May 4, 2026 | Heinz W. Süess
This is a summary of the „Health IT 2026 Trend Report“ with additions on the Swiss healthcare market.
For a long time, the digitalization of the healthcare system was primarily a regulatory project. Electronic patient files, e-prescriptions and telematics infrastructure were mostly initiated politically and then implemented technically. But in 2026, the dynamics will change fundamentally: artificial intelligence will develop from a field of experimentation into a strategic system driver.
The current „Healthcare IT 2026 Trend Report“ from the bvitg clearly shows that the German healthcare system is at a turning point. On the one hand, comprehensive reforms are driving structural transformation. On the other hand, AI is rapidly changing processes, role models and care models.
The central question is therefore no longer whether AI will change the healthcare system - but how quickly and under what regulatory conditions.
AI in the healthcare sector: The mood is turning positive
The acceptance of AI in healthcare is growing significantly - among both patients and doctors.
According to the trend report, 71% of patients already have a positive attitude towards the use of AI in healthcare. There is also a clear trend on the medical side:
-
78 percent see AI as a great opportunity for medicine
-
67 percent call for greater promotion of AI in Germany
-
63 percent want AI support in everyday medical care
What is particularly exciting is that many discussions are no longer just about individual AI tools, but about so-called AI agents.
From chatbots to AI agents: The next stage of development
Until now, many AI applications in the healthcare sector have been based on traditional language models or automated workflows.
A typical example:
A chatbot answers patient inquiries or suggests free appointments. The system works efficiently - but within clearly defined rules.
In 2026, however, the focus will shift to so-called „agentic AI“ systems.
The difference is crucial:
-
A classic AI system reacts to inputs.
-
An AI agent pursues its own goals.
This means that AI agents can plan tasks, prioritize information, use various tools and evaluate interim results.
This fundamentally changes the role of AI - from an assistance function to a coordinating system component.
Where AI is already delivering real added value today
The report clearly shows that the greatest potential currently lies not in autonomous diagnostics, but in administrative and knowledge-based processes.
Three fields of application are currently particularly relevant:
1. knowledge management
Medical knowledge is growing exponentially. Guidelines, studies and documentation are becoming more complex.
AI agents help with this,
-
Structuring information
-
prepare content contextually
-
make relevant findings available more quickly
2. patient communication
The next generation of digital communication goes far beyond classic chatbots.
AI systems can in future:
-
Prioritize patient requests
-
Coordinate appointments
-
Include information from the ePA
-
Document communication processes
This results in significantly more efficient and personalized supply processes.
3. administration and documentation processes
One of the biggest levers lies in relieving the burden on medical staff.
AI can:
-
Transcribing medical consultations
-
Recognize documentation gaps
-
Suggest coding
-
Prepare discharge letters
-
Analyze billing processes
Some companies are already talking about up to 80 percent less documentation work.
Why regulation is now becoming a key factor
As dynamically as AI is developing, special rules apply in the healthcare sector.
Data protection, liability, traceability and medical device law set clear limits.
The trend report therefore makes this clear:
Fully autonomous AI systems in the core clinical process are currently neither regulatory nor ethically realistic.
Instead, semi-autonomous systems with clearly defined responsibilities are being created.
At the same time, Europe is massively expanding its regulatory framework.
EU AI Act, EHDS and GeDIG: The new digital health order
In 2026, a regulatory architecture will emerge that will shape healthcare IT for years to come.
EU AI Act
The EU AI Act is the first Europe-wide set of regulations for AI systems.
The focus is on:
-
Risk classification
-
Transparency obligations
-
Governance structures
-
Safety requirements
-
Market surveillance
For companies, this means that AI will not only have to be innovative in the future, but also regulatory resilient.
European Health Data Space (EHDS)
The EHDS creates a European health data space.
The aim is a cross-border exchange of health data - with uniform interoperability standards.
This opens up enormous opportunities:
-
Better research
-
Data-driven innovation
-
Europe-wide supply concepts
-
More powerful AI models
At the same time, the requirements for data security and technical integration are increasing.
GeDIG: The ePA becomes a control instrument
The planned „Act for Data and Digital Innovation in Healthcare“ (GeDIG) is particularly exciting.
In future, the electronic patient file is to develop from a pure data repository into an active digital care platform.
The plans include:
-
Digital initial assessments
-
Appointment management
-
Patient management
-
Greater use of data
-
digital identities
-
Mandatory eTransfers
The ePA is thus increasingly becoming the digital operating system of the healthcare system.
Hospital reform, emergency care and nursing care: digitalization becomes infrastructural
The report also shows that digitalization is no longer viewed in isolation.
The current reform projects are having a profound impact on care structures:
-
Hospital reform (KHAG)
-
Reform of emergency care
-
Pharmacy reform
-
Care reform
-
Primary care system
Particularly relevant for healthcare IT:
In future, interoperable platforms, real-time data flows and digital control systems will become a basic requirement for modern supply.
New requirements are emerging in emergency care in particular:
-
Digital triage
-
Control center integration
-
Telemedicine
-
Cross-sector communication
Health IT is thus evolving from a supporting infrastructure to a central control instrument of the healthcare system.
The real change starts now
The most exciting point of the report may not lie in individual technologies.
But in the realization that the role of AI is changing fundamentally.
In 2025, the focus was still on individual use cases.
2026 is all about integrated system architectures.
The competition of the future will therefore not be decided by the „best model“ alone.
Become decisive:
-
Integration capability
-
Interoperability
-
Regulatory conformity
-
Governance structures
-
Process integration
The healthcare industry is thus moving into a new phase:
Away from isolated digitization.
Towards data-driven, AI-supported supply systems.
DACH perspective: What Switzerland does differently
While Germany 2026 is primarily characterized by major regulatory projects and structural reforms, the digitalization of the Swiss healthcare system is developing in a different field of tension.
While Germany 2026 is primarily characterized by major regulatory projects and structural reforms, the digitalization of the Swiss healthcare system is developing in a different field of tension.
Switzerland traditionally has a more decentralized healthcare system. Many digitalization initiatives therefore arise less from central political control than from cantonal, institutional or market-driven developments.
At the same time, the pressure to make processes more efficient, interoperable and data-driven is also increasing in Switzerland.
Electronic patient dossier: progress with challenges
The electronic patient record (EPR) remains one of the key digitization topics.
However, the situation is similar to that in Germany:
The technical introduction alone is not enough.
This will be decisive in the future:
-
User friendliness
-
Concrete added value in day-to-day care
-
Interoperability
-
Integration into clinical processes
Many service providers continue to criticize the high level of complexity, fragmented structures and limited practical benefits in everyday life.
At the same time, however, there is growing political and economic pressure to expand digital data spaces and standardized interfaces.
AI is also gaining strategic importance in Switzerland
The use of AI is developing particularly dynamically in the Swiss healthcare sector.
New applications are currently emerging in the following areas in particular:
-
medical documentation
-
Radiology and image analysis
-
Administrative process automation
-
Patient communication
-
Clinical decision support
Switzerland benefits from its strong research landscape and the close links between universities, clinics and technology companies.
University hospitals and innovative healthcare networks in particular are already testing AI-supported assistance systems in real-life care scenarios.
Data protection and regulation remain key factors
This is also evident in Switzerland:
AI in healthcare is not just a technology topic.
Data protection, data sovereignty and regulatory security are becoming massively more important.
In addition, Switzerland will increasingly have to align its regulatory framework with European developments - particularly in the context of:
-
EU AI Act
-
European Health Data Space (EHDS)
-
Interoperability standards
-
cross-border data use
For internationally active health IT companies in particular, this creates new requirements for compliance, governance and technical standards.
Swiss healthcare system between innovation and federalism
Switzerland's starting position differs significantly from Germany.
While Germany is strongly controlled by nationwide reforms, innovations in Switzerland are often decentralized and can be piloted more quickly.
This can bring advantages:
-
Faster testing of new technologies
-
High innovative strength of individual players
-
Close cooperation between research and care
At the same time, federalism often makes it difficult to scale digital solutions across the board.
The coming years in Switzerland are therefore likely to be strongly influenced by how well technological innovation, regulatory security and interoperable infrastructures can be combined.
Conclusion
2026 will be a key strategic year for healthcare IT.
The technological development of AI agents is coming up against far-reaching regulatory and structural reforms.
This is precisely the central area of tension in the coming years:
Innovation is developing faster than existing supply systems.
For companies, this means
If you want to be successful in the future, you have to think about technology, regulation and supply practice together.
The winners will not be those who simply use AI.
But rather those that integrate AI into real supply processes in a meaningful, interoperable and regulatory resilient way.
Source:
bvitg „Trend Report Health IT 2026“
