A curated roundup of what's moving in EMR/EHR software — AI and ambient documentation, interoperability, security, and policy — with links to the original reporting. Updated regularly.
New research finds ambient AI scribes — which listen to the visit and draft the note automatically — cut clinician documentation time by roughly 16 minutes per encounter and lowered total EHR time, helping ease burnout.
2 Minute Medicine · 2026 →AI & Ambient DocumentationRoughly two-thirds of hospitals on Epic have adopted ambient AI documentation, with systems like Sharp HealthCare and MaineHealth reporting meaningful drops in after-hours charting.
American Hospital Association · Apr 2026 →AI Agents in the EHREpic introduced a visual builder that lets health systems create their own AI agents, plus 'Curiosity' medical foundation models — alongside agents that draft notes, chase billing denials, and answer patient questions.
HIT Consultant · Mar 2026 →AI Agents in the EHROracle's rebuilt EHR favors voice commands over clicks and embeds AI agents across documentation, nursing, and revenue-cycle tasks.
Fierce Healthcare · 2026 →InteroperabilityThe national interoperability framework scaled from ~10M records in early 2025 to nearly 500M, and the Social Security Administration now pulls records to speed benefit decisions. ONC also released draft USCDI v7 with 29 new data elements.
ONC (HealthIT.gov) · 2026 →SecurityRansomware remains healthcare's top cyber threat, with the average attack now costing about $10.2M. A 2026 breach at EHR vendor CareCloud is a reminder to confirm your vendor's MFA, encryption, and breach-response practices.
Zeron / HIPAA Journal · 2026 →Medicare & BillingThe 2026 rule streamlines the Medicare telehealth services list, permanently removes some visit-frequency limits, and sets the originating-site fee at $31.85 — changes your EMR's billing and telehealth setup should reflect.
CMS · Jan 2026 →Market & VendorsEpic was the only EHR selected by large (10+ hospital) systems in 2025, adding 77 hospitals, while Oracle Health lost 56 — worth watching if you're weighing a vendor's long-term stability.
HIT Consultant / KLAS · May 2026 →Compare 46 EMR and billing vendors by specialty and size — free for practices.