The diabetes industry won’t just evolve in 2026. It will continue to undergo a fundamental shift in how care is defined, delivered, and experienced. What was once a landscape dominated by manual tracking and reactive treatments has transformed into a proactive, connected, data-driven ecosystem of diabetes devices, management platforms, manufacturers, digital therapeutics, consumables, educators, and drug therapies.
In 2026, the focus is no longer just about managing diabetes, but about mastering it through integrated data, connected devices and apps, and AI-enabled insights. Glooko’s core mission has always been to bridge the gap between people living with diabetes and healthcare providers through clear, actionable data. This year, we are strengthening that connection by offering innovative solutions like EndoTool, developed by Monarch Medical Technologies, a Glooko Company, and Glooko. Together, these technologies can bridge the continuum of care from inpatient glycemic management to outpatient diabetes management.
To better understand where the industry is going, we asked our experts for their insights and predictions for 2026.
Advancing Diabetes and Glycemic Management in 2026
“The diabetes landscape is set for a massive transformation in 2026. With the launch of the CMS ACCESS Model, we are shifting from simply tracking data to rewarding positive health outcomes during hospital stays. However, as a wave of new CGMs, AI-enabled health software and wearables, and smart pens hits the market, these technologies can quickly overwhelm outpatient care teams. Trusted digital health solutions that bridge these settings, unifying disparate devices into one clear, actionable clinical picture using data, will be key.
This move toward data liquidity means vital information is no longer trapped in a single device or clinical encounter. By integrating inpatient systems with outpatient platforms, care can be more proactive and continuous, especially as new federal quality measures for glycemic safety take full effect this year. We aren’t just looking at numbers anymore; we need to use intelligent, AI-powered insights to make the daily burden of diabetes feel lighter. We’re moving beyond ‘tech for tech’s sake’ and toward a simpler, more connected reality that puts the person before the data.”
– Mike Alvarez, CEO, Glooko
The Rise of New Digital Health Standards and Connected Care
“In 2026, the strategic focus for health systems will shift from fragmented point solutions to a unified continuum of care. As hospitals face tightening margins and new outcome-based payment models like CMS ACCESS, they’ll seek integrated platforms that standardize management for chronic conditions like diabetes across both inpatient and outpatient settings. By consolidating disparate tools into a single, EHR-integrated ecosystem, systems can reduce the cost of maintaining multiple interfaces.
Remote patient monitoring will also see new life in 2026. New programs like the federal Rural Health Transformation Program are bridging the “digital divide” and refocusing on the benefits of connected, digital-forward care. This $50 billion funding allows underserved, rural clinics to adopt advanced AI and remote monitoring tools that were previously limited to urban centers, enabling evidence-based chronic condition management closer to home. By leveraging grants to modernize interoperability and cybersecurity, rural healthcare providers ensure that high-quality, connected diabetes care is no longer determined by a patient’s zip code, but is instead the universal standard.”
– Rich Glenn, President, Connected Care, Glooko
Evolving from Siloed Data Collection to Integrations and Precision Engagement
“This year, we will keep expanding our current support of episodic care to include continuous care, evolving beyond our expertise in data collection to the design of digital ecosystems that bridge the gap between people with diabetes, their device data, and healthcare providers. This shift will replace fragmented data silos with a unified infrastructure where information from diabetes devices and health monitoring apps flow seamlessly into clinicians’ primary workflows via EHR integrations. We must ensure that continuous data isn’t an overwhelming burden, but an enabling and actionable asset. This collaborative framework alleviates burnout by giving the entire care team an on-demand ‘single source of truth,’ allowing care teams to intervene proactively and spend less time navigating software and more time practicing at the tops of their licenses.
Given recent FDA guidance on wellness wearables and clinical decision support software, we may now be entering a new era of precision engagement fueled by AI. With the latest generations of CGM devices and automated insulin delivery (AID) systems, the field has already moved beyond just seeing data to predicting outcomes and using AI to forecast hypoglycemic events with immediate, context-rich alerts to the person with diabetes. This automation allows patients to manage their care more independently than ever before. However, people with diabetes still benefit from expert teams that can co-pilot their care. There will always be a vital need for care teams to step in when clinical complexity arises or the individual is not achieving their diabetes management goals.”
– Mark Clements, MD, PhD, Chief Medical and Strategy Officer, Glooko
Making Glycemic Safety a Mandatory Protocol
“In 2026, inpatient glycemic safety will transition from a clinical preference to a mandatory system requirement. With CMS now linking reimbursement and quality ratings to the reporting of severe glycemic events, hospitals can no longer rely on the manual vigilance of individual clinicians to manage insulin therapy. Success now requires moving away from fragmented “sliding scale” protocols and toward purpose-built platforms like EndoTool that ensure consistent, evidence-based dosing and the ability to track outcomes in real time. By treating glycemic management as core safety infrastructure, hospitals and health systems can reduce costly variability, meet new regulatory demands, and allow clinicians to focus on patient care rather than manual calculations.”
– Paul Chidester, MD, Medical Director, Glooko
View Dr. Chidester’s full 2026 outlook on glycemic safety
Solving Specialist Shortages and Clinician Burnout Through Integrated AI and Enhanced Patient Literacy
“Clinician burnout will remain a top priority in 2026, driven in part by the mental exhaustion of managing disjointed tools outside the EHR. This year marks a turning point: embedding integrated data and interoperability within existing workflows will automate administrative tasks, streamline documentation, and provide unified patient views for better clinical decisions. The result will likely be improved provider capacity, proactive care delivery, and sustainable models that optimize both clinical and operational outcomes.
As the endocrinologist shortage intensifies, primary care teams will increasingly leverage specialized healthcare AI tools, including ChatGPT for Healthcare, to reduce administrative burden and enable top-of-scope care delivery, effectively increasing capacity without adding staff.
We will continue to be immersed in the era of the AI-empowered patient. Patients already use tools like ChatGPT Health to synthesize their data, including glucose trends and lab results, before appointments. This increasing health literacy will continue to transform basic data reviews into high-value, collaborative discussions where both clinicians and patients leverage AI for more informed decision-making.”
– Trisha Martinez, BSN, MBA, RN, Senior Director, Clinical Transformation, Glooko
Securing the Digital Health Ecosystem to Thwart AI-Driven Cyberattacks
“In 2026, healthcare data privacy and cybersecurity will undergo a fundamental shift as cyber threats transition to AI-driven, autonomous models. Healthcare organizations must pivot toward ‘agentic resilience,’ a proactive approach leveraging agentic AI, autonomous systems capable of making decisions and executing tasks. These agents can address the vulnerabilities inherent in connected medical ecosystems, such as the possible cyberattack risks present in clinical workflows and medical devices, including connected insulin pumps and CGMs.
To mitigate security risks in 2026, healthcare organizations should also transition toward a robust security framework that replaces traditional passwords with identity-based access control and advanced authentication methods, such as biometric passkeys and MFA. By implementing universal verification, every access request can be rigorously validated regardless of its source, ensuring the integrity of clinical workflows and protecting sensitive health data from unauthorized entry.”
– Ben Chang, Vice President, Security and IT Operations, Glooko
Entering a Highly-Competitive, Integration-First Diabetes Device Ecosystem
“We’re entering the year in a global diabetes landscape that has matured into a competitive, integration-first ecosystem that demands collaboration. With the global diabetes device market projected to exceed $37.9 billion, we are seeing an influx of regional manufacturers offering new device alternatives, giving healthcare providers and people with diabetes a wider array of care choices. This diversification is further accelerated by the mainstream adoption of tubeless patch pumps, CGMs, and non-invasive wearable technologies tailored for the Type 2 diabetes and wellness segments.
From a partnership perspective, these trends reinforce a vital market truth that hardware is no longer a standalone solution. As the number of devices expands, the ultimate competitive advantage belongs to those who prioritize interoperability, integrating effortlessly into the patient’s life and the clinician’s EHR system.”
– Dave Conn, Executive Vice President, Global Alliances, Glooko
Furthering Connected Diabetes Care in Europe
“We’ll continue to move away from disconnected diabetes devices and toward integrated digital ecosystems. As connected care becomes the standard for delivering value, diabetes management will increasingly rely on a coordinated combination of medication, smart hardware, and artificial intelligence, all operating under the supervision of healthcare professionals through structured remote monitoring.
For remote monitoring to be effectively adopted, it must be embedded within national and regulatory frameworks defined by local health authorities. Strict alignment with evolving EU regulations on AI and health data will also remain a central priority.
In terms of devices, the evolution of algorithm-driven AID systems into sophisticated ‘digital companions’ will be the catalyst for a broader diabetes management transformation. By combining predictive AI with remote monitoring, healthcare providers can anticipate patient needs and manage populations remotely, offering a scalable solution to Europe’s workforce challenges by effectively shifting care from hospital settings into the home.”
– Alex Evans, Vice President, Connected Care, EMEA, Glooko
Smarter Technology to Empower People Living with Diabetes
“Over the past few years, managing my diabetes finally felt less like a full-time job and more like a background app running on my phone. We’ve moved away from the constant stress of finger sticks and manual math thanks to the latest AID systems and high-tech sensors that talk to each other better than ever before. These smart systems do the heavy lifting for many, catching highs and lows before they even happen, which takes a huge weight off the shoulders of people with diabetes. Even for those of us who don’t use a pump, connected smart pens can now automatically log every dose, so there’s a lot less guessing and worrying. In 2026, I think we’ll see even more technology that helps to further reduce burnout, keep costs more manageable, and help people stay in range, while thinking about diabetes a little less.”
– Hadley Horton, Senior Partner Manager, Glooko
Ready to prepare your hospital, health system, or clinic for the rest of 2026?
Contact our team for a demo of our outpatient Glooko diabetes management platform and inpatient EndoTool Glucose Management System.
EndoTool is developed and marketed by Monarch Medical Technologies, a Glooko Company. EndoTool is an FDA-cleared Class II medical device indicated for inpatient use as described in its Instructions for Use. Glooko’s diabetes management platform and EndoTool are currently independent solutions.