The Drug Enforcement Administration will extend COVID-19-era telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled medications through Dec. 31, 2026, delaying a return to pre-pandemic requirements that generally mandate an in-person medical visit. Here are five things to know:

2025 was a year of transition for healthcare IT. AI largely moved out of the pilot phase, showing real returns on investment in dollars — and lives — saved. Several big health systems completed or continued big EHR switches. With…

Sayre, Pa.-based Guthrie has improved patient safety and its financial outlook since launching a virtual care center in 2023. The Guthrie Pulse Center has saved the six-hospital system millions of dollars while reducing time spent in the emergency department by…

Tacoma, Wash.-based Virginia Mason Franciscan Health has achieved success after scaling AI for several use cases. Here are four takeaways from a Dec. 29 American Medical Association article: 1. The 10-hospital system, which is part of Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, started…

Little Rock, Ark.-based Baptist Health has experienced time and cost savings from using Amazon Quick Sight, an AI-powered business intelligence platform. Here are three things to know from a Dec. 23 Amazon blog post: 1. The 11-hospital system has cut…

Across healthcare, providers are rapidly deploying tools such as ambient clinical documentation, while payers are adopting AI-powered agents for a growing range of operational and administrative use cases. Looking ahead to 2026, Becker’s Healthcare recently spoke with Jesse Cugliotta, Global…

Ocean Springs, Miss.-based Singing River Health System said it recently took some IT systems offline after detecting a cybersecurity incident in its “early stages.” The three-hospital system shut down its internet and MyChart access Dec. 23 in response to the…

Epic is collaborating with Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine to enhance outpatient care by embedding new technologies throughout clinical settings. In a LinkedIn post, Epic said it is working with Penn Medicine to develop a more integrated, technology-enabled clinic aimed at improving…

Oracle Health, the nation’s second-largest EHR vendor by market share, had a busy December, expanding health system projects and its AI customer base. Here are 11 times Becker’s reported on the company in the past month: 1. King of Prussia,…

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says “failure is not an option” as it plans to resume its Oracle Health EHR implementation at 13 medical centers in 2026. Success will require strong communication and collaboration among VA staffers, as well…