By Jasen Gundersen, MD
For independent cardiologists, no two years are alike, and 2026 will bring new challenges and opportunities. As patient demand increases and Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies expire, clinicians and practice managers will need to answer tough questions: How do we improve employee engagement? Where can we implement AI smartly? Which services can we add to enhance the quality of patient care?
To help you prepare, we’ve identified the top nine trends poised to define independent cardiology in 2026. Designed to spark conversation, these trends touch on every influence impacting your practice, from hospital competition and payer negotiation to talent management and care innovation.
Trend #1: Employed physicians will continue seeking hospital exits.
More than 1 in 5 employed physicians say they’re “unsatisfied” or “very unsatisfied” with their level of autonomy at work, according to the 2025 Medscape Employed Physician Report. Even more troubling, 48% said that having less autonomy is the “worst thing about their business,” and 25% said that their employer “emphasizes patient quotas and CPT codes over quality.”
As hospital- and private-equity-owned physicians grow more disillusioned with their employment arrangements, they will begin weighing the pros and cons of returning to private practice. Those that take the leap in 2026 should find partners who can steer them through the roadblocks that arise when a practice moves from employed to independent.
Trend #2: The CT-first movement will expand imaging access.
The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association has strongly recommended Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA) as a frontline test for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) since 2021. Cardiologists can take a CT-first approach by adding advanced imaging technologies like CCTA to their practices in 2026. While once out of reach for independent physicians, CCTA and other tests are now more available and affordable. They also drive patient retention and practice growth in addition to improving patient care.
Trend #3: Virtual care and monitoring will extend your practice into the home.
Cardiologists can learn only a limited amount of information from their patients during a 15-minute office visit. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) and chronic care management (CCM), extend a practice’s reach, connecting patients with nurses who can learn more about their physical health and home environment, interpret data from telemetry devices, collect their vital signs, and alert physicians when intervention is necessary.
We’re here in 2026 to help practices create their own “virtual safety net” of high-quality RPM and CCM services. We piloted a new virtual care offering in the last half of 2025, and it’s already helping some of our member practices improve outcomes and strengthen the quality of in-person patient visits. We’re excited to bring this to market for both cardiologists and their communities.
Trend #4: AI will change the way patients find your practice.
AI overviews now appear in more than half of all healthcare searches, and patients are using ChatGPT and other AI tools to find providers and get answers to their health questions. That’s why practice marketing strategies must change in 2026. Here’s what a digital-first approach to practice marketing looks like, and how it complements referrals and other traditional approaches.
Trend #5: Culture and retention will eat practice strategy for lunch.
A supportive workplace culture that recognizes and rewards colleagues will help practices retain their employees, a crucial success factor amid a nationwide shortage of medical assistants and other positions. A positive culture keeps morale high, something 28% of medical practice leaders say could use a boost. Not sure where to begin? Try these four tips to improve practice communication.
Trend #6: The worsening cardiologist shortage will squeeze access even tighter.
The ratio of cardiovascular patients per cardiologist is expected to increase from 1 for every 1,087 patients this year to 1 for every 1,700 patients by 2035. That means patient access issues will only become worse.
To solve the crisis, 37% of practices say they will allocate more budget to their workforce in 2026, adding staff after years of maintaining the status quo. One potential option is adding physician assistants (PAs) to your practice. The supply is plentiful: a record 12,400 physician assistants became certified in 2024, up nearly 25% from 2020.
Trend #7: Documentation burdens will continue to erode care quality.
Despite EHRs and AI, documentation still consumes way too much time in a cardiologist’s day. A recent AMA study shows that in a 57.8-hour workweek, doctors spend just 27.2 hours on direct patient care. Simultaneously, they spend 13 hours on indirect patient care (such as order entry or referrals) and 7.3 hours on tasks such as prior authorization and insurance. Adopting technology specifically designed for cardiology practice workflows in 2026 can ease these burdens and put patient care back at the top of cardiologists’ to-do lists.
Trend #8: GLP-1s may become an essential cardiac management tool.
A recent meta-analysis revealed that GLP-1 receptor agonists significantly reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, whether or not a patient is obese or has diabetes. These findings could impact practice in 2026, potentially opening the door for prescribing semaglutide for cardiometabolic disease. Expect further studies to better clarify the potential link between GLP-1 and improved heart health.
Trend #9: Payment parity and advocacy will gain momentum.
Amid ongoing inflation and stagnant physician fee schedules, site-neutral payment reform will dominate policy conversations. Groups like the American Independent Medical Practice Association (AIMPA) will ramp up their advocacy in 2026 to even the playing field for independent doctors.
What’s Ahead: Stronger Support from CardioOne
Being an independent cardiologist in 2026 doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. CardioOne continues to grow and expand, providing practices with the tools, systems, and expertise they need to ease the burdens of running a business and deliver outstanding patient care. We’re looking forward to what the new year will bring. As always, if you have any questions or want to connect – feel free to reach out to myself or a member of our team.