The thing that stood out for me after two days at Digital Health Festival 2026 is that healthcare’s biggest challenge is no longer digitisation. Instead, the bigger challenge is coordinating care and translating data into action. Additionally, meeting consumer expectations that are evolving faster than the system itself is a major concern.
Across panels, conversations and my own session on digital front doors, the strongest discussions weren’t really about technology in isolation. The best discussions were about incentives, workforce pressure, system design, navigation, chronic disease, an ageing population and the growing gap between what consumers now expect and what healthcare systems were originally built to deliver.
For insurance leaders, three themes stood out 👇🏻
1. Consumer expectations are being set outside healthcare
A recurring theme throughout DHF26 was that healthcare organisations are no longer competing only against each other. Rather, consumer expectations are increasingly shaped by experiences outside healthcare, from AI assistants and personalised recommendation engines. For instance, real-time digital services now remove friction and simplify decision making.
That shift has major implications for insurers. Members increasingly expect immediacy, personalisation, navigation and proactive engagement. They want systems that help them make decisions faster and with more confidence, particularly as healthcare becomes more complex.
There was a lot of discussion throughout the conference around digital front doors and care navigation, but one that stood out for me was this:
“Healthcare doesn’t need more front doors, it needs an intelligent front door.”
That distinction matters. The future competitive advantage is unlikely to come from simply launching more apps, portals or channels. Instead, it will come from intelligently guiding people through the system and reducing friction. Furthermore, it will come from helping members access the right care at the right time.
For insurers, experience is increasingly becoming a strategic capability rather than a marketing layer.
2. AI is becoming the layer between data and decision
Another major theme throughout DHF26 was the rapid convergence of AI, wearables, sensors and remote monitoring. Importantly, many speakers acknowledged that technology itself is no longer the primary challenge. Healthcare already captures enormous amounts of data through connected devices, sleep tracking, ingestibles, apps and monitoring platforms. The challenge is translating that information into timely and meaningful action.
That is where AI increasingly enters the conversation. Several discussions pointed toward AI becoming the layer between data and decision. Specifically, it helps interpret signals, identify risk earlier, and reduce the time between insight and intervention.
This has significant implications for insurers, particularly in areas such as chronic disease management, mental health, preventative care and navigation. The opportunity is no longer simply collecting more data. Conversely, the real value comes from using intelligence to identify when intervention is needed and helping coordinate support earlier in the member journey.
One of the strongest observations across the two days was that technology is maturing and converging, but not necessarily coordinating. That coordination layer may become one of the most strategically important battlegrounds in healthcare over the next decade.
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3. Healthcare is still designed for episodic care
Perhaps the most important observation from DHF26 was that the system is still designed for episodic care.
That explains many of the pressures currently facing healthcare systems globally. Indeed, rising chronic disease, ageing populations, workforce shortages and affordability pressures are all colliding with models that were largely designed around short-term treatment episodes. These models were not designed for continuous care.
At the same time, consumer needs are increasingly ongoing and interconnected. Healthcare is becoming more longitudinal, more data-driven, and more proactive. Yet, many funding models and operational structures remain reactive and event-driven.
Innovation incentives
One keynotes that particularly stood out explored how funding models directly influence the pace of innovation. Queensland public hospitals, for example, were highlighted as incentivised based on conditions and outcomes rather than simply length of stay. Accordingly, that creates a far stronger incentive to move patients into lower-cost and often more appropriate models of care. For instance, these include virtual care and hospital-at-home programs, while simultaneously freeing up hospital capacity and reducing the need for additional beds (and bricks-and-mortar).
The contrast with stay-based funding models is significant. When hospitals are primarily paid per night, the incentive structure naturally favours longer stays and higher utilisation of physical infrastructure. Unfortunately, this can unintentionally slow (the right type of) innovation and discourage transitions toward more flexible models of care.
It was a strong reminder that many of healthcare’s transformation challenges are not purely technology problems. In many cases, the underlying incentives still shape behaviour more powerfully than the technology itself.
Another comment that resonated with me was that “the public is ahead of the system.” Consumers are increasingly informed, data-enabled and AI-assisted, while many healthcare organisations are still struggling with fragmentation, interoperability and operational complexity.
For insurers, this creates both pressure and opportunity. The role of insurers is gradually expanding beyond claims administration toward coordination, navigation, prevention and longitudinal engagement. The organisations that adapt fastest may not necessarily be those with the biggest technology budgets. Rather, they may be those that best combine intelligence, simplicity and human-centred care.
Final thought
One of the encouraging aspects of DHF26 was that conversations appear to be maturing. The strongest discussions were no longer about technology for technology’s sake. They were about how technology can support better system coordination, earlier intervention and more sustainable models of care.
AI featured heavily throughout the event, but so did an important caution. Several speakers raised concerns about maintaining human connection within increasingly digital healthcare models. In particular, there was concern about losing human touch during vulnerable moments in a patient’s journey.
That balance between intelligence and humanity may become one of healthcare’s defining leadership challenges over the next decade.
For more on the future of digital health, AI and healthcare transformation, check out my recent Innovation Insider podcast episode with Digital Health Festival CEO Terry Cornick here. And to stay updated with the latest in healthcare and insurance innovation, become an Innovation Insider 👇🏻