ACC Conference 2026: Cardiology at a turning point
By Senior Research Executives, Molly Hines and Supreet Kaur
After attending the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Conference 2026, we reflected on our key takeaways from the event. At ACC, much of the discussion was shaped by how artificial intelligence is increasingly being embedded into clinical practice, workflows, and healthcare systems.
What stood out to us most wasn’t the pace of technological development, but the growing recognition that the challenge now lies in implementation.
The bottleneck isn’t innovation
Cardiology is one of the most developed areas for AI, with hundreds of validated tools available. But only a small number are truly used in clinical workflows.
That gap came up repeatedly. The challenge isn’t building models, it’s integrating them into systems, aligning incentives, training physicians, and making them usable in busy clinical environments. Or put simply: we don’t have an innovation challenge, we have an execution challenge.
From sensing to acting: How care delivery is changing
One useful way of framing this evolution was the progression from sensing > reasoning > acting.
In cardiology today, sensing (data capture) is largely established, and reasoning (analysis and prediction) is well developed. The next step, acting, is where things become more complex.
This is where tools begin to move from insight generation into real workflow support: helping with decision-making, automating parts of care pathways, and supporting clinical teams more directly. Importantly, this shift isn’t just technological, it’s operational and changes how cardiology services are designed and delivered.
Where MedTech value is shifting
For MedTech, this evolution feels particularly significant. A recurring theme was that model performance alone is no longer a differentiator. As AI capabilities become increasingly commoditized, value is shifting toward:
Integration with clinical systems and electronic medical records
Workflow design and usability
Access to high-quality, structured data
In other words, success is becoming less about the algorithm itself, and more about how well it fits into real-world cardiology practice.
Early signs of impact in clinical practice
While many of the challenges are clear, there are also early examples of progress. Ambient AI tools are beginning to reduce documentation burden, and imaging AI platforms are becoming more embedded in cardiology pathways. Generative AI, in particular, is starting to show practical value in supporting administrative and documentation-heavy tasks.
At the same time, patient behaviour is evolving. Many patients are already using AI-like tools for interpretation, reassurance, and preparation, often outside formal healthcare systems. This creates both opportunity and pressure for health systems and MedTech companies to respond.
Implementation is the real constraint
One of the strongest themes across the conference was that the limiting factor is rarely the technology itself. Instead, the challenges are operational:
Embedding tools into workflows
Aligning clinical and organisational ownership
Building trust and familiarity among users
Integrating with existing systems such as electronic medical records
Examples from organisations such as Sutter Health highlighted how structured approaches, combining “buy, build, partner” strategies with governance and training, are becoming essential to scale effectively. A simple but important idea was repeated throughout: data only creates value when teams are empowered to use it.
A more realistic view of healthcare systems
There was also a more grounded discussion around how healthcare systems actually function day to day. Clinicians and administrators often face misaligned incentives, underused data, and operational frustration. Even well-intentioned metrics can create unintended consequences in practice if they do not direct actionable outcomes.
It reinforced that AI is not being introduced into a neutral environment, it is being layered onto complex systems that already have structural and cultural constraints.
Closing reflections
Attending the ACC Conference was a really valuable experience. The range of talks and discussions deepened our understanding of current trends in cardiology, while also challenging how we think about implementation in practice. It was a useful opportunity to step back, reflect, and stay closely connected to where the industry is heading.
Our main reflection is that cardiology is entering a more mature phase of digital transformation. The technology is becoming increasingly capable, but it’s also dependent on context. AI is becoming part of the infrastructure behind modern cardiology care, but its impact will depend far less on technical performance, and far more on implementation, adoption, and integration into clinical reality. The opportunity feels significant, but the real challenge lies in execution.