Wolters Kluwer 2026 AI Survey: Clinician Adoption Triples, but Trust Gap Widens

Bypaulgruensfelder
Fierce Healthcare June 3, 2026
Read Full Article →
AI-Generated Summary

Wolters Kluwer’s 2026 Future Ready Healthcare Survey—355 clinicians and 254 patients polled by Ipsos in March—reveals AI adoption surging while governance awareness lags sharply. Physician AI use tripled year-over-year from 10% to 38%; nurse use doubled to 32%; and 35% of clinicians now use AI multiple times daily. Yet a significant trust gap persists: 74% of clinicians cite deskilling and hallucinations as top risks, 72% worry AI content shaped by advertisers could bias clinical decisions, and only 27% report knowing their organization’s AI governance policies. Despite these concerns, 70% of both clinicians and patients believe AI can improve health literacy and engagement, and 61% of clinicians say it can free more time for direct patient care.

Why It Matters

Adoption is outpacing governance across most healthcare organizations—and that gap creates regulatory, liability, and care-quality risk. Operators building AI-assisted workflows need governance policies in place before utilization surpasses oversight capacity.

artificial intelligence AI adoption clinical AI AI governance healthcare technology Wolters Kluwer clinician survey

While we aim to share useful and relevant resources, we do not guarantee the accuracy of content on this site or any external links. Views and opinions expressed in referenced content do not necessarily reflect those of Healthcare Growth Strategies.

Frequently asked questions

How much did physician AI use grow from 2025 to 2026?

Physician AI use tripled year-over-year, rising from 10% in 2025 to 38% in 2026, according to Wolters Kluwer’s Future Ready Healthcare Survey. Nurse adoption also doubled, from 16% to 32%, and 35% of clinicians overall now use AI multiple times daily.

What are clinicians’ top AI concerns in healthcare settings?

The top concerns among clinicians are deskilling (74%), hallucinations (74%), and advertiser-driven bias in AI-generated content (72%). Only 27% of clinicians report awareness of their organization’s AI governance policies, indicating a significant governance gap alongside rapid adoption.

What share of clinicians believe AI will improve patient care time?

61% of clinicians believe AI can help them spend more time on direct patient care, and 70% of both clinicians and patients believe AI can enable better patient health literacy and engagement. This optimism coexists with widespread concern about risks that current governance structures have not yet fully addressed.

Similar Posts

  • Google Opens Gemini Business-Profile Management to Multi-Location Accounts

    Bypaulgruensfelder

    Yes — as of August 2026, Google’s Gemini integration for Google Business Profile now works for accounts managing multiple locations, and it is globally available on desktop and mobile. Google confirmed the change in its August Small Business Bulletin, narrowing the single-profile restriction that had limited the June 10 launch to one feature (business notebooks). Gemini drafts and suggested edits run through official Business Profile APIs under the same verification standards as manual changes, and nothing publishes without owner sign-off. The integration is free but currently supports only personal Gmail accounts — Workspace support, which agencies and enterprises rely on, is still “in the works.” Google also stresses that appearing in AI search requires quality content and complete profile data, not special code.

  • MGMA 2026: Only 47% of Medical Groups Report Rising Revenue as Costs Climb

    Bypaulgruensfelder

    Medical practice revenue growth is stalling in 2026 even as costs keep climbing. MGMA’s June 30, 2026 poll found just 47% of medical groups reporting higher year-to-date revenue versus 2025, with 36% reporting a decline—narrowing the gainers’ lead from 26 points a year ago to only 11. Meanwhile 84% report higher operating costs. Two forces drive the squeeze: the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule’s -2.5% work-RVU efficiency adjustment on 7,000+ procedural codes, and ACA marketplace erosion—effectuated enrollment fell to 19.2 million, roughly 3 million below 2025, as average deductibles jumped 37% to a record $3,786. MGMA urges practices to model Medicare impact by CPT code and refresh payer-mix projections now.

  • Jarrard 2026 Survey: Community Impact Drives Hospital Trust and Patient Choice

    Bypaulgruensfelder

    Hospitals seen as strong community partners earn markedly higher consumer trust, advocacy, and preference, according to Jarrard’s 2026 Community Impact Survey — yet fewer than one-third of consumers strongly agree their local hospital is a good community partner. Consumers who do hold that view are 26 points more likely to trust the hospital to do the right thing, 37 points more likely to speak positively about or defend it, 33 points more likely to advocate for it on policy issues, and 24 points more likely to choose it when all else is equal (15 points more likely even when less convenient). Jarrard frames visible community impact as a business imperative tied directly to loyalty and choice.

  • KLAS 2026 RCM Suites Report: Deep Single-Vendor Adopters Collect More

    Bypaulgruensfelder

    Healthcare organizations that run three or more revenue cycle modules from a single vendor — ‘deep adopters’ — report better cash collections and a lower cost to collect than those stitching together point solutions, according to KLAS Research’s 2026 Revenue Cycle Management Suites report. Waystar earned the highest overall grade, an ‘A,’ on the strength of strategic partnership, a cohesive UI across acquired modules, transparent bundled pricing, and high adoption of AI-generated appeals. The top drivers for going all-in with one RCM vendor were vendor consolidation (57%) and building a stronger strategic partnership (57%), followed by pricing (43%) and expanded functionality (41%). KLAS cautioned that no single vendor yet offers a fully mature, end-to-end platform without functional trade-offs.

  • ADA Q2 2026: Dental Fiscal Squeeze Persists as AI Adoption Hits 43%

    Bypaulgruensfelder

    Dentists’ economic confidence rose in Q2 2026 even as a persistent “fiscal squeeze” pressures practice margins: since January 2021, dental equipment, supplies, and staff wages have each climbed 23% while all-payer reimbursement rose just 19%, trailing 27% inflation. Consumer dental spending is up only 1% year-over-year ($216 billion annualized) and has lagged physician and overall health spending over the past decade. Dentists report being busier, with new-patient wait times at 13.9 days, and dental-office employment is up 1.5%. On AI, 43% of dentists now use it — most often for imaging and diagnostics — while four in five reject AI for treatment recommendations, citing the need for clinical judgment. Based on 552 private-practice responses.

  • Hospital Mergers as a Lifeline: What Actually Creates Value

    Bypaulgruensfelder

    Hospital mergers are increasingly a survival move rather than a growth play, as roughly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and ACA changes squeeze margins and raise uncompensated care. Independent and rural hospitals that lack capital for technology and service expansion are seeking larger partners, but stricter state regulatory reviews now threaten deal timelines — Oregon’s Santiam Hospital warned it could become insolvent by August 1 without an expedited merger. Optum Advisory’s Morgan Haines stresses that “the merger itself is never the value”; stabilization comes from post-close investments in technology, service-line redesign, operational improvements, and community partnerships. Leaders are urged to prioritize “speed-to-value.”