Physicians are grappling with an array of pressures in 2026, as the expansion of AI in medical practices, diminishing practice autonomy and rising practice costs complicate their day-to-day work and spell uncertainty for the future.
Four physicians recently joined Becker’s to discuss their biggest concerns in healthcare right now and what they think will happen next.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What’s your biggest concern about the medical field or healthcare in general right now?
Christopher Lehrach, MD. Chief Physician Executive at Nuvance Health (Danbury, Conn.: My greatest concern is whether healthcare can sustainably meet escalating clinical demand while preserving the therapeutic relationship that remains central to exceptional care. We face the convergence of an aging population, growing chronic disease burden, workforce attrition, )rising costs and increasing regulatory and administrative complexity. Simultaneously, patients expect greater access, convenience and personalization. The risk is that clinicians become increasingly consumed by process rather than patient care. As healthcare leaders, we must reimagine care delivery, optimize workforce capacity and leverage technology in ways that reduce friction rather than add it. Our success will ultimately be measured by our ability to balance innovation, operational resilience, and humanism.
Steven Podnos, MD. Critical Care Physician and Principal of WealthCare:
My set of concerns relates to the steady loss of autonomy for physicians. When I was a practicing physician, I had a strong amount of autonomy to advocate for my patients, whereas now with 80% of physicians employed-they must have divided loyalty. I believe this is the major cause of “burnout,” and is not improving.
Brian Stone, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of VHC Health (Arlington, Va.): My biggest concern is the pace and direction of market consolidation. We’ve watched it move through independent physician practices, then independent hospitals, and now the pressure is shifting to independent health systems. The same pattern is playing out on the payer side. Consolidation has a way of promising scale and delivering distance. Scale can bring real advantages, but it also concentrates decision-making further from the communities being served. As an independent health system, we feel that pressure directly, and I think the field hasn’t fully reckoned with what gets lost in access and in local accountability, as fewer independent voices remain in the room.
Easwar Sundaram Jr., MD. President of Texas Institute for Neurological Disorders (Dallas): The loss of autonomy and being controlled by insurance companies and hospitals. We spend more time trying to get pre-authorization for tests, procedures and medications. None of these are reimbursed. Lawyers get reimbursed for every email as billable hours. I do peer-to-peer at 8 p.m. for just patient care! We are just a commodity and nothing else.
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