Health Daily - 03/01/2026

• Black Book Research has released its 2026 State of Global Digital Healthcare Technology report, a comprehensive benchmark evaluating EHR and digital health performance across 147 countries and 70 vendors. 
• The report assesses vendors against 18 operational KPIs, including usability, localization, interoperability, AI readiness, and cybersecurity posture, providing insights for evidence‑based decision‑making. 
• A key finding shows a shift away from large U.S. platforms, with 91% of organizations outside the U.S. prioritizing regional vendors, citing digital sovereignty and implementation speed as primary factors. 
• The report is available as a no‑cost digital download, aiming to support healthcare leaders, policymakers, and clinicians in making informed technology choices to improve patient care and expand healthcare access. 

• Dr. Penny Kechagioglou and other digital health leaders predict that 2026 will see NHS organizations focus on improving productivity to reduce waiting lists for elective surgery and cancer, with generative AI dominating the data analytics space. 
• The use of intelligent triaging using AI for urgent and emergency care, ambient voice technology (AVT), and federated data platforms will increase, leading to quicker and more effective patient triage and better operational decision‑making. 
• Community and social care data will merge with acute data, and citizen adoption of the NHS App will increase, although this may bring local challenges such as sensitive data sharing and accurate appointment scheduling. 
• Healthcare leadership will need to adapt to the new digital reality, with a greater emphasis on cyber‑security, AI‑enabled technologies, and clinically led digital change to deliver measurable productivity and efficiency in financially constrained environments. 

• The NHS 10‑year health plan will use technology and AI to enable out‑of‑hospital care, interoperability and data‑driven pathways, aiming to reduce waiting lists. 
• Community pharmacies and neighbourhood health centres are expected to become integrated health hubs, delivering diagnostics, chronic‑condition management and elective care closer to patients. 
• Next‑generation AI, open digital platforms such as openEHR, and ambient voice technology will shift from experimental projects to core clinical decision‑support tools, boosting productivity and patient safety. 
• Scaling proven digital solutions and equity‑focused, patient‑centred innovations will be critical, with procurement and data quality needing to keep pace to achieve workforce sustainability.

• The global digital health market, valued at about US$ 361.65 billion in 2024, is projected to grow to US$ 1,907.21 billion by 2033, expanding at a 20.6 % CAGR from 2025 to 2033. • The market includes telemedicine, mobile health apps, wearables, remote monitoring, electronic health records, AI diagnostics, and health analytics, all aimed at improving healthcare delivery and outcomes. • In the US, investments surged in AI tools, telehealth reimbursement stabilised, and regulatory agencies advanced guidelines for AI/ML digital therapeutics; in Europe, initiatives include AI infrastructure expansion and funding for healthcare innovation. • Leading companies shaping the market include Philips, Medtronic, GE HealthCare, Siemens Healthineers, Apple, Teladoc, Telefónica, AT&T, Veradigm, and AirStrip Technologies.

• New laws and regulations in several U.S. states are increasingly requiring healthcare providers and insurers to disclose when AI is used in clinical communications, utilization reviews, claims decisions, or mental health chatbot interactions, to build trust and accountability.
• Informing patients about AI’s role in their care helps uphold principles of informed consent and patient autonomy—patients may not fully understand how AI influences diagnoses, treatments, or coverage decisions without transparent disclosure.
• Failing to disclose AI use can erode patient trust, increase legal and reputational risks for healthcare organisations, and undermine ethical standards of patient-centred care.
• For example, California’s AB 3030 mandates disclaimers for patient communications involving generative AI, while other states like Colorado and Utah are extending disclosure and oversight to high-risk AI systems that materially affect access to care.

• The healthcare industry is gearing up for a debate on how clinical artificial intelligence (AI) should be reimbursed, even though the FDA has authorized 1,357 AI‑enabled medical devices, few of which are currently paid for by insurers. 
• Only three AI tools have secured permanent CPT codes from the AMA—a key step for Medicare and private‑payer reimbursement—while more than 20 temporary category III codes have been issued and additional coding categories are under consideration. 
• Lack of clear payment pathways may hinder AI adoption and limit patient access, prompting experts like Ateev Mehrotra to advocate a shift from “paying for the technology” to “using AI to boost clinician productivity and lower costs.” 
• Starting in 2026, Medicare will reimburse physicians over $1,000 for an AI‑based coronary plaque analysis (one of the three permanent CPT‑coded tools), providing a benchmark that could shape future AI payment models.

• AI enhances clinical intelligence and early detection. AI systems can interpret medical data (e.g., imaging, glucose monitoring) with high precision, helping clinicians detect diseases earlier and support personalised treatment decisions. • Augmenting healthcare professionals. The real value of AI lies in amplifying human capabilities, especially in resource-limited settings, enabling clinicians to have more impact rather than simply automating tasks. • Ethical, patient-centred AI design is crucial. To ensure compassionate care and avoid exacerbating disparities, AI must be developed with ethical governance, inclusivity, transparency, and culturally sensitive design. • AI can help reduce clinician workload and improve equitable access. By handling documentation and data insights, AI gives healthcare workers more time for empathetic patient engagement, while tailored solutions can broaden access for vulnerable populations.

• The global healthcare predictive analytics market is projected to grow from $16.7 billion in 2025 to $50.4 billion by 2030, at a 24.7% CAGR. 
• Predictive analytics uses AI, machine learning, EHRs, medical imaging, genomics, and wearables to anticipate health events, enabling earlier disease detection and cost reduction. 
• The market is segmented by application (clinical, financial, population health, operational), deployment mode (on‑premises, cloud), and end users (payers, providers, others) across major regions including North America, Europe, Asia‑Pacific, MEA, and South America. 
• The report analyzes trends, ESG factors, emerging technologies, and profiles leading companies, providing revenue forecasts from a 2024 base year through 2030. 

• Healthcare IT companies are accelerating digital transformation across clinical operations, patient care, and data interoperability, driven by innovations in AI, cloud computing, and analytics. 
• Leading firms such as IBM Watson Health, Cerner (now part of Oracle Health), Epic, Philips, Siemens Healthineers, and Allscripts are pioneering AI‑driven diagnostics, cloud‑based EHRs, and telehealth while ensuring data privacy. 
• These technologies are improving diagnostic accuracy, reducing costs, and enhancing patient experiences by streamlining workflows and enabling real‑time, evidence‑based decision support. 
• By 2026, healthcare IT will be essential for modern services, helping providers rationalize operations, boost patient outcomes, and adapt to an evolving care landscape. 

• Despite advances like AI and electronic records, many providers in developed systems (e.g., U.S., U.K.) continue using fax machines because they are seen as reliable and secure for transmitting patient information. • Regulations prioritising secure data exchange (such as HIPAA) and the lack of widespread standards for health IT interoperability reinforce fax use, since it functions as a universal, compliant method between disparate systems. • New cloud-based fax solutions incorporating AI (e.g., OCR and NLP) are emerging, helping automate data extraction and reduce manual processing while preserving compliance. • The article argues that healthcare innovation should extend existing effective tools rather than discard them, and that hybrid approaches (like AI-enhanced cloud faxing) demonstrate how legacy systems can evolve rather than be abruptly replaced.

• HIPAA compliance is essential, not optional. Healthcare startups that handle patient health information (PHI) must understand and follow the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules to avoid legal penalties, loss of trust, and operational setbacks. • Common compliance challenges include limited expertise and evolving tech. Startups often lack dedicated compliance resources, face rapid tech changes, and must scale systems without compromising PHI protection. • Build compliance into product design and vendor relationships. Adopting “privacy by design,” choosing secure infrastructure, and signing proper Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with vendors are key to staying compliant from the outset. • Train teams and plan for growth. Regular employee training, clear internal policies, incident response planning, and ongoing risk assessments help startups maintain compliance as they expand.

• Automated advertising systems on major platforms (Meta, Google, Amazon, TikTok) frequently flag medically accurate women’s health products and information (e.g., menopause, pelvic health, postpartum care) as “adult” or “sensitive,” blocking ads despite clinical legitimacy. • A 2025 study found 84% of women’s health businesses reported ad rejections on Meta and significant rejection rates on other platforms, costing some companies up to millions in revenue. • Ads for male sexual health conditions (e.g., erectile dysfunction) are routinely approved, highlighting a systemic bias where language about female bodies triggers blocks that don’t align with written policies. • Startups must pivot to community outreach, euphemistic language, retail distribution, or owned channels to reach patients; suppressed advertising not only raises costs and slows growth but also restricts women’s access to legitimate health resources.

• A global healthcare investment fund, advised by Yukon Capital, has offered $70 million in Series A financing to Pinnacle Blooms Network, marking one of the largest early‑stage fundings for child‑development infrastructure in Asia. 
• The funding will enable Pinnacle to expand its therapy centres from 70+ to 300 within 24 months (and later to 600+), and to launch operations in Southeast Asia and the GCC. 
• Pinnacle’s proprietary GPT‑OS® platform integrates AI‑driven Diagnosis, Prognosis, TherapeuticAI®, AbilityScore® and TherapySphere™ to deliver personalized, data‑rich therapy for autism, speech delays, ADHD and related conditions, having already completed over 20 million one‑to‑one sessions. 
• The company holds ISO 13485 and ISO/IEC 27001 certifications, aligns its 20‑million‑session dataset with WHO ICD‑11 standards, and is conducting multiple clinical studies to generate real‑world evidence for regulatory approval and global scaling.

• A billion-dollar project to streamline online medical records in NSW, called the Single Digital Patient Record, has been marked as having inadequate cybersecurity measures just months before its rollout. 
• The project, costing a minimum of $969 million, aims to consolidate the state's fragmented IT platforms into one secure system, but a leaked review found the authority scored 1.66 out of 3 on cyber risk management. 
• The review noted improvements in some areas, but found “relatively low adoption” of protection capabilities, software management, and secure configuration, and the system is set to go live in March in the Hunter New England Local Health District. 
• The initiative faces potential cost overruns, with the Audit Office of NSW finding the business case “did not adequately consider all project costs” and estimated running costs “lacked sufficient or reliable evidence”. 

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Flow Neuroscience’s FL-100, the first at-home brain stimulation device for treating moderate to severe major depressive disorder in adults.
• The prescription headset uses transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to deliver gentle electrical current to mood-regulating brain regions, enabling home-based neuromodulation therapy.
• Approval follows clinical studies and substantial real-world use in Europe and other markets; it offers a non-drug treatment alternative and could improve access to care beyond traditional clinic settings.
• The device is expected to launch in the U.S. in early 2026 as a prescription treatment, potentially expanding digital and non-pharmacological options for mental health.

• The global use of wearable healthcare devices—including blood pressure monitors, ECGs, glucose monitors, and ultrasound patches—is projected to increase 42-fold by 2050, reaching nearly two billion units annually.
• This massive surge in device consumption is expected to generate about 3.4 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions and significant e-waste, highlighting sustainability challenges.
• Researchers estimate each device could emit up to 6 kg of CO₂ equivalent over its full lifecycle—from raw material extraction to disposal—underscoring the importance of eco-responsible design.
• By 2050, non-invasive continuous glucose monitors are predicted to dominate this category, surpassing other wearables in market share.