As health systems plan for 2026 capital programs, one clear insight stands out: while nearly 75% of health-system executives say digital transformation is a top strategic priority, many believe their organizations still lack the infrastructure to fully realize it. This gap between ambition and capability is shaping one of the most important choices hospitals face today.
During my years as a practicing physician and now working at Lenovo alongside hospital systems, I’ve seen how rigid, siloed legacy systems hold care back. By implementing a resilient, intelligent infrastructure, clinicians can focus on what matters: patients. Healthcare organizations sit at a critical crossroads between the old model and the future-ready ecosystem of care.
With escalating data volumes, cybersecurity threats and workforce shortages, hospitals are rethinking not just their digital tools but the foundations that support them. The next phase of modernization is not simply about adopting new applications; it is about building the intelligent infrastructure that allows those innovations to thrive.
From Smart Hospitals to Adaptive Ecosystems
For years, the “smart hospital” was defined as a connected environment where systems communicated and data flowed between the bedside, the back-office and the cloud. But in an era of AI-assisted diagnostics, virtual care and real-time analytics, healthcare organizations are evolving beyond “smart” toward something more dynamic — an adaptive ecosystem that can learn, scale and respond in real time.
When investing in IT infrastructure, healthcare leaders now prioritize workload portability and AI readiness. According to the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Index, respondents in the healthcare sector identified the ability to move workloads seamlessly across private and public cloud environments, along with support for emerging AI workloads, as the most important factor influencing purchasing decisions at 17%.
The message is clear: flexibility is now a clinical requirement.
Health systems are acting on it. A recent Healthcare Cloud User Survey found that more than 80% of healthcare organizations already host applications in a public cloud environment, with many actively transitioning legacy systems to hybrid and edge-located architectures. This shift reflects a growing understanding that as healthcare data multiplies, location matters less than accessibility, performance and security.
The Architecture of Digital Care
What does this new architecture look like in practice? Think of it as a distributed nervous system for the hospital, one that connects core, cloud and edge environments into a cohesive, intelligent whole.
According to HealthManagement.org, hybrid and edge-to-cloud solutions are becoming essential for optimizing healthcare computing. The balance of computing resources and intelligent automation enhances performance, resilience and sustainability, which are the pillars of modern hospital design.
At the edge, data from medical devices, imaging systems and monitoring sensors can be processed closer to the point of care. This enables faster decision-making and reduces latency for time-sensitive applications such as remote surgery or AI-powered triage. Hybrid and multicloud orchestration allow hospitals to scale analytics workloads dynamically, running intensive AI model training in the cloud while keeping sensitive patient data secure on-premises.
As one example of how new infrastructure can support the people who deliver care: when computing is placed closer to the bedside, clinicians spend less time waiting for systems to respond and more time interacting with patients. Infrastructure isn’t just bricks and bytes; it supports humanity in the hospital.
Crucially, intelligent infrastructure also strengthens cybersecurity. In 2025, 92% of healthcare organizations report being targeted by cyberattacks in the previous 12 months and legacy technology is cited as a top vulnerability. As ransomware and data breaches continue to plague the healthcare sector, hospitals are turning to architectures that combine zero-trust principles, built-in encryption and AI-powered threat detection. These capabilities allow organizations to detect anomalies across complex networks, contain threats proactively and maintain operational continuity even under duress.
Beyond technology, this shift redefines workflows and the human experience. With reliable, self-healing systems, clinicians spend less time troubleshooting and more time focusing on patients. Intelligent infrastructure does more than run applications; it sustains trust, continuity and connection in environments where every second counts.
The Future-Ready Hospital
The pulse of modern healthcare no longer beats solely in patient rooms. It hums through servers, sensors and the cloud. Every data point, every device and every algorithm carries the potential to lighten a clinician’s load and deepen a patient’s care.
Hospitals that integrate intelligence into their infrastructure are not simply investing in technology. They are investing in time, trust and the human moments that define healing. Intelligent systems can optimize scheduling, predict equipment failures before they happen and personalize patient care journeys based on real-time insights. The result is more resilient operations and more meaningful interactions between caregivers and patients.
As health systems look to 2026 and beyond, one truth is emerging: the hospital of the future will not be defined by the number of servers it runs or terabytes it stores, but by the agility, security and compassion embedded in its digital DNA.
The challenge ahead is not to automate compassion but to amplify it through thoughtful design that serves both people and purpose. The true measure of a smart hospital is not how fast it computes, but how deeply it cares.
Justin T. Collier, MD
Dr. Justin T. Collier is a Clinical Informatics physician who recently joined Lenovo as the North America Healthcare CTO. He combines his clinical and technological backgrounds to help advance clinical outcomes, streamline clinical workflows, and enhance the patient experience. Prior to joining Lenovo, he served for nearly 6 years as the Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry Practice manager at WWT, supporting their healthcare ecosystem clients nationwide. Before that, he served as the CMIO for HCA Healthcare's TriStar Division for over 7 years, tackling initiatives in EHR, data and analytics, telemedicine, and clinician mobility solutions. Dr. Collier has been a long-time member of the Tennessee HIMSS chapter, previously serving for 10 years on their board and continuing to serve on their advisory council.
