In 2026, is it a good thing to be labeled a healthcare disruptor, or does that label just set you up for failure? For the past several years, Alan Shoebridge, AVP & Chief Communication Officer (National) at Providence, has been publishing a highly anticipated “Disruptors List,” tracking which organizations and trends are moving the needle in healthcare (and which are just hype).
In a recent sit-down with Healthcare IT Today, Shoebridge unveiled his 2026 list, breaking down why heavyweights like AARP and direct-to-consumer (DTC) primary care made the cut, why CVS got the boot, and why vaccine hesitancy is forcing its way back into the conversation.
Core Insight: Shoebridge believes that true disruption in healthcare isn’t about flashy tech; it’s about the very real policy, labor, and social shifts that affect how care is delivered and consumed.
The New Additions and the Danger of Hubris
When you look at the landscape, it’s easy to get distracted by companies claiming they will single-handedly fix the industry. Shoebridge takes a pragmatic approach, heavily discounting organizations with too much hubris. This is exactly why CVS fell off this year’s list. “We’re gonna revolutionize healthcare. We’re gonna fix it all. We’ve got it figured out,” Shoebridge noted of their past grandiosity, adding that ultimately “their vision was just not realized” and they remain “far away from that” goal.
Instead of tech panaceas, Shoebridge looks at raw influence. Take the AARP, a new addition for 2026. While not a flashy tech startup, they are “very visible advocates” leveraging massive political and financial sway on behalf of the baby boomer generation. Similarly, DTC primary care is generating buzz. Shoebridge remains cautiously optimistic about its durability, noting that without a robust referral network, “the margins on primary care are just really, really poor.”
Negative Disruption and the “Waiting Room”
Not all disruption is positive. Shoebridge brought vaccine hesitancy back onto his 2026 list, framing it as a dangerous barrier to access. “We’re seeing the negative effect,” he explained. “This is bad disruption… where you have people questioning scientific evidence.” This resistance leads to preventable outbreaks that tie up valuable hospital beds and strain an already exhausted workforce.
For those companies with potential but unproven staying power, like Best Buy Health and Salesforce, Shoebridge created a “waiting room” category. These are organizations doing interesting things, but as Shoebridge stated, “we’re going to keep them out here in the waiting room until we see if they’re really committed to doing something.”
Notable Healthcare Disruptors
New Disruptors: AARP, DTC Primary Care, Vaccine Hesitancy, Home Medical Testing, Maven Clinic
Disruptors Still on the List: Amazon, Epic, Mark Cuban, Microsoft, SEIU, Staffing Shortages
Disruptors Leaving the List: CVS
Waiting Room: Best Buy Health, Hinge Health, Optum/United Healthcare, Salesforce
The overall lesson here is simple: it’s easy to announce a disruption, but incredibly difficult to sustain one in an industry that still requires a massive amount of hands-on care.
See the full list here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shoebridge_healthcare-hospitals-disruption-activity-7447278247471656961-Zlfk
Connect with Alan Shoebridge on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoebridge/
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