The Heart of Healthcare | A Digital Health Podcast 🔮 2026 Digital Health Predictions | Annie Lamont
25 snips
Jan 12, 2026 Annie Lamont, a veteran venture capitalist and co-founder of Oak HC/FT, shares her insights on the future of healthcare. She recounts the tough landscape of 2025 for health plans and discusses why providers are leading in AI adoption. Annie predicts which sectors she'll focus on in 2026, including provider software and AI-driven drug discovery. She expresses caution about employer-centric solutions and mid-level payer challenges. With thoughts on consolidation and the potential for market shifts, she also highlights the need for robust national AI policies.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Distributors To Drive 2026 M&A
- Distributors and large supply-chain players will be major acquirers in 2026.
- Annie expects payers to pause M&A until 2027 while distributors buy aggressively.
Limits Of Services-To-Software Plays
- Turning services into software is plausible in some domains but often yields pure EBITDA plays.
- Annie is skeptical of roll-ups that create legal or strategic conflicts in healthcare.
Pair AI With Leadership And Clinical Buy-In
- To capture AI leverage in care delivery, a company needs a unique management team and clinical buy-in.
- Apply AI to risk-bearing models and primary care roll-ups to change economics over time.