WellSky, a leading health and community care technology and services company, today released its fifth annual Evolution of Care report. Drawing on data from the WellSky network of more than 2,000 hospitals and health systems and 120,000 post-acute and community care providers, a 2026 WellSky survey of healthcare professionals across the care continuum, and industry research, the report examines how rising patient complexity, care transitions, and artificial intelligence are reshaping care delivery and operations.
Today, fewer than 11% of organizations report broad or centralized use of AI, but that is poised to change quickly: 69% of respondents want their organization to use more AI over the next 12 months. The timing matters because the demands on care teams are intensifying. Patients are arriving sicker, every discharge takes more referral requests to land a placement, and skilled nursing placement is getting harder.
The findings point to four clear priorities for healthcare leaders:
By the numbers
- 66% of organizations are still learning, piloting, or using AI in limited ways.
- 7.13: average patient acuity on the Van Walraven Index, up from 6.98 the year before.
- 7.4%: the year-over-year increase in referrals per episode for skilled nursing facilities, while acceptance rates declined.
AI interest is high, but most organizations are still early.
Nearly 70% of survey respondents believe AI can play a moderate or significant role in improving care delivery, care coordination, or operational efficiency, and 69% want their organization’s use of AI to increase over the next 12 months.
Adoption has not caught up. 66% of organizations are still learning, piloting, or using AI in limited ways.
Patients are becoming more clinically complex.
Average patient acuity across the WellSky network rose from 6.98 to 7.13 year over year, as measured by the Van Walraven Index. Comorbidity burden grew as well, with notable increases in heart failure, obesity, and pulmonary circulation disorders.
For providers, sicker patients can mean more complicated discharge planning, more coordination, and less margin for delay.
Post-acute placement is taking more work, especially in skilled nursing.
Providers sent nearly 55 million post-acute referrals through the WellSky network in 2025, a 3.2% increase from the prior year. Referrals sent per inpatient discharge rose 4.3% overall.
Skilled nursing shows the strain most clearly. Referrals per episode for skilled nursing facilities rose 7.4% year over year, while skilled nursing acceptance rates declined, even as referral acceptance improved across other care settings. Care teams are sending more referrals to place each patient, and skilled nursing facilities are accepting a smaller share of them.
Trust will determine the future of healthcare AI.
Survey respondents most often named four things as essential to confidence in AI tools:
- Human oversight
- Clinical validation
- Transparency
- Alignment with existing workflows
They also cited training, workflow integration, and competing priorities as top adoption barriers. Scaling AI in healthcare depends as much on governance and trust as it does on technology.
“Our clients are being direct about what they need,” said Bill Miller, chairman and chief executive officer, WellSky. “They’re ready to move past experimentation to technology that helps them act sooner, coordinate better, and scale expertise across increasingly complex patient populations. The organizations that turn interest into implementation now will set the pace for everyone else, and we’re ready to help them lead.”
To explore the full findings, download the complete 2026 Evolution of Care report.
About WellSky®
WellSky is one of America’s largest and most innovative healthcare technology companies leading the movement for intelligent, coordinated care. Our proven software, analytics, and services power better outcomes and lower costs for stakeholders across the health and community care continuum. In today’s value-based care environment, WellSky helps providers, payers, health systems, and community organizations scale processes, improve collaboration for growth, harness the power of data analytics, and achieve better outcomes by further connecting clinical and social care. WellSky serves more than 20,000 client sites — including the largest hospital systems, blood banks, cell therapy labs, home health and hospice franchises, post-acute providers, government agencies, and human services organizations. Informed by more than 40 years of providing software and expertise, WellSky anticipates clients’ needs and innovates relentlessly to build healthy, thriving communities. For more information, visit wellsky.com.
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