As medical group executives and boards finalize budgets for 2026, practice leaders are channeling new investment into a handful of areas that directly shape margin, access, and resilience.  

Our polling over the past two years points to rising spend for cybersecurity and AI, continued pressure to budget for competitive staff pay, growing interest in revenue cycle automation and outsourcing, and renewed focus on digital access — with the 2024 Change Healthcare outage reinforcing how technology and financial operations are intertwined. 

In our Oct. 28, 2025, MGMA Stat poll, 37% of medical group leaders said their biggest new investment in their 2026 budgets will be in workforce, 30% in health IT, 12% in revenue cycle, 12% in patient access, and 9% in “other.” The poll had 213 applicable responses.  

Workforce 

Where the spend is: Not surprisingly, budget talks still revolve around pay and retention. Leaders plan to add headcount — especially providers and support staff — while strengthening retention with raises, market/merit adjustments, and new or expanded bonuses. Many respondents also point to benefits and total rewards upgrades, plus training and leadership development. 

How we got here: In September 2024, about 35% of practice leaders said they would budget more than usual to keep pay competitive; by mid‑2025, operating costs were still rising, with staffing cited as a primary driver. Our recent board‑season guidance underscores setting realistic cost-of-living (CoL)/merit pools for 2026 and benchmarking pay frequently to avoid midyear compression.  

Health IT 

Where the spend is: AI tools, new or upgraded EHR/PM systems, and cloud migrations anchor many leaders’ tech plans, often paired with hardware/Windows 11 refreshes, analytics, and interoperability work; cybersecurity (and cyber insurance), core infrastructure, and targeted systems such as HRIS, LIS, scheduling/remote check-in, and prior auth round out the mix mentioned by this week’s respondents. 

How we got here: In 2024, 72% of medical groups increased cybersecurity spend, and many also ramped staff training — a trend MGMA saw continue into early 2025. AI adoption surged as well: 43% of groups reported added or expanded AI in 2024; by 2025, AI tools edged out EHR usability as the top tech priority, and 71% of practices reported using some form of AI in patient visits. The Change Healthcare incident, alongside persistent cyber risks and new digital opportunities, pushed many organizations to reassess IT resilience, diversify vendors, and harden their cybersecurity posture. 

Revenue cycle 

Where the spend is: Planned investments for 2026 are centered on automation and AI (including agentic tools for benefits/eligibility and prior auth), payer analytics, and coding support — often delivered via new RCM platforms or EHR standardization — with added interest in outsourcing/consultants, payer contract renegotiations, and upgraded patient billing tools. 

How we got here: By late 2024, 36% of practice leaders said they would outsource or automate parts of RCM in 2025, setting the stage for similar moves in 2026 to counter denials, staffing gaps, and cash-flow volatility. Throughout 2024, organizations signaled greater willingness to pilot AI for claims, denials, and prior auths — backed by sturdier IT infrastructure following a high-profile outage. Payment‑tech research also points to growing interest in AI‑enabled payment tools to streamline collections.  

Patient access 

Where the spend is: Convenience is now a budget line: respondents are prioritizing digital front doors — online scheduling/registration, portal messaging, texting — and centralized (often virtual) call centers with AI help desks and referral management, while adding staff/providers and expanding capacity (more exam rooms/right-sizing clinics). Some are also extending access via home-based care and remote monitoring. 

How we got here: Since early 2024, growth in self-scheduling and portal use has shifted first-contact volume to digital channels, pushing multisite groups to upgrade contact centers, unify scripts, tighten callback SLAs, and staff to match omnichannel demand. Telehealth remains a pressure valve, especially for hard‑to‑staff specialties, though many MGMA members reported lower volumes in 2025 even before the government shutdown and expiration of some Medicare flexibilities.  

Other 

Where the spend is: Leaders cite facility growth — new offices, expansions, and remodels — often to launch new service lines and ancillary labs. Capital plans emphasize diagnostic and replacement equipment (e.g., X-ray, EMG, ultrasound), with additional mentions of new marketing efforts (including website and educational video improvements) and other internal resources (e.g., iPads). 

For groups touched by the 2024 Change Healthcare outage, some are adding contingency spend for clearinghouse diversification and vendor incident response, reinforcing that operational resilience is a part of growth strategy. 

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