked by rapid expansion followed by contraction and company closures—illustrates the risks of technology adoption without proper clinical oversight and integration with legacy systems, the report said.

“The brilliant innovators driving health care technology often don’t understand that the ultimate endpoint of every patient interaction is liability,” said Peter A. Kolbert, senior vice president for Complex Claims Counsel at TDC.

The rise of agentic AI represents another frontier in 2026. Unlike current generative AI systems that function assistively, agentic AI operates autonomously, independently ordering diagnostics, adjusting medications, scheduling appointments, and initiating patient outreach, the report noted. As these systems move beyond administrative applications into clinical decision-making, they raise fundamental questions about accountability when autonomous AI actions result in patient harm—and whether clinicians face liability for following or disregarding algorithmic recommendations.

Legal Volatility and Access Crisis Converge

The medical malpractice landscape has grown increasingly treacherous. Nuclear verdicts—plaintiff awards exceeding $10 million—have surged in both frequency and magnitude. The average of the top 50 medical malpractice verdicts climbed to $56 million in 2024 from $32 million in 2022, with record-breaking cases like a $951 million judgment in Utah and a $70.8 million verdict in Florida reshaping jury expectations and legal precedent.

“Social inflation”—the phenomenon of average claim costs growing faster than general inflation—is being driven by jury decisions increasingly influenced by social media, cultural narratives, and legal tactics like “anchoring,” where plaintiffs’ attorneys suggest inflated damages figures to influence the frame of reference.

The financial consequences are destabilizing hospitals, particularly those already struggling with workforce shortages and reimbursement pressures, the report said. Hospital closures are accelerating, especially in rural areas, where nearly 60% now lack labor and delivery services, the report said. In fact, 60% of U.S. counties now have a majority of residents without adequate access to multiple forms of critical health care.

Reproductive health care presents a distinct liability challenge. In the aftermath of Roe vs. Wade‘s reversal, clinicians across 26 states face legal ambiguity when providing emergency reproductive care, leaving them caught between potential violations of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act and exposure to civil or criminal liability.

Tort reform is emerging as an urgent legislative priority in 2026, the report said. More than 30 states have enacted medical liability reform laws, but these efforts face constant attack. Key reforms under consideration include rational caps on noneconomic damages, increased transparency in litigation financing, and clear standards for admissibility of AI-generated evidence in court.

“These caps play a critical role in helping to control overall health care costs and preserving patient access to care,” said Robert E. White Jr., president of The Doctors Company.

Care Models Shift as Clinician Leadership Remains Central

The distribution of care in 2026 is moving decisively homeward. “Hospital At Home” models have gained significant momentum, with 400 hospitals across 140 health care systems already receiving CMS approval for such initiatives. Evidence demonstrates that home-based acute care delivers lower mortality and readmission rates, reduced complications, and higher patient satisfaction compared to traditional inpatient settings, the report said.

Advanced practice clinicians—nurse practitioners and physician assistants—are pivotal to this transition, the report said. Research shows that in states where nurse practitioners have broader scope of practice, patient populations are healthier. These clinicians increasingly work within well-defined team structures alongside physicians, who will assume supervisory and consultative roles focused on complex cases.

“Physicians will remain essential, but will increasingly supervise, consult, and specialize in complex cases,” said Julie Ritzman, senior vice president for Patient Safety and Risk Management at The Doctors Company.

Obtain the full report on 2026 predictions here. &